Kagami could feel and hear her blood rushing through her veins, circulating throughout her body. It pounded insistently in her head like constant beating drums. It was a neverending roaring mimicking the ferocious tide of a waterfall. Her nose felt it was on fire. She could smell dozens, perhaps hundreds, of distinct scents perforating the air. Even with the thick curtain of smoke, she stumbled forth from behind her tree, leaving the remains of Aizetsu in multiple, mangled pieces, and immediately faltered in her step.
Tanjiro, the image of him just a few feet away, was perfectly clear in her vision. She watched him carefully. Every movement he made she watched with a guarded expression, with a weary stance. His wide eyes of shock, concern, and despair staring at the fangs poking her bottom lip made her heart ache. At the sight of her mouth salivating heavily, drool spilling down from the corners and dripping down her chin, made her want to hide her face. Even then, she couldn't stop the growls, the heavy, guttural sound vibrating her chest, from scratching against her throat and echoing in the air.
Neither her, Tanjiro, or Genya made a move at the revelation of their demonic forms. His eyes flitted back and forth between the pair, hesitating in his movements and speech. The tension in the air... It was palpable. She could swallow it with a large lump.
Finally, Tanjiro held out a hand. Tears brimmed his eyelids taking her in. "Kagami...?" His voice, soft as a whisper and delicate as a flower, sighed out in a small mumble.
He... recognized her. For a brief moment, she was afraid he wouldn't. Among the fangs, protruding veins, blackened sclera, and inhumane growls, he still knew it was her. Hope flashed through her at the sight of his small grin and almost reached out to cradle his hand in her own.
It quickly dissipated. Karaku behind him stood from the ground grasping its head in its hand. Its horrifying snarls boomed through the night, "What kind of slashing attack was that?! I can't regenerate!"
"It takes time, but we can regenerate!" Sekido screamed from where its head laid at its knees.
Kagami growled at the sight of the demon, and those around it. Where they were severed, where their heads used to be, they weren't disintegrating at all! Even if they were beheaded at the same time, they wouldn't be able to finish them off like they did with Gyutaro and Daki. Attacking them all at once was quickly deemed pointless! Though, not all hope was lost! Because all five demons' heads were severed at the same time, they weren't regenerating as fast as they had been!
As Tanjiro ran to rescue Nezuko from the debris she was trapped under, Kagami flexed her fingers, claws shining defiantly in the moonlight. Her eyes ran suspiciously along the panicking group of demons. Among the smell of blood, smoke, and a strange sourness in the air, she tried to use her enhanced sense of smell to good use. During decapitating Aizetsu she couldn't understand an extra scent she caught.
A scent that didn't fit any of the others crept uneasily under her skin. That could only mean one thing; there is a sixth demon they do not know about! Tanjiro must've thought the same; he redirected his frantic gaze toward the demons and took a step forward-
"Don't get so full of yourself!"
Kagami blinked and suddenly found Genya grasping Tanjiro by the neck. He shoved his own demonic face at the startled boy, fangs reflecting off the moon's light. "Genya!" She yelled rushing forward.
He didn't heed her call. He kept his glower on Tanjiro, growling heavily, "I'm the one who's going to defeat an Upper Rank! You didn't defeat Upper Six on your own! That's why you haven't become a Hashira! You can bet that I'm going to... beat you to it!"
"Genya! You're drooling, okay? What's wrong? Not to mention, you're choking me!" Tanjiro gasped completely disregarding Genya's threats.
At his concerns, Genya squeezed harder, glare deepening, screaming louder and harsher, declaring, "I'm the one who's going to become a Hashira!"
"I see! I get it, sure! Nezuko and I will give you our full support! Let's give it our all, all four of us!" Tanjiro announced, eyes bright, stars shining in those red irises, and smile immensely wide. No hostility nor malice accompanied whatever kindness and eagerness offered. "I'm sure there's a sixth demon somewhere! I'll look for it, so I want you to buy me some time!"
