Escalating feelings that far exceed common sense
A rose-coloured love that popped up like a sudden mutation
A love so pure you could call it violent
Gyutaro felt it, he felt it through the connection they shared.
Some of the demons were awaiting the bride and groom and the morning was slowly approaching. Luckily, Muzan had found a temple where the coverage was shady enough to prevent the sunlight coming inside. Daki had made him wear a suitable yukata as he stood in the section where Sorashi's other adopted children waited. Susamaru couldn't sit still, wrinkling her kimono as she fidgeted. Yahaba scolded her, fussing over how she was ruining her kimono. Rui was silent, but held a bouquet of white spider lilies in his arms. All of them were excited to have their mother finally be happily married. However, a few hours had passed and there was no sign of her.
Suddenly, he felt something break inside of himself. The others felt it too as Susamaru stopped moving, Yahaba paused in his words, and Rui dropped his flowers. Daki felt tears running down her face as she gripped his hands. They had all felt that connection slipping away from them. All of them stood up and ran out the room in pain. Did something happen to her? Why did they feel like she was dying?
"My, My, My, what do we have here? You must be her children."
Jingling noises filled the temple as a someone approached their group. Gyutaro stood in front of his pseudo siblings as a lady came to a stop in front of them. She felt like a demon, but her appearance was human. Her hair was black as midnight, pinned up by a piece of lavender. Her robes were decorated with purple and white colors, adorned with silver chains. Her skin, this was the weird part, was all white. Her lips were red with lipstick while her eyes were closed. Her nails ran over her kimono, tugging a piece to reveal a silver star mark on her shoulder.
"Hey lady, who are you? How do you know our okaa-san?" Daki spat, glaring at the mysterious woman.
The woman chuckled, her voice as light as a bell. "I am a close friend of your mother. One could say she is the reason that I am alive today."
"You must be a demon then." Rui pondered aloud, be wary. "How do we know that we can trust you?"
"Oh my, am I not that trustworthy? I thought for sure that the mark on my shoulder was proof enough. I guess Sorashi or Ginga never told you about me." Smiling, she stopped and bowed. "My name is Bashira, the right hand woman of Lady Sorashi and Lady Ginga."
"Huh? Whose Ginga? Is she also like you?" Susamaru asked her, bouncing her temari ball.
Bashira smirked, tapping her head. "You figure it out. She's closer than you think. I was told to come if anything happened to the both of them. There's a place where I am required to take you for your own protection."
"Geez what a pain..." He stood by Daki with an indifferent look on his face. "What are you yakking about? Is our okaa-san okay?"
Bashira turned around and made a few motions with her hands. A flurry of silver pieces encircled her body before creating a massive portal for them. Inside the portal was the entrance to the garden where Sorashi would stay. However, what caught their eye was a long figure reading underneath the tree where she would usually sit.
The figure was female with short, black hair, very pale skin, and red eyes that bore into your soul. She was young, looking around three human years. Her outfit was a white kimono that hid her arms, small sandal, and a flower crown resting in her hair. Her face showed no emotion, but as soon as she stared at Bashira, her face brightened up.
"Auntie, are these the ones that mama adopted?" The girl stared at the group with a small smile. "Hello~! My name is Hotaru Kibutsuji."
Suddenly, her face turned dark as her eyes turned to slits. Her sleeves rolled up to reveal hands with very long and sharp nails dripping with poison. Her whole demeanor had changed from cute to cruel.
"Now where are my parents?"
"SORASHI! NO!"
Muzan reached out towards his beloved as she fell to the ground from her wounds. The dark skinned demon landed right into his arms as her blood leaked out from her wounds. A light scent of wisteria came from the stabs, causing her to slowly die of wisteria poisoning. He knew there wasn't much time left to save her as he struggled to keep her alive. Tears were racing down his face as he needed to get her to a safe place. His three generals stared in horror as her eyes started dulling over too.
"M-M-Mu-chan? Why does it h-h-urt so much?" Sorashi asked, feeling the pain course through her body. "I-I-I just wanted t-t-to live in p-p-peace..."
