When not interacting with Shinobu, Akane is quietly resting under a tree and facing a flower field. As a demon, she cannot feel the sunlight on her skin even in a memory. Still, she faintly curves a content smile while observing the night breeze sway the flowers and rustle the leaves.
"Hmm?" Akane raises her head and frowns
The variety of bright flowers in front of her slowly loses all of its vitality and cold breeze comes to a complete halt. The peaceful night is disturbed by an unknown force that even the demon without a physical body is concerned.
"Something's happening with Shinobu. I can't sense her..."
Akane wastes no time and stands up since it's too unusual for her to ignore. She frantically studies her surroundings at the rest of the flower field withers from an unknown force. If it's in the real world, she would instantly think it's the work of a demon's power, but it's nearly impossible to influence a shared consciousness.
"Shinobu, what's happening?!"
Just as Akane steps her left foot forward, black mud grasps it and slowly sinks it to the soil. The demon is overpowered within a shared consciousness, much to her shock. An unknown force invades the mind, and Shinobu is being unresponsive.
"Shinobu! Damn it!"
Akane is cut off to whatever is happening outside. The moment she senses any danger, she could always take over Shinobu, but she couldn't do so right now. An unknown power severs their mental connection even if her demon body and consciousness are both merged with Shinobu.
Shinobu regains consciousness, but her body is both sore and mildly shaking. There aren't any injuries visible on her body or any form of damage on her. Instead, she finds herself resting inside a cave with only a view of countless trees and rocks in front of her. Her sword lies sheathed beside her, and so she immediately reaches for it. Fortunately, the katana is completely undamaged and in good condition upon partially pulling out the blade.
"It took you a while to wake up"
Kazuto, who's just sitting in one corner with his katana in his left shoulder, greets her with little friendliness. There's no bloodlust or any malice from him, but she's immediately wary of his existence. Her hands immediately reaches for her katana and assumes an offensive position. At the slightest killing intent from the demon and Shinobu wouldn't hesitate to unsheathe and decapitate him at the first chance she gets.
"I'm not here to kill you. I would have done that before I dragged you here" The man clicks his tongue
"Who are you?" Shinobu immediately asks
"The name's Kazuto, someone Akane used to know. You know, the demon fused with you" Kazuto waves his hand
"How do you know about Akane and I?"
"I just told you I know her for a long time!"
"An old enemy then?"
"...!"
It's natural for Shinobu to be cautious around another demon due to their bloodthirsty and violent nature. She's someone who still deeply hates other demons for the death of her family, specially her older sister Kanae. Kazuto has little patience for Shinobu and he nearly throws his own sword to the ground as he grits his teeth.
"No, more like a childhood friend. We knew each other since we were humans. Well, Akane turned into a demon years earlier than me so she looks way younger than me"
Shinobu carefully studies his appearance from head to toe. It's estimated he's somewhat in his mid or late twenties while Akane appears to be in the same age and height as Kanao.
"I want to confirm it with her, but she's not answering" Shinobu is still cautious
"Even if you ask her, it's useless. Akane doesn't remember anything from her past" Kazuto lowers his sheathed katana
"..."
"That's why she wouldn't know I'm the sole survivor when she massacred our village the night she turned into a demon. Before it happened, Akane and I were taught by a retired Wind Pillar. It's where she got her Wind Breathing"
"I kind of expected that"
A former Pillar like Shinobu is well aware that Breathing styles can only be learned by those who use it or demon slayers who learned to make their own style. Still, she has little trust for Kazuto for the reason of being a demon and a person connected to Akane's past.
"Tell me, why did Akane massacred the village. I saw a glimpse of her memory when I went there"
"Akane was just found in the mountains all dirty and hungry by Yami-san. He's a former demon slayer too but retired in a remote village and taught Akane about calligraphy and painting"
"Well, that explains her Blood Demon Art..."
"It was just a normal life until the night she snapped when her old man died. When she turned into a demon, she massacred the rest of the village and disappeared for a long time"
"I see. So is that why you want to kill Akane?"
"...I don't really want to kill her. She was naturally attached to the man who raised her like his own. When he was killed by people he trusted, Akane killed them and went on a rampage. She was crying as if she lost her heart that night..."
For a moment, Shinobu slightly loosens her grip on her sword. She immediately regains her focus and tightens her grip. In that moment, she wants to immediately aim for the head and flee elsewhere, but her instincts are preventing her from doing so.
