Muzan could be patient. Very patient. With the proper incentive, of course. What was the point of being patient with, say, lazy subordinates who had failed him? He tried to be anyway, giving them punishments instead of killing them off… sometimes. But when it came to his goals? He was a thousand years old. Of course he could be patient in that regard.
But recently, the Demon Slayer Corps had grown too strong – had killed too many Kizuki, even if only Waning Moons. And then the demon (part demon?) boy who had no connection to Muzan showed up. Then the Corps got even stronger and he started losing Waxing moons – Kizuki he'd had in place for over a century.
About then, Muzan realized he'd grown complacent – too patient with his goal of eradicating the Corps and the remnants of his family that had grown from a minor thorn in his side to a serious threat to his shadow empire.
They would pay. He'd vowed that long ago, but he'd recently renewed that vow and had put most of his time and effort into that end. That and obtaining one of the Kamado brats. He was convinced they would be able to conquer the sun for him (and shine some light on the mystery that was Kamado Tanjiro: The Kizuki he'd never met).
Along the way, he realized that he needed more Kizuki, but had no time to waste allowing demons to gain that rank themselves. Which meant he'd have to target Hashira or former Hashira – those who had already gained the necessary strength. The problem was, even he couldn't predict everything one would remember if they did not turn to him willingly. He'd tried forcefully recruiting Hashira before – of course he had – but they forgot everything almost every time, only having some muscle memory of their previous techniques. Sure, they could make strong demons, but between the lack of memory and the rebellion they subconsciously showed, he'd come to the conclusion that they just weren't worth it.
But then he'd realized he hadn't been looking at the bigger picture when he'd come to that conclusion. It wasn't necessarily about gaining more for his side, it was about taking away from theirs. Sure, killing them did the job just fine, but the look on the Kamado girl's face when she'd seen her former Sensei earlier that evening… that had been priceless. The kind of demoralization he could inflict on the demon slayer ranks by making them fight their own… even if the demons that used to be Hashira burned brightly for a short period before burning out, they could still serve his purpose and serve it well.
So he'd sent out a change in orders, even as he continued to break down the poison the traitor had shoved into his gut: Turn the Hashira you can, and any Tsugukos. Offer for them to come willingly (he would prefer more stable demons after all), but otherwise force it if given the chance. He, himself, couldn't fight at the moment, too focused on undoing the damage Tamayo had done, but her efforts would eventually be in vain and they both knew it. And until he emerged from this state, he could allow a small part of his focus to watch through the eyes of his Kizuki as they fought against and turned the Hashira.
Both sides would take heavy losses tonight, and he didn't have infinite time – he had to be ready to face Kamado Tanjiro when he finally showed up – but he was confident in his plans. After all, no one else was stronger than him, a one-thousand-year-old demon. And even if they were, he had more than one trick up his sleeve.
And two of his Kizuki had succeeded in beginning the turning process for a Hashira and a Tsuguko already. It would take days for the demons to be done, but until then, they would be useless to the demon slayers as they turned – detrimental even. Distractions at best, dangerous at worst as Muzan used them as traps and bait.
It would be glorious.
He really should have done this a long time ago.
Now to figure out what to do about the demon in their ranks that looked all too much like Akaza… Just what was going on there? He mused on that as he continued to break Tamayo's poison down and the fights around him gained momentum.
xXx
Shinobu followed the boy with the boar mask quickly enough that she wouldn't lose him, but slowly enough that she could have some thought to herself. Her hand fingered the bottle of poison she'd brought with her as she contemplated whether she should take it or not. It shouldn't actually hurt her in the long run, but it could temporarily weaken her a little. And while she was sure she could push through it, she may need that extra energy to finish a fight with a Waxing Moon.
But if she took it now, her blood would be all the more potent if she fought a kizuki after the concoction had time to make its way into her bloodstream, and she really did need it to be as potent as possible. She was afraid it wouldn't be enough as it was.
