In what looked to be a deserted village…
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Both Joichirou and Ryoko both walked through a small village that looked to have no life whatsoever. As Ryoko looked around, she smelled people nearby, but they all had a frightened scent to them. After looking around for a bit, Ryoko spoke up.
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"Master Joichirou." She started as she began to close the distance made between the two. "All the villagers seemed to be frightened about something, do you know what it is?"
"This place was always prone to attacks from demons." Joichirou answered. "This is the only place that actually believes in demons. See." As Joichirou pointed, Ryoko's attention was directed at a single wisteria saplings that had just begun to bloom. "This is the only place that knows what demon's fear. It is also the place where I met Kibutsuji when I started out as a Demon Slayer."
"You met…" Choking on her words, Ryoko had begun to shiver, only to stop when hearing Joichirou's voice.
"Quit your shaking. I really hate seeing purple." Joichirou spoke without remorse.
"Purple?" Ryoko asked curiously.
"I can see the Colors of the World. And I can see that you're shivering even though your moving." As Joichirou turned around, he looked directly into Ryoko's eyes. "Start taking deep breaths. Even though your still scared, your muscles will loosen."
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Taking is advice, Ryoko took in a deep breath, and felt her muscles' relaxing. But even though her heart was still beating in a rage, she felt herself beginning to calm down. As she began to take a step forward, Ryoko bumped into Joichirou's back.
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"Master Joichirou, what's going…" Ryoko was cut off.
"Demons'." Was all Joichirou needed to say to get Ryoko on edge.
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Using her heighted senses, Ryoko began to sniff out her enemies. But their scent suddenly caught her off guard. The putrid smell of rotting flesh, the dry smell of blood, and the heavy breathing of a demon who had not eaten in what looked to be days, had begun to approach…fast. As Ryoko began to back up, Joichirou spoke up.
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"I'll distract it, you find a way to injure it. I'm placing my trust in you." And with that, Joichirou pulled out his blade, and rushed towards his enemy.
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As Ryoko saw him rush forward, she took note of his sword. Unlike the other time she met him, his blade was a coal black, which seemed very odd to her, considering that the last time she saw his blade, she could've sworn she saw a hint of red on it. But not thinking much of it, she extended both of her hands, and began to spin threads around the small village.
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Back at the Butterfly Estate…
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Nezuko sat herself down on Kaguya's bed, looking a bit defeated. Not even waiting for a respond from the young demon, Nezuko spoke.
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"Kaguya…" Nezuko hesitated on what she was going to say. "Well…I'm not sure what to say." As she turned her attention to the sleeping demon, Nezuko noticed Kaguya's face. Unlike the first time she had been asleep, Nezuko considered Kaguya as part of her family. And as family, Nezuko's fear had begun to prevent her from talking. Shaking her head, Nezuko looked forward and spoke once more. "I…I've been having some weird dreams. Or maybe memories." Nezuko stopped and looked once more at Kaguya. "I thought that maybe if I can to you I'd be able to make sense of it. It's always been on my mind, but I never was able to talk about to anyone." Looking desperately at Kaguya, Nezuko pleaded. "Tell me…Are the memories I'm seeing…from when I was a demon?"
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Not getting a response, Nezuko sighed only to hear a voice she never thought she'd hear again.
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"You are you. Don't let the past determine who you are." And with that the voice vanished, like a petal in the breeze.
"Lily…" Looking at Kaguya, Nezuko began to smile sweetly and tear up. Wiping her tears, Nezuko replied. "Thank you…Lily. No, Kaguya."
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And with that Nezuko slept by Kaguya's side, just to comfort her.
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At the same time…
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Ryoko and Joichirou had begun to back up. The demon before them was going on a rampage, something the both of them haven't see before. Completely stunned by this Joichirou spoke.
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"That's actually impressive." Joichirou replied as he looked in awe at the demon before him. "So, that's a demon when it's hungry."
"Now is not the time, Master." Looking forward quickly, Ryoko spoke. "Here he comes."