Disbelieved, Genya released his hold. Yet his frown stayed firm. "I know what you're up to! You're just making me let my guard down, and-" His threats and doubts were immediately silenced. His face fell away in a dumbstruck gaze. Happiness, truth, honesty, and loyalty radiated from the pure sunshine that was Tanjiro. It took Kagami's breath away seeing his eyes strong and resolved, no waver or fear taking even the slightest bit of hold on him at the sight of them.
Kagami, just as struck as Genya, stared perplexed at her friend. "You're... not going to ask why, how, we're demons?" She curiously asked.
"Well, you haven't attacked neither Nezuko or I, and you helped defeat the demons in unison, allowing us to decipher decapitating them all at once would be a useless strategy. Besides, Kagami, you're my best friend. I would never hurt you! I'm just glad you're okay!" Tanjiro chuckled.
Her breath hitched at the back of her throat at the pure innocence in his smile toward her, toward them both. She should've never questioned him in the first place. He never hurt Nezuko, he never gave any unwilling demons pain or grief instead of mercy, and he'd certainly would never hurt his friends. She couldn't help but smile, no matter how terrifying her fangs may seem.
Metal rings clinked violently from a distance. Tanjiro's eyes widened at something behind their backs.
"Watch out!" He yelled shoving his hands into their shoulders.
They both stumbled backwards in shock, Tanjiro and Nezuko immediately diving to the side. Genya caught Kagami just as hundreds of red and blue lightning bolts struck where they had stood, the air crackling and stinging painfully in her throat. She instantly turned and found Sekido revived, head reattached, staff in hand, body a beacon of electric energy coursing and crackling violently off and around it. Crap, we're out of time!
Tanjiro turned to them, yelling across the smoky clearing, "I'll let you know as soon as I've found the fifth demon, so keep these demons at bay!" before running off to join them.
Kagami brandished her claws in the air, angrily huffing, "I can't believe they're revived already! Shit!"
Genya whipped out his shotgun and ran to join the fray, cursing, "Dammit! How could they have regenerated so fast already?!"
Tanjiro's voice met theirs, but it wasn't an answer. Instead, he advised cautiously, "Genya, whatever you do, just don't slash Nezuko! Because she's my little sister!"
Nezuko caught up from behind and laid her pretty pink eyes on Genya. She raised her hand in greeting, a determined, "Hmph!" muffled behind her bamboo muzzle. Genya just stared at her, bewildered, with small incoherent noises of confusion. Kagami afforded herself a small giggle and grin, relishing in his cheeks turning red at the sight of both girls on either side of him, then turned her glare on the demons rearing back to deliver another attack!
Urogi, the Joy Demon, spread its feathery wings wide, a sadistic smirk playing on its lips. Just as it was about to dive down to intercept their attack, Genya immediately lifted the barrel of his gun and pulled the trigger. The bullets didn't graze it, but they kept it at bay. He fired again forcing it to retreat back into the sky for a small moment. Growling unhappily at continuous interruption, its attention was then placed on Genya! Nezuko leaped forward and started to take Karaku on all by herself!
Kagami met Sekido head on. He raised his staff just as she brought her claws down! An ear-splitting ring penetrated the air. Sparks and embers flew into the sky as they met. Growl versus growl, fangs nearly touching, quickly shoving the other back away from them. Constantly, without letting up, she put more and more pressure into her attacks forcing it on the defensive. She just needed to fend it off! All she had to do was not let the butt of the staff strike the ground! She'd be at the mercy of its lightning bolts if she did. It was for time. Time Tanjiro desperately needed to find the sixth demon! She will give as much as she can for him!
"Genya!" Tanjiro screamed turning on his heel and hurrying to the forest.
Sekido immediately noticed. Its eyes opened revealing desperation, disbelief, and murderous rage. Its jaw set tightly. Lashing out its claws, it slashed across her chest and smacked her head with its staff sending her flying multiple feet away. She yelped at the hot flash of pain numbing her limbs, wooden debris stabbing and impaling her body.