Then again, just having it around to pour onto the blasted demon she was hunting may be a better use for it… if it could remain unbroken, she could get to it and uncork it in time to do something—
Ahead of her, Hashibara suddenly let out a loud cackle and shot forward using his breathing style. Shinobu blinked in surprise and then in annoyance as she hurried after him.
"Hashibara-san," she called out pleasantly, "we really need to stick together."
"Then keep up!" he yelled back and ran faster, bouncing off of walls to skirt the corners quickly. Shinobu felt her annoyance spike and simply maintained her current pace. He'd obviously sensed something… and now that she threw her own senses out, she found a powerful presence in the direction Hashibara ran towards.
Then she heard a loud crash. Wait, what?
On the floor of the next hallway she turned onto, she saw an enormous hole… with slash marks around the edges. Had Hashibara really hacked his way through the floor? Shinobu sighed and looked down. The room below was large, and the bottom covered with water, lily pads, and wooden walkways. Hmm…
She could also sense the strong presence.
Leaning down over the hole, she took in everything visible. She'd only got there a couple of seconds after the boy. Unlike the boar-headed teen – who had landed in the middle of the large room, she decided to take in the situation first.
About then, she realized she could smell blood. She leaned down farther, searching more of the room below.
The first thing that really caught her eye was the other demon slayer standing in the middle of one of the walkways, pointing his sword at the other end of the colorful room. Her eyes followed his point and she gasped.
Bodies. Dozens of bodies of young women dressed in white robes, slowly being dyed red as blood seeped out of them. The bodies lay strewn over several walkways like overly-large bread crumbs leading up to a man sitting on one of the walkways in the center of the room chewing on one of them.
Her jaw clenched. She knew him immediately; black robes over a western-style shirt tucked into modified hakama from what she could see, hair that fell in wavy spikes down his back, angled hat on his head that he'd taken off to scratch at, rainbow-colored eyes reading 'Waxing Two' in them and blood-red hair on the crown of his head…
The Hashira couldn't help but remember her nee-san as she lay dying in her arms, Shinobu begging her to describe the demon who had beaten the then Flower Pillar. She recalled how she'd sworn vengeance on this monster. All of her anger that she kept under the smile boiled to the surface and she prepared to jump, hand falling on the hilt of her sword.
"Fight me, demon! I don't care if you're Waxing Moon Two! I'll beat you up and become a pillar!" the stupid boar-headed boy yelled. If Shinobu hadn't been so angry, she may have put her head in her hands.
The demon looked entirely unperturbed as he replaced his hat and tipped his head to one side curiously.
Then, in a blink, he'd moved. Shinobu was able to follow his movement to right behind the boy, but before she could react and move to help, the demon was gone again. Shinobu bit her lip and made herself stay back. She hated using a comrade – especially one so young – as bait, but if the boy could distract the Kizuki…
She crouched low, ready to strike if he even looked like he'd make another move.
Meanwhile, the pretty-faced boy seemed to panic for a minute as he felt around his head. Then he noticed the boar mask in the demon's hands.
"So, you really are a demon slayer," the demon asked, studying the boar head. "This is quite aged, and I am impressed with what you've done with the glass eyes, here. Are you able to see out of them?"
"Give. That. Back," the boy growled angrily.
"Can you even fight in this?" the demon asked, looking up at Hashibara and holding the boar head out to the side, drawing attention to it.
"Of course I can!" the demon slayer shrieked and leaped forwards. "Breath of the Beast, Fourth Fang: Slice 'n Dice!"
Okay, even Shinobu had to admit that the boy's attack was impressive. And he'd made it up all on his own, after only seeing a demon slayer use a couple of techniques, if that? (The slayer he saw must have been a wind user, the attacks looked far too similar to not have been.)