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Yelling at the top of his lungs, the demon propelled himself straight towards Joichirou, and at the same time, the man himself readied himself in a stance. With his left leg slightly back and right leg bent forward, he held his sword at chest level and began to breath. Waiting for his opponent to close in, Joichirou waited. At the same time, Ryoko had begun to run around her enemy, with something clearly in her right hand.
Opening his eyes quickly, Joichirou said in his mind:
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"Dance of the Dragon, 7th Form: Spinning Fiery Scales." And as Joichirou moved forward, he began to spin on his right foot and directed himself with his left, he spun counter-clockwise, away from his enemy's attack and at the same time sliced the demon from his back up to chest. What follow was a trail of fire that seemed to take the shape of s dragon's tail.
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Feeling his body being cut in half, the demon let out an ear piercing scream. This caught the attention of one the occupants inside the house closest to the little battlefield. As a young boy began to watch the battle outside his house, he froze in fear, due to seeing a large amount of blood. He shook so much that the smell of fear caught not only the demon's attention, but Ryoko's as well.
Rushing towards the frozen child, Ryoko's world began to slow down. She didn't know what to do. As she turned to Joichirou, she looked at him, pleading with her eyes for him to do something, but she noticed the old man struggling. Her breath shaking, her whole body shivering under pressure. But in just a small moment, she heard a soft voice speak.
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"Protect humans. Once you do, your strength to fight back will surely rise." Upon hearing the voice, Ryoko began to rise ever so slowly as the voice continued to speak. "All it takes is one step. Even though it's the hardest step you'll ever take, you will be able to fight knowing that everyone is okay."
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Rushing in front of the boy, Ryoko caught her enemy's attack head on. Feeling his power and mad strength just from his fist alone, Ryoko held on, catching the boy's attention as well. Yelling from the bottom of her heart, she began to push back. Seeing her strength begin to rise, caused the demon to back up. Using that opening, she clenched her right hand, and pulled her arm back, causing the demon to skid backwards.
Having the child in hand, she yelled.
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"I won't let you harm him!" She yelled as vein-like structures began to appear around her eyes. "As long as I'm alive, you won't ever have your way!"
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Not liking her attitude, the demon rushed up once more. Placing the child behind her, Ryoko extended her right leg back, and waited. As the demon then appeared before her, she lifted her leg and as it made contact with the left side of the demon's head, a crack followed her action.
Seeing what just happened, the boy noticed the demon's head gone from its body, and Ryoko's foot completely shattered. Thinking it hurt so much, the boy approached Ryoko, only for webs to block his path.
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"Stay there." Ryoko spoke. "He's a demon, he won't die that easily."
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Listening to the woman's words, the boy stood there and waited for his savior to finish the fight. Limping on her right foot, Ryoko began to back up. As she did she remember her conversation with Suzuha.
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A couple day's prior…
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"Mom, listen. When it comes to healing you must focus every ounce of your strength in the part that is injured. You must get used to this, otherwise if you do it, you'll feel severely weak once you do." Suzuha spoke with concern in her voice.
"So, that's who Lily is." Ryoko spoke. "So, she isn't fully demon, but she isn't fully human. Just a being in between." As she spoke to herself, she turned to Suzuha. "You name know is Suzuha, right?"
"That's right." Suzuha smiled.
"I wonder if I could ever have a name." As Ryoko said this, Suzuha spoke up quickly.
"Then why not Ryoko. I mean you are with a man who fight like a dragon." Suzuha answered while pointing out Ryoko's interaction with Joichirou.
"Ryoko. Okay then. That will be my name from now on."
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Present time…
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Breathing ever so slowly, several snaps were heard in the windless night. As Ryoko looked at her right foot, she noticed it snap back into place. As it did, she smiled concerningly.
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"I guess Suzuha was right. I was weakened by it." As Ryoko looked forward, she noticed her enemy's body slowly rising. "Time to end this."
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Rushing forward once more, with all her remaining strength, Ryoko jumped into the air, and looked directly into her enemy's eyes. As the demon's head restored itself, it looked to see Ryoko falling down from the sky. Surprised by her action, he just stood there. Ryoko began to close the distance between her and her opponent, and at the same time she noticed Joichirou readying himself. Closing her eyes, then opening them in a rush, she began to breath just like a demon slayer.