Yoriichi stared in sadness as the one he loved was slowly dying in the arms of that monster. His only allies was the Flower Hashira Hanami who had her mouth covered in shock and the Twin Hashira Yoru and Hiru who were silently observing the aftermath. Neither side said a word as dark energy radiated off of the demons from anger and grief.
"I knew that witch would bring nothing but pain and sorrow! She spat all this nonsense about wanting peace and equality! Now she will die with those foolish ideals!" The silver haired hashira yelled, pointing his blade at Muzan. "Now that we have the progenitor right here and now, we can kill him too! Then humans will be back on the top of the food chain once more!"
"Breath of the Stars Third Form: Cetus Colliding Cut."
"Breath of the Stars Third Form Alternative: Serpens Slicing Strike"
Everyone was shocked as the twins approached the two hashira and swiftly cut their heads clean off. The blood of the red haired and silver haired hashira splattered upon the demons. The twins stared at Sorashi through their masks, no words exchanged as they tossed the now bleeding bodies before Muzan.
"Yoru! Hiru! What on Earth have you done?!" Hanami screamed, shaking at the sight of her allies killing their elders. "Why did you kill those two? Sure they had no right to harm the woman, but you didn't have to kill them!"
"Explain yourselves." Yoriichi breathed out, trying to keep his composure.
The twins took their masks off to reveal their faces for the first time to their peers. Kokushibo felt his star mark burn along with Doma and Akaza feeling the pain as well. Muzan stared in shock as he noticed their tanned skin, green eyes, and star shaped birthmarks on their foreheads.
"Brother, this woman is a distant relative of ours, is she not?" Yoru asked his brother who stared sadly at Sorashi's dwindling form.
"Indeed she is. Our distant grandfather spoke stories about her kindness and child-like nature. To think we would get to see her." Hiru spoke, a softness to his voice.
"This can't be..." Muzan stared in their eyes. "I slaughtered her entire family in a blood rage! How could you be related to her at all?"
The twins chuckled at the confusion adorning the demon king's face. Yoru stood forward, swinging his bloody sword around.
"You see Muzan, you didn't kill the entire family that night. In fact, you were one brother short. That brother was the last sole survivor of Amatani family and he saw the aftermath of your carnage."
That night was one our relative would never forget.
He had gone to train out of town with the family's style of breathing. Takashi was excited to return home after a long trip and have a good hot pot made by his mother and darling cousin. She was a ray of sunshine in their lives since she came to live with them. It had been just yesterday when his mother had adopted her into their family after hers had met a tragic end. His brothers teased her silly ways and imaginative spirit, often asking her why she lived in her head. When she told them that she was meeting someone, them and their father had gone into an overprotective mode. Who was this boy that had enraptured their precious fairy's attention?
Takashi was more than willing to teach her the family's breathing style along with some swordsmanship. He was an early advocate for female fighters and was even considering allowing her to travel alongside him when he become a hashira. He knew that one day she would crave adventure and he was willing to let her come along.
"I wanna come to!" Sorashi had begged the night when he was going to leave. "I want to train and fight demons with you."
"Sorashi, you aren't following Takashi! He has a job that requires him to provide for this family." His mother said, eating dinner. "You need to stay here and help around the house."
Sorashi slammed her hands on the table. "It's not fair! How come uncle, Aru-chan, Enji-chan, and Taka-chan get to train and go on trips? I want to travel the world too! I want to see the seasons change with the different location. I want to eat so much my stomach bursts!"
"ENOUGH! YOU ARE STAYING HERE AND THAT'S FINAL!" His father exclaimed, silencing the girl. Sorashi felt tears run down her face as she ran outside to get some air.
"Otou-san, you didn't have to yell at her!" Takashi said, staring at him with contempt.
"She always has such a carefree attitude and never is satisfied with what she has. I only let you teach her the breathing style in order to satiate her curiosity. This has gone on long enough."