The demon dodged, moving in a blur and commenting on how impressed he was at the boy's technique. He went to counter attack, but Hashibara – Inosuke (if they were going to fight for their lives side-by-side – or even if she just used him as bait – she should probably call him by his personal name) – also dodged, hands slapping on the wood as he swung his legs up and around with impressive force, knocking the other's fans (when had he suddenly gotten those out?) away.
"Oh, quite flexible," the demon said.
Inosuke grit his teeth and then went in to attack again, but he slashed at nothing but air. Across the room, Shinobu found the loathsome creature yet again, standing there and grinning that fake grin that made even hers look sincere.
"You remind me of someone. Have we met before?"
"I'd remember meeting a maggot like you before!" Inosuke screamed back.
"Are you sure? Because I'm positive we have." He tucked his fans under his arms and then stuck his finger into the side of his head, blood dribbling down his face. "And I have a very good memory." He wiggled his finger around. Inosuke shrieked.
Shinobu saw her chance.
"Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter," she whispered as she dove through the hole, landing across the room before she'd even finished speaking, using her fastest speed. Once past him, she withdrew her sword and flipped around, using her breathing style to help lessen the impact on her body and disperse the remaining energy. Then she stood, facing him, hoping she would see him disintegrating as she'd filled her sword with the deadliest poison…
She hadn't expected the attack to strike home if she was honest with herself, piercing the man through the chest. Then she launched forward again, striking in the same spot. They flew across the room until they hit the wooden wall, where he stuck, sword pinning him in place.
"Oh," he said, looking completely unperturbed, "I was wondering when you'd come out. And you're so cute too!"
Shinobu said nothing, just gritting her teeth and pushing harder. Then movement made her jump back, once again using as much speed as she could, and she saw the man's fan slice through where she'd just been…
She still felt the biting cold. That… had been too close.
And she'd had to bring her blade with her. Had she injected enough poison into him?
"That was an incredible technique! Such speed!" he said as he stood where he'd landed. "But you can't kill a demon by stabbing it."
Shinobu felt a vindictive glee come to her lips. "Unless you use poison," she said, tone just as cold as the demon's ice.
Almost as if on cue, he gasped, skin turning black and green on the edges as he fell to one knee.
"Breath of the Beast, Eighth Fang: Explosive Rush!" Inosuke blew past her at speeds even she found impressive. He didn't match her at her fastest, but it was nothing to scoff at.
But the demon had already raised his fan in front of his neck. One of Inosuke's blades struck a line through Douma's chest, but the other caught on the demon's fan.
"Inosuke, move!" Shinobu yelled, seeing the other hand prepare a counter attack.
Thankfully, the boar-headed boy did as she'd said and jumped back over a section of water to land on the wooden walkway on the other side. A pillar of ice stood where Inosuke had just been.
"I know where I saw your face," the demon said to the younger slayer as he got to his feet despite the poison. His voice sounded a little harsh, but not nearly as weak as Shinobu had hoped. She didn't dare try to attack again, knowing he would be prepared. The demon went on to speak about how he'd taken a pretty but dumb woman with a baby into his cult, and was planning on not killing her but keeping her by his side until she found out what he did – what he was – and ran.
According to the demon, she dropped Inosuke – her baby – off of a cliff and into a river. Shinobu felt her eyes widen. A baby shouldn't have survived that…
"I have no mother!" the boy denied. "I was raised by boars!"
Shinobu sighed and prayed for patience… and for an opening. The demon was looking better but she still didn't dare attack him right now. It was looking more and more like she'd have to use her final attack.
The demon asked if a boar had given birth to the boy. He didn't like that and attacked.
"NO!" Shinobu shouted and leaped forward herself, grabbing the boy by the back of his pants before Douma brought his fans around, creating that incredibly cold mist once again. The Insect Pillar swore under her breath. She hadn't known if her poison would actually work. She'd seen how fast Tanjiro's blood could adapt. Even if this demon had only half that skill, he would be getting much better about now.
She'd have to switch up her poisons. Well, fine. She had others just as potent. None quite as deadly, but perhaps she could combine them?