"Urogi!" Sekido commanded of the Joy Demon spiraling around in the air.
Tanjiro brought his blade up shielding the claws making for his face and pushed it off. Without loosening his glare, without turning his head from his enemy, he called out, screaming against the blood spilling through his lips, "Genya! Go straight, northeast! The sixth demon's hiding itself close to the ground-!"
A dozen bolts of lightning surged all across the clearing nearly enveloping them all in its blast, even the demons themselves. They looked just as angry and horrified, but it was quickly redirected to them.
"Go after it!" Tanjiro continued to scream without missing a beat, without hesitating to fend off Urogi's attacks. "I'll cover you!"
Genya looked to have hesitated for a moment. His blackened sclera eyes flitted from Tanjiro, to Nezuko, then to Kagami standing back on her feet, her wounds stitching themselves together. At his gaze, she immediately whipped out a hand, stepping hard into her right foot, commanding, "Go, Genya! I'm right behind you!" and rushed toward the forest. At her words and quick movement, he instantly followed suit.
"Nezuko! Go help Genya! Don't let the Lightning Demon get in his way!" She heard Tanjiro command of her, his sister obeying without complaint.
Kagami had been at the edge of the forest, nearly on Genya's heels, when she heard the unmistakable sound of pierced flesh. In her peripheral vision, a spear ran through Nezuko's abdomen and pinned her to a tree. Aizetsu stood in front of her, newly regenerated, with the most bullshit sympathetic expression she had ever seen. "Nezuko!" She screamed for her, about to turn on her heels, but the familiar agonizing pain of searing flesh, burning blood, acidic substance, flashed across her face.
"AAAHHH! It burns!" She screamed grasping at her skin boiling underneath her fingers. "This pain...! It hurts so much! Someone, help me! Please!"
A familiar disgusted tsk sounded from above. "Putrid. Cleansing. Rebirth. That's what you are, and what you must undergo. You are all disgusting, vile, vermin that should've never existed to begin with!" Ken'o screamed raining acid all along her back. "I will be your judge and execution-Ack!"
Kagami peeled back her burning eyelids, vision blurry, but smirked at the demon's disbelief expression on its face. Her hand was wrist deep into its chest. Its silver blood pooled out of the gaping hole and engulfed whatever of her limb it touched, but she didn't worry. Instead, a maniacal giggle sounded from her at the sight, cooing menacingly, "You thought I'd cower like the human I was, afraid of what I'd lose and wouldn't regenerate, but you are a fool. I am a demon now. I... am invincible!"
She snapped her fingers... and Ken'o detonated like a bomb. His body exploded into hundreds of tiny meaty pieces. Limbs fell around her in a slushy puddle. She upturned her head, relishing in the acidic blood sprinkling calmly on her face leaving burns she didn't care for. Her smirk widened. "You were too busy trying to achieve revenge you didn't notice what my body is covered in."
Her finger ran along her scaly limbs. It was as if a large lizard crawled on her body and stuck itself to her. They pulsed a small bright red and the tip of her finger came away coated in dark black powder. Her fingers, the perfect ignition.
A deep frown replaced her smile. She snarled, clenching her fist tightly, "I won't let you hurt my friends! I'll kill you!"
Tanjiro's body swirled through the air in a powerful flame of bright pink, swiftly severing Sekido's arm and both Urogi's tongue and wing in a mere instant. Nezuko pushed herself through the staff and used her blood to set Aizetsu aflame. The demon screamed and writhed painfully but she stayed clutching to him with all her might. At the twitchy pieces of flesh trying to regenerate, at its brethren, Sekido turned desperately to Naraku. Tanjiro was slammed to the ground by its uchiwa, gasping on his own blood.
Naraku laughed at his pain. "Now I just gotta go after that bullet-popping kid!" It cackled but abruptly stopped.
Its arm gripping the uchiwa split in half coated in a bright pink flame. At its weapon momentarily disabled, it growled at the incapacitated Tanjiro, screaming, "You damn punk!" lifting its foot up to bring down!