"Sorashi has never known freedom! If she continues to stay here, then she will never be free." Takashi stood up from the table. "My trip is in the morning. I do not want to leave my cousin unhappy before I go." With that, he left the house, ignoring his father's angered yells.
He heard sniffling from his cousin as she laid against the tree outside the house. To him, Sorashi was akin to a forest spirit with her green hair and eyes. Takashi vaguely remembered what his aunt and uncle looked like, but they probably had dark skin like she did. Placing a hand on her head, he brought her in close to give her a hug.
"Please Takashi…." She whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go with you. I can still do Star Breathing as good as you can! I'll train from a higher person and do Final Selection with you."
"Sorashi…." He paused, feeling his haori wet up from her tears. "You know I cannot bring you with me, but the second I return I will take you away from here. Endure it for as long as you can! When I become a demon slayer, you will fight by my side!"
Sorashi wiped her eyes, but gave a determined look. "I won't be a burden towards you? You'll really let me come with you?"
Takashi pointed towards the vastness of the stars above them. "With these stars as my witness, I will promise to take you away from here!"
Sorashi giggled, expanding her arms. "Then as the forest fairy, I will grant that wish!" She laughed, leaning her head onto his lap. "Thank you, onii-chan…"
Unbenknowst to Takashi, that would be the last time he would ever be with his family ever again.
Sorashi felt herself gasp at this revelation.
She had almost forgotten about the promise she made to her cousin. It felt so long ago since she had shared a moment with Takashi and these twins were part of her family too. How ironic, he really did obtain his dream of being a demon slayer and now his predecessors stood before her. The wisteria poison caused her to weep bloody tears of joy as she craned her neck to see the two.
"I-I-I'm so h-h-happy…." She strained, smiling sweetly at the two. "To think t-t-that my family still e-e-endures…."
Hiru smiled at her, but frowned at Muzan. "Kibutsuji, while I do commend you for keeping our relative safe for so long, I'm going to have to ask you to let her go. Despite the circumstances, Awatani Sorashi is still our family member."
"Of course she wouldn't be this way had it not been for you." Yoru said cockily. "We will find a way to change her back to normal though."
Muzan clutched Sorashi tightly in his arms, casting a fierce glare at the two. "You don't know her like I do. You don't know the pain, the sorrow, the trauma she had to go through. Some nights she would run off while other times I feared she would never return due to my actions. No matter how despicable my actions were, she saw past them and saw the real me."
He stood up, making sure his beloved was comfortable in his arms. "If she dies today, I will personally massacre each and every one of you. She was innocent, never once had she harmed a human."
"My precious hime would even place herself in hibernation to avoid the consumption of humans~!" Doma said, staring coldly at the Hashira while keeping a smile.
"You bastards even saw she wasn't trying to attack you! All she ever wanted was equality!" Akaza shouted, gritting his teeth.
Kokushibo stared at his brother who held a sadden face. "This is why you were never able to connect with her. All you saw was a version of her you wanted her to be, not the woman that she is."
Sorashi felt her heart soar at the kind words her fiancé and friends gave. Shaking hard, she placed a hand onto Muzan's face to calm him down.
"S-S-So…w-w-weak…b-b-but I have to tell you s-s-something." Leaning forward, her lips connected with his ear.
Suddenly, a large slash made a fissure appear before them, separating the Hashira from the demons. Shocked, Muzan turned around to see a small child holding a scythe while smiling at him. A large portal was behind her as she cocked her head to the side.
"Are you coming? I'm pretty sure you'll die if you stay." The girl said before flashing her red eyes at them.
Muzan hesitated for a moment, but seeing his beloved dying in his arms made him move forward. Douma and Akaza followed, but Kokushibo paused and turned to face his brother.
"If she dies by this poison, I will come back and end your life." He promised before going through the portal.
"Follow me please! To the queen's garden!" The child grabbed his hand and dragged him inside. Before the hashira could follow them, she shut the portal closed.
Bashira sat down and sipped some tea before seeing the massive portal open up inside the queen's garden. The rest of the children stared as they saw Muzan and the others come from the portal. Once their eyes landed on the sickly form of Sorashi, they threw caution to the wind and ran over.