"What was that for?" Inosuke yelled at her.
"He was about to gut you," she responded, expression flat. That seemed to surprise Inosuke and he blinked, staring up at the woman who had just saved him.
Douma simply continued to comment about how sad he was that he'd lost such a pretty and entertaining little trinket, but she'd tuned most of his words out.
Shinobu went to open her mouth once he'd finished speaking, but Inosuke spoke first. "I don't know if she really was my mother, but you do not speak about her like that!"
Before Shinobu could voice her approval and agreement, a sound had her turning around. One of the women was still alive, sitting up and looking over at them with tears streaming from her pleading eyes. "H-help!" she whimpered as she reached towards them.
Shinobu dropped Inosuke and rushed over to the woman, picking her up and getting her to the walkway at the edge of the room. They'd have to get her out as soon as possible. Had it been any other time, she would have asked if the woman was alright, maybe tried to see about some first aid, but she'd seen how fast this demon was. No… she couldn't stop. So she kept going.
"Keep him busy!" she yelled at Inosuke, hoping she hadn't just left him to die. She'd be back to get her revenge, but Kanae would be disappointed if she prioritized such revenge over getting a life to safety.
She tried to push the guilt down as she ran.
"And stay alive," she whispered. "I'll be back for you, Inosuke-san."
xXx
"Oh," the demon said, looking after Shinobu's disappearing form. "She is fast. She has to be a Hashira. Probably the fastest Hashira I've ever come across."
Inosuke didn't waste time, attacking before he'd finished speaking. "Breath of the Beast, Eight Fang: Explosive Rush!" It hadn't worked the previous time, but it had to work now! He was wide open…
Except he wasn't.
"Ah, ah," the demon said, golden fan coming right towards him. He'd already leaped into the air and couldn't change direction on a whim. The demon knew it. He wasn't attacking as fast as he could… Inosuke grit his teeth. He'd just have to make something up on the fly, then.
He thrust his sword down, making contact with the wooden planks below him. It hurt, but he managed to keep hold of his sword as the momentum shot him up and out of the way of the demon's attack. He used the energy to flip around and come down from above, switching to a, "Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting!"
He managed to cut something, but he couldn't tell what as the demon jumped back and away from him, eyebrows raised (and he was probably already healing). "You really are something else. Did you make that form up yourself?"
"Of course I did!" Inosuke yelled. "Because I'm the Great Inosuke-sama!" And maybe now everyone would be able to see it! He never could quite understand why they couldn't before. He'd beat everyone on the mountain before he'd become a demon slayer, and he just kept getting stronger! He fought tooth and nail to get stronger! So why did so many people just dismiss him? Well, that was stupid of them, he supposed… but not this one.
"That truly is incredible," the demons said with a grin. "But… you're not a Hashira."
For a moment Inosuke froze. Then, he realized where the demon had gotten that idea. Inosuke had said as much when he'd smashed through the floor to confront the demon initially.
"Not yet!"
"But you're not on that level. I can tell," and the demon sounded so… apologetic. Like he was sorry (and disappointed) Inosuke couldn't measure up.
And that ticked Inosuke off. He was being dismissed… again! Him! The king of the mountain!"
"Third Fang: Devour!" he hissed as he pushed himself towards the Waxing Moon. One moment, his target was there. The next… he wasn't. Inosuke's swords passed through where he should have been! He…
"You're definitely more clever than your mom," he heard a voice behind him, sensing the presence just in time. He jumped out of the way, pushing back, but not fast enough. The golden fan slashed through his body, only one slash, but he felt it cut right across his torso, from his shoulder to his side. The cut had almost gone through his ribs and…
Wow, that hurt. Cracked ribs, he thought. Nothing he couldn't handle but… that had been uncomfortably close.
