Mugen Train Pt 1
(Excited? I sure am. The rails are gonna be a little shaky. Enjoy.)
People were giving them strange looks as they walked through the train car- Okay they were giving them strange looks as they did a mixture of walking and dragging a curious Inosuke through the train car.
"Let me out! I wanna race this thing!" Zenitsu and Koujo were making sure that he didn't fling himself out a window like a madman but it was only doing so much to actually stop Inosuke from getting off board.
"We're sorry!" Zenitsu said to the three men that the boar head was bothering with his hyperactive self. "It helps if you don't make us stand out!"
Tanjiro just pushed a bag of belongings onto an overhead storage for an elderly couple. "Thank you young man. We're sorry to have you help us."
"It's no trouble at all."
Inosuke was marveling at all the details of this giant metal beast of this land! If only Monitsu would let him explore it better instead of holding him back.
Jikon and Senjuro were leading the way through the car to find their superior… wherever he may be on this train. "I'm sure I heard my big brother's voice come from this way."
"And I can smell him. So he should be-"
"UMAI!"
There was no doubt about it. That boisterous voice could only belong to one Hashira. They all went into the car and saw how the other passengers were staring at a single set of seats.
"Umai!"
He opened a bento and picked out a crisp, golden fried piece of meat and brought the delectable item into his mouth. With the flavors migrating over his tastebuds and bringing a new feeling of delight in its sophistication, he could only describe it with one word:
"TASTY!"
His hair and haori flickered like the flames they resembled and the six Slayers were surprised by his sudden exclamation.
Zenitsu whispered over to Tanjiro about how extreme Rengoku could be about everything since it didn't seem he was limited to just training, even eating looked like it had to be an entire ordeal and show.
"Kyojuro?"
"Tasty!" It was like he didn't even hear the Demon call his name.
"Big brother?"
At least now he looked at them. "Tasty! This food is delicious!" After an attendant of the train came to remove the stacks of bento boxes from the very loud Hashira, they all took seats near him. "I never would've expected the Master to have you all come assist me. Kamado, Agatsuma, Hakuga, Hashibira, correct?" At the respective mention of their names they bowed their heads or in the case of a certain feminine faced one, proudly stood and let steam from their boar mask. "Not to mention the one in that box, and of course my brother and cousin."
Tanjiro nodded. "We were informed that casualties had been increasing, and a message from a crow had us come here."
"Of course!"
Jikon sat down across from Rengoku and Tanjiro sat beside him. Senjuro took a seat beside his brother and Koujo draped himself over the seat behind his own brother to be in the conversation. "We also wanted to know more about the Sun breathing style." The Hakuga started. "It's in those texts that Koujo told me about but-"
"I don't know a thing about it!" His smile and tone weren't angry like they would've been if someone else answered that but they let him continue. "There's no real description of how to use the techniques of Sun breathing in those texts! The only reason they weren't destroyed is because of Kouka, had she not intervened and stopped my father then I wouldn't even know about it!"
"My father did…" Tanjiro's calm voice drew eyes to him, even while Inosuke and Zenitsu had their disagreements over slamming their hands against the windows of the train. "He never mentioned anything about meeting a Demon Slayer, but he knew the Sun breathing and called it the Hinokami Kagura. Even as a frail man he performed the techniques in freezing weather and for twelve hours straight."
"I see." The Flame Hashira contemplated that information for all it could've been worth and Koujo spoke up to clear the silence.
"I managed to pull off a few moves back on my mission where I met Haia but it felt like my whole body was on fire, and I wasn't even doing them right."
Jikon furrowed his brow when he heard that. "Right, you said that you heard how Tanjiro switched his breathing and started fighting even harder. This Sun breath is really something."
"Be that as it may, there's nothing more to say about it! I can't use this breathing myself, but you young Kamado are the closest to honing it to its best!"
That made Tanjiro try and get some more information but his pleas fell on deaf ears. "You really can't think of anything?! There has to be something, Rengoku?!"
"My younger brother!" Senjuro sat ramrod straight. "I'm truly proud of your ability to learn the Flower Breathing style, I'd like you and young Kamado to become my Tsuguko! I'll look after the two of you!" He was proudly declaring this offer of mentoring the two of them and it was like his entire being swelled up to encompass the entire train car.
"That's moving really fast!"
"How'd you turn gigantic?!"
"Brother, please calm down!"
Zenitsu was staring at the marvel of the Hashira having a few screws loose while Inosuke stared out the window. 'He's definitely a strange one.'
"There have always been a Hashira of Flame and Water at the same time. From the five base techniques there are those branching from them. Flame, Water, Wind, Stone, and Thunder. Kamado! What color is your sword? Senjuro, you as well!"