Seeing the color around act so violently, Joichirou was taken aback by it. Never in his life has he seen a person's color act in such a way. But his attention was brough back to reality when Ryoko yelled out words he never thought he'd hear from her.
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"Breath of Balance, 11th form…!" And as the demon continued to look at Ryoko, he noticed her disappear from his sight. It was almost as if she never existed. "Calm Wind."
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Joichirou noticed the demon frozen, while Ryoko was kneeling on the ground, struggling. Seeing what had happened, Joichirou rushed forward. By letting go of her battle spirit, Ryoko was able to disappear from sight, just for a short moment. But that moment was enough to allow her to slip by her enemy and wrap him in wires all across his body. But holding him down was another story entirely.
Not wasting a second, Joichirou rushed past both Ryoko and the demon. As he rotated once more, he readied himself and swung his blade. Seeing the oncoming blade, the demon tried to move, but couldn't due to the amount of wires. Not being able to hold back any longer, Ryoko yelled.
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"Any day now!"
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Rushing forward with all his might, Joichirou placed the majority of his strength into his blade. Without a second to waste, he swung only to hear the snapping of threads. Realizing this, he back up, and at the same time, Ryoko fell forward.
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"Oh, crap! Joichirou!" She yelled as she looked back, only to feel her body tremble, as she looked at Joichirou. "What-what's going on?"
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Ryoko knew that Kibutsuji's blood had not all been destroyed, so it wasn't odd for her to see something that would fear him, but with Joichirou, she felt her body begin to tremble harder than it ever had.
As the demon began to close the distance, Joichirou moved forward. Knowing that this may as well be a last ditch effort, he had to protect the kid behind him. Breathing once more, he solidified his will to fight, causing the air around him to change.
Extending her hands out, she spun some webs and latched them onto the demon, to try and stop him, even for a moment. As the webs landed on her opponent, he began to drag her. Trying her best to hold back, Ryoko's feet had begun to dig into the ground. Gritting her teeth harder and harder, had caused blood to trickle down her mouth. But knowing if she let go, it would be the end.
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"Joichirou! Now!" Ryoko yelled once more, only to see the man she called out to moving forward.
"Dance of the Dragon, 12th Form: Ouroboros." Swinging his blade from his right side, Joichirou's blade made contact with the demon's neck. But as it stopped there, Joichirou, once again placed all his strength into his blade and yelled from the depths of his heart. As his blade then pierced the demon's neck, he rotated around until his blade ended up where it began. What followed afterwards was a trail of fire in the form of what looked to be a dragon.
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After seeing the demon's head fall to the ground, Ryoko let go and collapsed as well. Exhausted beyond belief she began to pant very heavily, and noticed it was a struggle to get up on her own. As she tried to lift her head, she noticed a small hand come into view. As she looked towards the owner of the hand, she noticed the young boy she protected trying to help. Accepting it, she managed to sit up and looked at Joichirou who began to sheath his blade. But he himself was breathing just as hard as her.
Getting up on her own two feet, Ryoko approached Joichirou.
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"Great job. This partnership might just work." Joichirou spoke through his heaving breathing.
"Are you alright?" Ryoko asked worried for the old man's sake.
"I'm just old. I believe after a few more fight I'll retire, alongside Kagaya." Joichirou spoke.
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Then almost as if on cue, the people of the small town began to emerge from their home. As they began to fill the streets, they surrounded both Joichirou and Ryoko. Looking at the horde of people closing in was enough to put Ryoko on edge, but as Joichirou placed his hand on her shoulder, she began to calm down.
After several minutes, Ryoko grabbed the box and placed it on her shoulders. At the same time, Joichirou turned around and looked at his new partner. After saying their goodbyes, both Ryoko and Joichirou left.
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"I've never been thanked before, it feels weird." Ryoko spoke as the village disappeared from her sight.
"That was all your hard work." Joichirou answered. "If it wasn't for your quick thinking, both the young boy and I would've ended up being killed by that demon. So, thank you, Ryoko." Smiling at Ryoko so suddenly, caused her to face away from the man. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything…is alright." Ryoko answered, trying her best to hide her scarlet red embarrassed face.