"You're just as stupid though," the demon said, almost fondly. And he said that with a smile on his face, bringing his fan covered in Inosuke's blood up so he could lick it. That ticked the boar-raised boy off even more, but… but despite what everyone else seemed to think, he did learn fast, especially with his life on the line.
'Concentrate,' he heard the Flame Pillar say in his head. 'Focus your breathing on your body. Stop the bleeding.' He'd heard that before, but never really concentrated on learning the technique until the last week when training with Rengoku.
He'd learned that he had done that before, with training accidents, keeping his bones in place through sheer will regarding his muscles. It was how his ability to dislocate his joints and snap them back in place worked… so he could do this. He could still fight at full strength.
He took a deep breath, fell into the familiar pattern, then looked back up at the demon.
"Oh? You're still going to fight? Even with a wound like that?"
"Of course! I have to send you to the underworld!" he shouted.
The demon tapped his chin, but unlike before, didn't let his guard down. "Is that so? Well, I have a proposition for you. Since I don't normally eat men – just not my style – Muzan-sama is looking for recruits! You'd make an excellent demon, seeing as I thought you might be one when I first saw you."
Inosuke blinked. Because… what?!
"What do you say? You can die here, or you can live on as one of us! I mean, that isn't normally a choice, but Muzan-sama is really upset at some of the losses he recen—"
"Ninth Fang: Extended Bendy Slash," the demon slayer hissed, concentrating on releasing his joints at just the right moment to extend the momentum of his sword. He hadn't had this particular move down long, but it would give him the length and speed he needed without rushing in and giving himself away. It was different than his other forms, and that let it pay off. A little. He had aimed for the demon's neck, but the Kizuki saw and leaned back, so the angle and height were off and Inosuke didn't have enough momentum to change that (one of the few weaknesses of the form – he'd have to work on that more than ever once he got done with this). His slash went through the demon's eyes.
The Waxing Moon jumped back again, and Inosuke wanted to follow, but he couldn't run as well with his arm like that and it took some concentration to bring it back into place.
"Oh… wow… now I have to say I'm impressed," the demon said as his eyes healed, much to Inosuke's frustration. "If you can do that when you're just human, imagine what you could do as a demon! And then your life won't be as pointless as your mother's!" Then he paused. "Huh… I kind of see why Akaza was always on about recruiting now. This is certainly amusing, trying to figure out what kind of demon you'll—"
"Ain't happenin'," Inosuke yelled. "I told you, I have to send you to the underworld!" What was Hinitsu always saying about statements like that? 'Literally' or he 'definitely would' or stuff like that. Eh, Inosuke wasn't sure so he didn't bother to add anything else on.
"Pity. I was hoping you'd prove to be smarter after all. Thing is…" He disappeared again and Inosuke threw his senses out and… there! Behind, up and to the left, but could he move in time? He began to turn, but the moment he saw the clawed hand coming towards him, fingers straight and aimed for Inosuke's chest, he knew he couldn't. "You don't have a choice."
He went to jump out of the way, bringing his swords around, but the angle was wrong. He wouldn't be able to dodge or block or cut the hand off before it—
And then something hit him like the enormous beast Jenotsu called a train. He found himself thrown to the side, eyes searching where he'd just been in time to see Douma's hand enter Shinobu's ribs – Shinobu who had pushed him out of the way and who still held her arms out, purple eyes focused on him in worry…
In worry because…
Because she cared. So few people cared enough to sit him down and explain things – hard things like why one thing was polite and another wasn't. Or why he needed to apologize. She did… and… and now…
"Oh," Douma said with wide eyes as the Insect Pillar gasped in pain and her face scrunched up. "Well… not what I was aiming for but," and then his smile suddenly looked… hungry. "But you'll make a fine demon, my dear."
xXx
Earlier…
Shinobu rushed through the hallways, searching for some place she could leave the woman in her arms in at least relative safety, but saw nothing. She couldn't leave her alone – not in good conscience. The poor girl (well, she was likely older than Shinobu, but still) seemed to be in shock, breaking down crying and clutching the Insect Pillar's robe with a white-knuckled grip.