Kagami flicked out her arm. Blood alive with energy, rushing through with an euphoric sensation, middle finger and thumb pressing tightly together, she screamed, "Blood Demon Art... Catastrophic Cataclysm!" Then she snapped her fingers.
An explosion of furious flame of red, yellow, and orange, burst forth and skyrocketed toward Karaku. The sound barrier broke, her vision had been consumed by white light, and she felt the wind ferociously disrupted around her, sending her hair and clothes ruffling unpleasantly. Naraku noticed the attack too late and screamed as its body made contact. She could see his flesh searing and burning just as hers was, could feel and smell it cooking under its intense heat, and watched it lick Tanjiro's skin gently without leaving any scars or burns behind.
Tanjiro woke with a start. He spared the wailing Naraku a glance then turned his head, shouting, "To your right! It's moving south! Search for it!"
Genya slammed his foot down and rushed in the direction Tanjiro instructed. His head frantically searched left, right, left, up, down, left again, sweat beading down his scarred face as he continued to desperately search for the sixth demon.
Even through the flames, Naraku kicked its leg up, driving its foot deep into Tanjiro's chest. The boy coughed blood from his lungs at the impact. He was sent rolling several feet away but quickly balanced back on his feet. Yet, he still lifted his head, adding, "Turn west! More to the right! It's nearby! Down below!"
Not a moment later did the boom of a shotgun reverberated through the air. He found it! The sixth demon!
All hope she felt at the sound of his shotgun, at the sight of him pursuing it, quickly dissipated. His sword, slashed out to decapitate the sixth demon, broke in two. The terrifying ring was all they heard seeing the two pieces crumble to the ground, deflating whatever courage Genya had left in his abilities. Though, something else made Kagami scream in terror.
None of them had noticed. They were so focused on finding the sixth demon, on protecting Genya, on decapitating it and ending the horrible nightmare they were enduring, they didn't think about Sekido. The demon had been forgotten during the midst of battle. Now, they were going to pay the price. He was right behind Genya, snarl wide, the butt of its staff poised to strike him through the back of his head. A move, a fatal move, he wouldn't be able to regenerate from.
"GENYA!" Kagami screamed racing for him. The clearing passed by her in a blur focusing solely on the demon staring wrathfully down at her friend. "Catastrophic Cataclysm!" She screamed flicking out her arm and snapping her fingers once again.
A ginormous ball of fire erupted and rocketed toward Sekido but it wouldn't be fast enough! It won't reach the demon in time! Genya was going to be killed! He would be dead by the time she arrived. Even if she moved faster and faster than she already was, even if she desperately willed to be by his side and protect him, she wouldn't be able to save him. After everything she promised him...!
That's right... The promise they made before the battle... How could she have forgotten?
"Is... something the matter, Genya?" Kagami had hesitantly asked him earlier in the night.
With a hand on his door to leave after their awkward dinner, and the unshared kiss she realized she should've allowed herself to enjoy, she suddenly found his hand gently grasping her pant leg, keeping her from leaving. He had stayed rooted in his seat, head tilted down, shoulders slouched.
His grip tightened, her clothing wrinkling under his shaky fist, as he mumbled, so quiet she almost couldn't hear, "You wanted to know more about my brother, right? About me? About why we don't talk?" His voice shook and it seemed it took everything he had to even speak about the man.
The silence of the room suffocated them. After a small moment, Kagami slowly closed the door. She gathered herself and knelt in front of him. Knees nearly brushing, she took his hand from her pants and cradled it in both grip, laying their interlaced fingers on her lap. She tilted her head down to try and meet his solemn eyes. Her heart ached at the evident despair consuming his entire face. "What happened, Genya?" She gently asked.
Genya steadily lifted his head and gazed out the window. The full moon was nearly at its peak hanging above their heads in the air. When his grip tightened, she matched it. She poured all of her courage, strength, and bravery into it. Whatever made him so depressed, she wanted to share his burdens. She wanted him to know and understand no matter how much she carried, she could also shoulder his, too.