"You've kept your humanity for more than a month now. Not to mention, you're still way too attached to your old friends" Kazuto crosses his arms
"That's none of your concern" Shinobu remains hostile
"With this short-tempered attitude, it makes me wonder how you even got along with Akane. More importantly, how the two of you aren't even wrestling control"
"...It's true that I couldn't bear being fused with her, but we had a mutual agreement. Not only we both wanted to survive, we want that sadistic doctor dead" Shinobu reluctantly responds
"I just don't understand to why you still cling to your old life..."
"There's someone I wish to still see like my tsuguko...and the Water Pillar"
Shinobu straightens her body and pulls away her hand from the katana's handle. There's still distrust towards Kazuto, but she loses interest in decapitating him the moment he shows any killing intent.
"Someone you like, huh. It won't end well anyway since you would either outlive him or you would succumb to your nature first" Kazuto scoffs
"He's...just someone important to me. My life has nothing to do with you anyway" Shinobu turns her back
"You're a demon, and that's undeniable. Sooner or later, you'll get overwhelmed by Akane's influence" Kazuto yells at her, bearing his fangs
"Let's see about that. Will I regain my old human self before I get taken over or not?"
Unfortunately, Shinobu isn't the least fazed of his warnings. She's aware of the danger that her new demon nature possess, but she resolved to both get her revenge before becoming human again. Shinobu lightly turns her head towards Kazuto as she responds to him, her eyes lacking any visible worry or fear.
"I won't treat you kindly the next time we meet. Don't forget that"
It's both a warning and threat to him. Her cat-like pupils glows before she exits the cave, and she displays that even she wouldn't hesitate to show her fangs to anyone.
"Tomioka-san..."
Shinobu hastens her footsteps away from the cave even if he's outside of Kazuto's line of sight and has no intention of following her. Who first crosses her mind when recalling the demon's words earlier is the image of the Water Pillar who's both aloof in both expression and behavior. A lot has changed in her mind yet her memory of him is as clear as her deceased older sister. His voice, expression, and behavior still remains completely fresh that it would occasionally remind her of their past conversations.
"Hey, hey, Tomioka-san. Can you hear me?"
"...Kochou, it's you again. What is it?"
"You're a bit of a weirdo, but you do have a soft spot"
"Huh...?"
"I mean you always worry about Tanjiro-kun and the others"
"What about it?"
"Do you worry about me? Like if I go out on dangerous missions as well"
It makes Shinobu recall one of the many and yet unforgettable conversations she has with Giyuu. They sometimes spend time together, but Shinobu always uses it to tease him. The way Giyuu gazes at her with a conflicting expression of both annoyed yet tolerable of her presence.
"Why should I worried about you? You're someone capable of taking care of yourself" Giyuu turns away
"Fufufu. I'm glad you believe in my strength" Shinobu wholeheartedly giggles
"I'm not...nevermind" Giyuu heavily groans
"What if there's a time I wouldn't be able to take care of myself? Like what I if I lose against a demon?"
"Don't say something absurd. As annoying as you are, I know you always find a way to survive. That's why don't go implying your own death all of a sudden" Giyuu returns to face her and mildly raises his voice
"If you're going to be sad, then I'll do my best to survive~"
"Just stop jinxing yourself. I don't like it"
Usually, Giyuu would just roll his eyes and hurriedly leave without hesitation. This time, he didn't take a single step forward and even expresses emotions. His still difficult to sense worry catches Shinobu by surprise that she blinks her eyes and changes to an expression of bewilderment.
"He really did get sad...when I died back then" Shinobu lets out an exhausted sigh
Eh, I knew you like him
"Akane?! Where the hell have you been?" Shinobu immediately stops in her tracks
I kind of blacked out? It's hard to explain
Without warning, Akane pulls Shinobu in an inner world where their consciousness intersects. It's a neutral space that contains neither of their individual thoughts which explains the pitch black sky and debris scattered on blood red shallow water.
"Not only you begun to use more of my strength, it affects our minds as well" Akane is sitting by a roof of a rundown house
"What do you mean?"
"It's like both of us were lost in deep water. The boundary keeping our individuality separated loosened a bit because I've been influencing you more" Akane jumps down
"Is that bad?"
"...Yes"
"Is it affecting my humanity then?"
"That I'm not sure yet. All I felt was more of me begun to flow into you"
It makes Shinobu sorry with how Akane herself isn't certain of the recent events they're both not fully certain yet.