"H-h-how did th-th-this hap-pen?" she sobbed, voice stuttering and wobbling.
"I wish I had time to explain," Shinobu said, head whipping from side to side as the hallways passed by. "But I don't. I have to get back to help Inosuke-san."
The woman pulled at her haori harder. "D-don't leave me!"
"Shh," Shinobu whispered, clutching the woman tighter. "I may have to leave, but I will make sure you're safe first."
In response, all she received was a whimper. She hated that, knowing the woman needed support right now, but she just didn't have time. And other lives were on the line!
"I know," she said soothingly. "I know, but I cannot leave my comrade to die."
She didn't get a response.
Biting her lip, she turned at the end of the hallway and continued to rush forward, still glancing down every hall she passed. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Pink. Nothing…
Wait…
She skidded to a stop and backed up only to come face to face with,
"Mitsuri-san?"
"Shinobu!" the pink-haired woman shrieked and threw her arms around Shinobu. The woman in her arms stopped shuddering at least, probably out of sheer confusion. "I'm so glad I found you! I've been looking all over for someone, but I could only find some groups of demon slayers I didn't know – although I know them now, and they're great, but I haven't seen Obanai-san at all, even though I know he's here and—"
"Wait, why are you here?" the Insect Pillar cut in. "I thought you were at the Swordsmith Village."
"We were! But then we got word that Oyakata-sama was attacked and Urokodaki-san too and so we hurried here as fast as we could! Then we got dragged in here before we even got half way."
Oh. That… that was worrying. And the idea that Urokodaki's place had been attacked too just added to the alarm. But she didn't really have time to think on that now. Especially since it looked like all the Hashira had been split up.
"Who's this?" Mitsuri asked brightly, gesturing to the woman Shinobu was still carrying, watching the other girl with a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Someone I rescued from Waxing Two."
Immediately the Love Pillar's expression fell into a determined scowl. "Where is he?"
"Inosuke-san is keeping him busy back there, but I need to get her to safety," Shinobu said.
"There's a group of Demon Slayers I was just with," Mitsuri said, gesturing behind her. "I sensed something strong over this way and came looking."
The shorter teen almost collapsed in relief. "Wonderful." She shoved the girl into Mitsuri's arms. The Love pillar caught her with a mix of surprise and the woman eeped at the sudden exchange.
"She'll keep you safe, I promise," Shinobu said as gently as she could manage before fixing her eyes back on Mitsuri's. "I have to get back to help Inosuke and… and to avenge my sister."
The Love Pillar gasped. "He… he killed your sister?!"
Shinobu nodded grimly. "So please, get her to safety and then come back me up."
"Right," Mitsuri said with a sharp nod of her head.
Without another word, the two of them turned and ran in their respective directions. Shinobu pushed herself as much as she could, wanting to get back as fast as possible. She managed to find the room again with little trouble, just in time to see Inosuke lunge at the demon. He'd probably said something to spur the boy on.
Shinobu didn't hear what either of them said, she only knew she had to stop another slayer – someone she saw herself being responsible for as the older and higher-ranked slayer – from dying in front of her eyes; from dying to this man. She managed to push Inosuke out of the way and almost immediately berated herself for not just pulling her sword and going for the demon's head – his eyes, maybe. She should have done that instead! What kind of a Pillar was sh—
Then a sharp pain erupted in her side and she gasped.
"Oh," she heard the demon say as if from a distance. "Well… not what I was aiming for but… But you'll make a fine demon, my dear."
Wait… what?!
For a moment, the world froze. She heard Inosuke yell something, but her mind couldn't seem to process what.
Then, somehow, the pain grew infinitely worse and she screamed.
xXx
AN: There is Fanart on my AO3.
Thanks to Quathis and Found for their help on this!
GREAT! Happyyoucamebytoreadthisbye! *runs away*
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