Gulping a lump in his throat, he finally started, "I want to become a Hashira. I want to become a Hashira... so my big brother could finally acknowledge me. And... also to apologize... for what I said that day."
Tears brimmed her eyelids at the heartbreaking thought but she nodded her head encouragingly, waiting for him to continue.
"My mom was such a tiny person. I grew taller than her at an early age. My mother was always working, from morning until night. Not once did I ever see her sleeping. My father was not only a big guy, but he was also a good-for-nothing. He got stabbed to death by someone with a grudge... which served him right. The old man was always beating up my mother and us kids. With that tiny body of hers, she would shield us from him without so much as flinching. I think she was amazing," Genya started reminiscing lovingly about his mother but hatefully of his father.
Kagami kept her hold on his hand, speaking, "Your mother sounds like a beautiful, wonderful person."
A grin stretched his lips. It was warm yet tragic. "She was. She had the most round, pretty blue eyes. You could see the sun in them. And she was uncommonly kind. My mother never held a grudge against anyone even if they did her wrong, especially against my father. She never hated him for what he'd do to her as long as he never touched us. Sometimes I thought she was too forgiving for her own good, but I still loved her."
A frown replaced his smile. He grumbled, "When I was a kid, one night, she hadn't come home. She was late. My younger siblings, with the exception of Sanemi, couldn't sleep in her absence. I was scared. Because of that, Sanemi went to go search for her. My older brother acted so cool taking on the responsibility of finding her while leaving me home. I looked up to him and he counted on me to take care of our siblings while he was away. I still remember his smile, it was full of trust, as he left to the darkness. Unbeknownst to me, my siblings were awake and wanted to join me in staying up waiting for mom and brother too."
His grip shook violently. Tears glossed over his eyes. Kagami let him squeeze the blood from her fingers, letting him continue through a lumpy throat, a trembling voice, "My siblings... They all ran to the door thinking it was our mother, but it wasn't, and I... I couldn't save them!" Droplets fell one by one in quick succession down his cheeks. "A monster... A monster was behind that door and it broke through! My siblings all fell to the floor in their own blood. When it turned to me, growling mad like a wolf, my brother Sanemi tackled it out of our home and disappeared. Kagami, it... it was..."
He closed his eyes shut, tears trickling past his chin, forcing himself to speak, "I found Sanemi covered in blood, a butcher's knife in his hand, and laying at his feet... It was our mother. That wolf... What I thought was a wolf... was our mother who'd turned into a demon. In my grief, in a whirlwind of panicking emotions, I called him a murderer. I blamed him for her death."
She grabbed the back of his head and brought his fore-head to her shoulder. Not allowing her sniffs to be audible, she held in her pain as Genya sobbed into her shoulder. She felt his tears stain and drench her uniform, but she didn't care. She didn't mind. How could she feeling and hearing his pain rack out of his chest, "I was the only survivor! They were all gone! I couldn't protect them! I was their older brother and... why was I the one who survived? My mother, she didn't mean it! She loved us! She loved us so much she suffered so we wouldn't! She never would've hurt us if she hadn't been turned!"
"Genya, I... " Kagami whimpered trying hard but failing to swallow the lump in her throat.
"Sanemi wasn't the one who disowned me. It was I who disowned him for killing her. I wrongfully blamed him for what happened. He fought her to protect us... running outside where day was starting to break. I wondered how he felt when he first realized it was our mother who'd attacked our family. He stood there, shattered, after killing our beloved mother, and... and the brother he fought tooth and nail to protect denounced him... How did that make him feel? When we'd only just promised each other... to protect the family together!"
Kagami's arms were wrapped firmly around him. Her tears had long since fallen along with his. The two wrapped themselves around each other in shared grief and sorrow. She gently caressed his mohawk, speaking as soft as the breeze outside, "Your brother... He still loves you. Despite everything you've said. Despite everything he's been saying. He's still protecting you, even now. He's done so since the very beginning, and will continue to do so until the day he dies, I'm sure of it."
