Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the ninth chapter!
And also, I have a question for the readers; would you be interested on reading about the past of the Twelve Demon Moons and the Hashiras?
Yoriichi stopped in front of Kagaya and knelt down as a sign of respect. The Demon King smiled and took a few steps towards the newcomer.
"I'm glad to see you safe and sound, Yoriichi," said Kagaya.
The demon nodded slightly and maintained a relaxed expression. "I'm also glad to see you well," Yoriichi replied.
"Did you manage to meet that person without any issues?" Kagaya asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes, they revealed to me the identity of Kanae's killer," Yoriichi revealed, raising his gaze. His eyes betrayed a barely contained anger, but the demon kept it under control as best he could. "The Ice Pillar, Douma Shabana. He patrols the Hokkaido region, and according to our source, he now has two successors who shouldn't take long to become Pillars themselves."
"Good, anything else?" Kagaya wanted to know, his smile slightly cruel.
"The Moon Pillar has found a potential successor," Yoriichi recounted after recalling the information. "A girl named Nezuko Kamado."
"I see," murmured the Demon King, placing his right hand on his chin, adopting a more serious expression. "And what do you think about it, Yoriichi?"
For a few seconds, the face of the Upper Moon Zero showed confusion, but he quickly regained his usual impassiveness. "He wouldn't take anyone as his apprentice if he hadn't seen their potential. Do you want me to take care of her before she becomes a problem?"
Kagaya fell silent, and gradually began to emit an oppressive aura. Yoriichi looked down at the ground and patiently awaited his response.
"Yoriichi, you know I don't like killing children if it can be avoided," Kagaya snapped. His tone had become threatening and dangerous.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested it," Yoriichi immediately apologized, remorseful.
Kagaya silently observed him and turned his back. "Were you able to find out her age?" he asked, slightly changing the subject.
"Twelve years old."
"So they've lowered the recruitment age again, huh?" the Demon King muttered to himself. "Thank you for the report, Yoriichi."
"Should I disclose that to Shinobu?" the Upper Moon Zero asked seriously.
"No, it's better if you don't," Kagaya decided. He let out a sigh and looked at his subordinate. "You may leave. Thank you very much for the information, it has been quite enlightening."
Yoriichi nodded and left the room, leaving his king alone. Kagaya ceased to conceal his anger. An oppressive aura spread throughout the room. The ceramic vases in the corners began to crack until they eventually shattered into small pieces, but Kagaya barely paid attention to that.
"I finally know who you are, you damn bastard," he thought, enraged. He wasn't going to let him escape. But he had to plan carefully. "I could set a trap for him, lure him in somehow," he thought. However, that would involve sacrificing several groups of demons in the process. And he would have to send several Upper Moons, or one Upper Moon and several Lower Moons. He clenched his teeth. The idea of risking the lives of his family members didn't sit well with him in the least.
"But is there any other alternative? Only a demon of that level could be a match for a Pillar," he forced himself to remember. "I have time to think about it, but I can't rush. Everything must be perfect." He wouldn't make mistakes. It was time to finally begin the complete annihilation of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The mere idea made a cruel smile appear on the Demon King's face. Part of his duty as the father of all demons was to create a safe world for them. And the only way to achieve that was by killing all the humans who hunted them. He would avenge all the demons who had been killed over the last millennium.
He took a breath and forced himself to relax. Letting hatred blind him would be too dangerous. But he would start making his moves from that very moment.
Yoriichi wandered aimlessly through the Infinite Palace. Nothing had changed in that place; it was just as he remembered it. A labyrinth where the laws of physics became completely useless and a deadly trap for the unwary.
He stroked one of the walls as he advanced, a smile filled with melancholy crossing his face. Now that he was finally back there, he realized how much he had missed everything.
"Yuichiro," he said aloud, aware that the demon could hear him perfectly. "Can you take me to where Tanjiro and Kyojuro are?" he kindly asked the demon. Since he didn't know how long he would be there until Kagaya gave him a new mission, he could take the opportunity to get to know the new member of his family. Without any warning, a sliding door appeared in front of him. When it opened, Yoriichi could see that it led to a room where the two demons he was looking for were. "Thank you, Yuichiro," he expressed his gratitude as he crossed the threshold under the watchful gaze of his two counterparts.
"Hello again, Yoriichi!" Kyojuro greeted him with an animated smile. Tanjiro, on the other hand, nodded his head in greeting.
Yoriichi, far from being bothered by that, approached them and sat down across from them. He tried to ease the tension in the younger one by offering a friendly smile and looked at him.
"I apologize for not being able to stop to talk earlier, but I was in a hurry," the demon apologized.
"It's okay," Kyojuro dismissed it. "You were busy with a very important mission, weren't you?"
"...Yes, a special assignment from Kagaya," Yoriichi vaguely replied.
"And what did you have to do?" Kyojuro asked curiously.
The other demon made a gesture of discomfort and gently shook his head. "It's confidential. I can't discuss the matter unless authorized. I'm sorry," he added when he saw the evident disappointment on the face of the Upper Moon Four.
"I understand..."
Yoriichi turned his yellow eyes toward Tanjiro, who visibly shivered. "You said your name is Tanjiro, right?"