"I suggest using less of my Blood Demon Art. This should be expected since our situation is abnormal. You didn't normally turn into a demon" Akane is concerned as well
"That's right. You were forcibly merged with me...and I became a demon since our flesh and blood combined" Shinobu clenches her fists
"Let's go find Tamayo since she might know what's happening in your body"
"It's going to be more difficult now since we're branded as traitors now" Shinobu doesn't have any regret
"You should be afraid right now. Once Kokushibou or any of the Upper Moon finds us, it's game over" Akane shudders
"The Upper Moons. Not one has been killed in a hundred years..." Shinobu fears facing against them
"Upper four and five are the only ones I have a chance against. The top three are on a completely different level"
Shinobu's senses returns to her reality, and thankfully there aren't a single demon within her detection range. It's vast thanks to her heightened senses and Akane's polished instincts, but she doesn't rule out a Blood Demon Art that could surpass even a skilled fighter's natural instincts.
Two nights of continued traveling and wandering, the fused pair finally winds up to Tamayo's hiding place thanks to Yushiro's Blood Demon Art. Tamayo checks on their physical condition first seeing both Shinobu and Akane have been fighting and fleeing from everyone.
"I'm impressed. You managed to tweak your body to only require human blood" Shinobu analyzes her equipment
"I'm a doctor after all and I used all those centuries to refine my knowledge on demons"
Tamayo gently smiles, seeing how Shinobu is still somewhat wary yet genuinely curious about her work as a doctor despite being a demon. It's not everyday Tamayo would meet a demon who retains their humanity and endures not eating humans aside from Nezuko.
"How much do you know about medicine?"
"Even as a demon slayer, I studied pharmacy and that's how I taught myself to create poison. I just followed my parents' footsteps"
Shinobu lowers her head and stares at her own hand with skin as smooth as ever but now she has sharp claws on each finger. Even if she still despises her own nature, she has no choice but to rely on her new strength and abilities that costs her of not being under the sun anymore.
"There's poison circulating in your body but it's suppressed by another kind of poison. It's what made you weak but also keeping your demon instincts at bay" Tamayo sits in front of her
"I should have wisteria poison in my blood, and I thought why it hadn't killed me yet" Shinobu touches her own neck
"Hirokuma may be a butcher of a doctor, but he knew what he was doing. He injected his own poison before it killed you during transformation. Well, it would have killed you faster if Akane is just an average demon" Tamayo isn't certain whether it would be good news or not
"The poison I planned to use on someone else ended up keeping me in check..." Shinobu grits her teeth
"It became a double edged sword for you"
"My Blood Demon Art can not only inject poison but can also extract it. If I try to removed the suppressed wisteria poison...I don't know what will happen to me"
"You might succumb to your demonic instincts and worse you'll completely forget your humanity"
"I won't allow that"
Shinobu clenches her fists, fearing for the worst case scenario and imagining how she would be like the very demons she's been fighting. Even if she could remain sane, she might still forget her past life like other demons who can use Blood Demon Art.
"Akane can't bring out her full power either because it will overhwlem your humanity" Tamayo adds
"This will be my last resort. It's a gamble on whether I can still be me or like the other demons..." Shinobu chooses to accept the fact
There's no guarantee how one can retain their humanity and personality much like Tamayo who's still kind and gentle after hundreds of years. Akane is more than two hundred years old and she completely forgotten about her innocent and peaceful life as a human.
"I would also add refraining from eating humans is what kept you sane but it's incredibly painful for a demon"
"Yes, it's indeed painful. I kept hurting myself to fight the urge of hunting live humans"
It's something Tamayo would understand and what Shinobu sees a burden she's willing to put on herself. Shinobu rubs her neck and nearly digs her class beyond her skin, being near to frustration.
"Still, I would rather kill myself than hurt my old allies, specially my tsuguko Kanao" Shinobu remains determined
"It's fortunate the demon fused to you is reasonable despite being ruthless. I feared she wouldn't have an ounce of human emotion since she's connected with an Upper Moon" Tamayo sighs in relief
"Only half of the time. Akane either disappears or does as she pleases from time to time" Shinobu grunts
"She lends you her power and allows you to be in control. Had it been any demon, you might not be in this situation"
Tamayo doesn't need to specifically mention for Shinobu to understand that she could be struggling to take control of have her ego destroyed if the wrong demon merged with her back then.