"Okaa-san? OKAA-SAN!" Daki cried, holding on to her pale hand and crying. "Why does she feel so cold?"
Muzan gently placed her down in a bed of flowers as the young demon girl was pried away by her brother, who was also trying to hold his tears in. Susamaru clenched her temari ball tightly, sobs racking her body. Yahaba couldn't see what was going on until he held his hands up and drew a sharp breath. The one taking it harder than most was Rui who was slowly approaching her dead-like body.
"Mother..." Rui whispered, feeling tears run down his face. "Wake up...please wake up..." He went to her side and hug her, but felt no familiar warmth. "Mother..."
For once, all the demons in the queen's garden were out of order as Sorashi was one of the best things in their lives. Muzan recalled their friendship growing up and how she even stood by him when they were demons. Kokushibo reminisced at their time together before he was converted into a demon and how he guarded her in her sleep. Douma was uncharacteristically showing her true emotions as he worried about her safe-being. Even Akaza, who had known her the least and wanted to kill her, was sadden to see her in such a state. The children clung onto her and wept over her still body.
Bashira stared alongside the other child who was stoic, but frowning. Making herself known, she stood behind the king of demons before gagging to herself and covering her face.
"Your highness..." She started to say, trying not to throw up. "I do have a method of healing Lady Sorashi. Just allow me to-" She flinched as Muzan eyed her angrily.
"Who are you that speaks about my wife so casually?" He asked her.
Bashira glared back at him before approaching Sorashi's body. "I happen to be the queen's servant and her closest aide. The reason for my absence is because I was on an important mission for her majesty."
"Oh? And what kind of important mission was that?"
The small demon girl that had helped them before stepped forward. "She was helping to raise me." Bowing deeply, she stared up at Muzan. "My name is Hotaru sir.'
Muzan stared into the girl's eyes before feeling a pulse of energy going through his body. This child...she held an energy similar to himself and Sorashi. It couldn't be...she would've told him...
Bashira went deeper into the garden before coming upon a bed of vines. Waving her hands, she made her silver weapon cut the vines to reveal a glass coffin covered with various healing plants. Placing her lady inside, she placed a couple of the herbs around her body and sealed the coffin up tight. An eerie purple glow encased the coffin as the healing process begun. Once sealed inside, there was no telling how long Sorashi would heal for. Coming out of the forest of vines, she approached tight lipped towards the rest of the party, but smiled gently at Hotaru.
"I assume you have questions." Bashira snipped, not caring that she irritated Muzan at all. "I will answer the one burning question that everyone has on their minds."
She placed a hand on Hotaru's head, who gave her a soft smile. "This is the rightful heir to the Demon King's throne. Meet Hotaru-hime, daughter of Muzan and Sorashi."
There was a hushed silence among the men as they stared down at the now noticeable female carbon copy of the progenitor of demons. To prove that Bashira was telling the truth, Hotaru showed them her star mark.
"I am the first to appear, the others are taking their sweet time to get here." Hotaru said, gazing at the other end of the garden. "I emerged not too long ago. In fact, my birth was instantaneous and quite small. I guess my powers need to develop."
"But how was Sorashi able to conceive?" Kokushibo asked, now curious about this development.
Hotaru smiled, her eyes flashing red. "My story is not one to be shared outside this hall. I'm only doing this because this was my mother's last request before she has to heal..."
Allow me to spin you the tale of how I came to be...
Thus we temporarily close the book on Sorashi's chapter.
Her loved ones won't be the same without her.
Now we enter the next phase of the story...
Filled with horror, family, and love!
In Our Next Saga:
Hotaru and her new siblings explore the world of the demons and hashira alike. Old friends will teach them, new friends will open more possibilities, and some characters will be saved.
Learn the origins of Sorashi and Bashira's friendship.
Witness some of your favorite hashira...becoming demons!
Oh and some cute couples too!
All here and now in the next arc: Demon Children Arc.