"I... I want to be a Hashira so he could acknowledge me. I know I'm not as talented as him. I cannot use a Breathing Technique like the rest of you, but I want to be his brother again," He cried one last time into her shoulder before lifting his head.
Kagami stared into his eyes and nodded her head determinedly. She wrapped his hands in her strong grip and shoved her face into his. "I will help you achieve it!" She declared.
"H-Huh?" He stuttered, eyes widening.
"You want to be a Hashira to gain your brother's attention? Fine! You can do it! I'll help you! So will Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and everyone you know! We can do it! We will help you show your brother you deserve recognition! That you deserve praise and love just like him! Let's make a promise! Right here! Right now!" With a courageous smile, strength flooding back into their conjoined hands, she announced, as cheerfully as she could, "Let's become Hashiras!"
Sparks flew across the night sky. The sound of her voice echoing across the black sea of darkness forced a gasp out of Genya. He turned at the sound of steel screeching just behind his head, and came face to face with Kagami shielding his body, black leathery wings spanning seven feet across her back. The butt of the staff stabbed one of her wings, but she still flicked an arm out, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Catastrophic Cataclysm!" At the snap of her fingers, Sekido was engulfed in a tunnel of fire swirling high into the sky, its screams following.
Tanjiro leaped from the top of the trees and passed through the fire devil completely unharmed, his flaming sword severing the demon's arms and tongue faster than she could comprehend.
"Tanjiro! You're here! And Kagami! You have wings!" Genya shouted above the crackling flame in sheer shock.
She deflected his comment and turned to him with resolved expression. "Genya, you're the reason why I'm alive right now! Don't ever think you're not good enough to be acknowledged! Don't give up! Don't you remember our promise?! We're going to become Hashiras! Together! We can do this!" She declared pumping her fist up in the air.
"She's right! You can't give up! Aren't you going to become a Hashira?!" Tanjiro added looking just as brave as she, just as devoted to his dream.
At her fist, at their resolve, Genya's eyes brimmed with new tears at their unrelenting and unyielding goal to make his dream come true, but they quickly ceased at something behind them.
"Weeping Spears!"
Kagami turned at the chant of attack and noticed too late the projection of Aizetsu's spears heading straight for her head. More importantly, straight for Tanjiro! She couldn't spread her wings fast enough, couldn't reach him in time as the spears rapidly approached and made contact with them, the violently disrupted wind disheveling their hair. It was only a moment later she realized she was completely untouched! Tanjiro, too!
Tanjiro, from where he fell, turned behind him, a cry sputtering through. "Genya!"
Kagami followed his fearful gaze and shared his horror. "Genya!" She screamed.
Genya stood protectively in front of their fallen figures, towering over them like a guardian angel. Except his entire body was perforated with large gaping holes. Blood pooled and dripped inconsistently fast out of him. He was barely being held together by whatever was left of him, but he kept standing. He kept himself in front of him, growling, drenched in sweat, at Aizetsu looking toward him as if he were a monster. "I can't... I can't behead it!"
Kagami's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, lips quivering at his horrible state, but he didn't acknowledge her. He shut his eyes, willing the pain to stop, to keep himself from crying out. He choked, voice hoarse and rough, "You must be the ones... to behead it! Just this once... I'm going to... let you have it!"
"Genya... Thank you!" Tanjiro screamed taking off. Kagami gave Genya one last nod before quickly following behind.
Flaming sword arched behind him, claws extended in front of her, Kagami and Tanjiro ran side by side in the immediate search of the sixth demon. They ran through bushes and trees, eyes wandering frantically over the darkened forest, then finally finding the small, finger-size demon scurrying across the ground away from them. It was so small and so fast she almost lost sight of it immediately! But she won't let it get away! Not ever!
"You're not getting away!" Tanjiro bellowed.
Widening her wings, Kagami spiraled high into the sky and dove straight down, screaming as she brought her claws on its head!