"Either way, our problem is me blacking out when I use too much of Akane's power. Akane herself doesn't remember either, but my body was definitely conscious during that black out period" Shinobu massages her temples
"You two are incompatible from personality alone, so this causes an instability within the personality" Tamayo isn't full certain
"Incompatible, huh"
Shinobu is unhappy with how she's forced to control her own strength due to the risk of blacking out again or possibly losing sight of her humanity. She wants to focus on her revenge, but she hasn't even learned to fully control her body's new strength and overcome the drawbacks.
In the Ubayashiki estate, also serving as the core of the Demon slayer corps' headquarters, Giyuu kneels on the floor with his hands pressing against the tatami mats. The reason for it is the leader of the Demon slayers calmly sitting in front of him with his usual gentle and friendly smile.
"Giyuu, you've met Shinobu and even spoke to her, right? She always evades other demon slayers and refuses to talk to them" Ubayashiki Kagaya speaks first
"Yes. It was during the battle in the red light district. She helped us defeat an Upper Moon...knowing she will be branded a rogue demon" Giyuu lifts his head
"A huge sacrifice indeed. What was she like as a demon? You knew her the best among the Pillars"
"Even as a demon, hasn't change much, Oyakaya-sama. Although Kochou is more serious now...and looks miserable"
Giyuu clenches his fists resting on his lap, restraining his frustration for himself. It's rare for him to express his emotions, but he instinctively do so in front of Kagaya. The latter is the man who all demon slayers respect the most and his words put their hearts at ease.
"I'm certain it's difficult to cling on humanity and resists her demon instincts to kill. Kamado Nezuko is our primary example of a demon retaining their humanity out her bond with her brother Kamado Tanjiro" Ubayashiki Kagaya is rather fascinated
"I'm surprised Kochou still fully recognizes me and still behaves how she used to be" Giyuu lowers his head
This makes Giyuu recall their last encounter in the red light district where Shinobu feels remorse to the wound she caused to him and somehow acts a bit more honest. She doesn't the teasing attitude she would always show him, but she's rather sorrowful at her own conflicting situation.
"Shinobu will run from other demons slayers even if they don't have killing intent. She still refuses to fight them and even struggles from her new demon nature" Kagaya notices it
"What do you wish for me to do?"
"I'm giving you the task to track down Kochou Shinobu. She's evasive, but she appears at events involving demons"
"...What if she refuses to speak to me as well?" Giyuu reluctantly points out a possibility
"Shinobu won't run away from you, and that's why I'm assigning this to you alone. I wish to speak to Shinobu and her unusual situation"
"Is it alright...for her to be here?"
Giyuu lightly sighs in relief that Ubayashiki Kagaya is curious at Shinobu much like his curiosity towards Nezuko. However, he still couldn't break a smile seeing himself in the presence of the master of all demon slayers. He remains stoic and calm like he always used to, but Kagaya's amused smile towards him indicates his awareness on how Giyuu has been worried about Shinobu.
"When I asked Mitsuri and Kyoujurou for their honest opinions, they asked the same thing. They were worried for Shinobu, but your emotion...is a deeper one" Kagaya lightly laughs
"Oyakata-sama, that's..." Giyuu couldn't reply porperly
"Giyuu, tell me on your view on Shinobu. You're the first one who worried for her sake and searched for her"
"...Kochou may be annoying with how she always pesters and teases me, but I don't hate her. I always thought there's no way she would easily die, so it came as a shock when she died and her body wasn't even found"
Giyuu still hesitates, but he knows he has to respond even if describing his feelings doesn't suit him. He still has difficulty expressing his opinion on Shinobu even if it's Kagaya's request. It's not because he has little opnion of her, but it's because he could barely understand his own emotions.
"I couldn't accept it...and I felt a bit angry I wasn't there. When I saw her again, I don't know why I felt truly glad as if my chest feels lighter again" Giyuu is unsure with his own words
"I see. She is dear to you just as you are dear to him. It's painful and seemingly impossible, but if Kamado Nezuko could retain her humanity, then perhaps Shinobu could cling to it until the very end as well" Kagaya reassures him
"Thank you for your kind words, Oyakata-sama" Giyuu presses his hands on the floor and bows
"Giyuu, perhaps you could be a bit more honest to her. Life is uncertain, so give Shinobu a reason to not lose herself"
"...I will..."
For some reason Giyuu couldn't understand, Kagaya's supportive smile is still connected to his request for Giyuu's honest opinion. He shakes off the thought and only focuses on the mission to track down Shinobu and bring her to Kagaya once found.