"Y-Yes," the young man stuttered and tried to meet his gaze.
"How old are you?" the demon inquired.
"...," Tanjiro didn't respond, he looked away and fidgeted with the sleeves of his kimono for a while. "I don't know," he finally answered.
Yoriichi raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Kyojuro. The other demon shook his head slightly, serious.
"Don't worry about that either," Yoriichi advised, trying to amend his mistake. "It's not something relevant to us."
Tanjiro lifted his head and nodded, not entirely convinced but unable to express what he really thought.
"I've been here for six months already," the boy said. Yoriichi nodded and observed him carefully.
"Do you have a demon blood technique yet?"
"No, not yet..." Tanjiro admitted. "Do you have one?"
The Upper Moon Zero laughed openly upon hearing the boy talk in that manner. "You can call me Yoriichi. After all, we're family now."
"Wouldn't that be disrespectful on my part?" Tanjiro asked, glancing at Kyojuro.
"Not at all. Everyone here calls me that, so I don't see why you wouldn't," Yoriichi explained, amused. "Regarding your question, I don't have a blood technique per se, but I use the Sun Breathing."
Tanjiro furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing that and looked at Yoriichi, confused. He knew that breathing styles were what demon slayers used to kill demons. "I didn't know we could use something like that."
"It's not common," Kyojuro acknowledged. "In fact, all of us who were demon slayers stopped using our breathing styles. Yoriichi is the only one who still uses it."
Tanjiro widened his eyes and moved a bit away from Kyojuro to see Yoriichi better. "You were a demon slayer?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes, but that was already... three and a half centuries ago, if my memory serves me right," Kyojuro reflected, closing his eyes tightly, trying to remember. "I think it was... during the Edo period, but I don't remember the exact year anymore."
"I was born during the Sengoku period," Yoriichi chimed in, joining the conversation again.
Tanjiro looked at them, confused. He had no idea what eras they were talking about. The only thing he knew, thanks to Tamayo, was that they were currently in the Taisho era, specifically in the year 1913. He hesitated for a moment but gathered the courage to speak. "I don't know any of those two eras. I've never heard of them."
Yoriichi and Kyojuro exchanged a glance, and the man with fiery hair took the lead. "The Sengoku period was four hundred years ago. Yoriichi is one of the oldest demons here, except for Kagaya, of course."
"Oh..." Tanjiro murmured, uncertain about what to say about it.
"There will come a time when, if you're not aware, you'll lose track of time," Yoriichi confessed sincerely. If it weren't for the fact that, given his rank, he was Kagaya's right-hand and performed important tasks on his behalf that required traveling throughout the country, he would have experienced the same thing.
Kyojuro glanced at Tanjiro. Yoriichi had left a while ago, but the boy still seemed restless and could barely conceal it.
"What's wrong, Tanjiro?" Kyojuro asked, adopting a more serious expression. "Are you still thinking about your previous mischief?"
Upon hearing that, Tanjiro's face filled with remorse. However, he shook his head and turned to face the other demon better. "There's something I've been wondering for a while."
"What is it?"
"Earlier, when you were scolding us, Shinobu said she didn't want to lose Kanao too," Tanjiro recounted, feeling a lump forming in his throat but forcing himself to continue. "What did she mean?"
Kyojuro sighed lightly. He straightened up a bit, crossed his arms over his chest, and spoke. "I suppose it's good for you to know. You see, four years ago, a member of the Lower Moons, Shinobu's sister, was killed by someone from the Corps," the man explained. Tanjiro noticed the sadness in his gaze but didn't dare say anything. "She was alone at the time, so we don't know the identity of her killer. But it was a harsh blow for us. Kanae was dearly loved."
"I'm sorry, I..."
"Since then, none of us go alone outside the Infinite Palace. It's too dangerous, and we don't want to suffer more losses."
"I understand," Tanjiro murmured, looking down. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again."
"I'm content with you having learned the lesson," Kyojuro said. He looked at Tanjiro and smiled slightly. "And I'm glad nothing happened to you."
"Can I ask something else?" Tanjiro inquired, taking advantage of the moment. Kyojuro chuckled upon hearing that.
"You're quite curious, you know?"
"...I'm sorry?" Tanjiro apologized, unsure of himself. Kyojuro waved it off, dismissing his concerns.
"Having questions is good," the Upper Moon Four admitted. "There are times when it's best not to accept everything without question. What do you want to know?"
"You were a demon slayer, right?"
Kyojuro's smile and good humor vanished when Tanjiro asked that question. The man's lips tightened into a thin line, and he furrowed his brow. "It was a long time ago, but yes," he replied with a certain coldness. "I held one of the highest ranks within that organization."
"What rank was it?" Tanjiro asked, confused.
"I was the Flame Hashira," Kyojuro answered, his tone somewhat sharp and abrupt. "But that was a long time ago, and it's completely irrelevant now."
"And, were there others who were Pillars?" Tanjiro asked, curious.
Kyojuro nodded and gave him a warning look. "But all that is in the past. It doesn't matter who we were as humans. There's no point in dwelling on something that won't come back."
"Don't you miss being human?, "inquired Tanjiro, curious.
"Not at all. Right now, I have everything I need,"Kyojuro told him. "And I couldn't ask for more."
Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!