"Uh, my sword is black."
"My sword is pink."
Rengoku thought on that and chuckled. "How unfortunate. I've yet to see any swordsman with a black sword become a Hashira, and I hear they have no idea of what style to master. But fear not! I can train you!" He stood tall once more and Tanjiro looked up towards him.
"Maybe later but how did you get so big again?!"
Jikon looked around the car to identify something. "So when will the demon show up?" Inosuke stopped his flailing and Zenitsu stopped holding him back when that finally clicked in his head.
"HUUUHH?! DEMONS CAN SHOW UP HERE?!"
Jikon's face went blank. "You remember why we were called here in the first place don't you?"
"That's correct. Several swordsmen were sent in to investigate those who went missing but they have disappeared as well."
A tired looking man walked down the aisle and took the tickets of several people to punch a hole in them. "Who's that?" Koujo noticed him first.
"That's the conductor, he'll come make sure your tickets are valid." Said conductor took the ticket of both Rengoku brothers, then a proud Inosuke. Jikon looked the tired man in his eyes and squinted before giving him his own ticket. The lights started to flicker as Tanjiro and Koujo handed off their tickets to the man.
'That scent, it's rancid!'
'No doubt about it, the demon's here.' Jikon stood up at the same time as the Flame Hashira. The flickering started to increase and then it stopped, leaving the car in total darkness. Then a hulking demon with three faces appeared in a crouch.
"So here you are. Did you use a blood demon art to conceal yourself? No matter." He unsheathed his sword and took up a powerful pose. "If you bare your fangs at the innocent, I'll see you turn to ash with my bright red flame blade!"
The demon roared with all its fury but instead of charging outright it decided to reach for a half asleep person beside it. Senjuro's body moved before he could think about it and he found his sword being drawn by his own hands. Blue swirls and petals followed his motions as he gracefully spun towards the demon.
'Shichi no kata: Arigatai Ajisai.' (Seventh Form: Thankful Hydrangea). In a few swift movements he separated an arm from a torso and took an innocent man from the scene. 'How did I move so fast? I really am a Demon Slayer now.'
With a quick nod of thanks to his brother, Kyojuro lined up his attack. A row of torches burned brightly to show his path. 'Hono no kokyu. Ichi no kata.' He dashed forwards with blooming flames on his sword and with a powerful slice to the back of this demon's neck- 'Shiranui!' (Unknowing Fire). He cleaved its head off and pushed straight into the next car from the force.
Tanjiro watched as the demon turned to ash in front of them. 'All that from one blow. Amazing.'
"There's still one more, follow me!" Rengoku ran off while Senjuro made sure the man he saved was alright.
Inosuke called out, "All right!" And Tanjiro followed behind Koujo.
"Zenitsu, come on."
"Don't drag me Senjurooo!"
Jikon was about to run off behind them but he stopped and looked at the conductor. 'That man… there's something off about him. I don't know what it is, but he's not right.' He let that train of thought finish and ran past the crowd coming his way to see everyone standing off against a gangly looking demon.
"Allow me to make this clear, your opponents stand before you now."
Inosuke snorted and rushed in with Tanjiro calling out the bystander cowering behind the creature. "Be careful! There's still a man there!"
"Won't matter when I cut this thing into pieces!" He jumped to start his assault but this thing grew limbs to try and stop him. His flexibility let him swerve and avoid the attacks but he was deposited against the back of the car and watched as the Hashira got the man out of danger too.
"Now we don't have to hold back." The demon tensed and Rengoku lunged. 'Hono no kokyu. Ni no kata.' A press of his tsuba and the red metal of his sword was revealed. "Nobori en ten!" (Rising Scorching Sun). Bright red and yellow flames streamed in an upwards arc then the demon was no more, head separated from its shoulders and Rengoku sheathed his blade like it didn't even happen.
"That…" Tanjiro barely had words. "That was amazing! Your swordplay is amazing! Please let me tutor under you!"
"Very well, I'll make a fine swordsman out of you."
Zenitsu popped up with a beaver-like expression. "Can I join?"
"Me too!" Inosuke wouldn't be left out.
Senjuro cheered in too. "Big brother, teach me as well!"
"I'd be willing to take you all in."
Jikon remained where he was and looked… not disinterested but something close. He saw the attacks that Flame breathing used and wasn't excited about switching what he knew to something so different. Of course if it was kept to basic strength and conditioning then he'd be all in.
'Water fits me the best.'
Koujo looked like he wanted to join in too but he noticed his brother's situation and went up to him. "Something wrong? I thought you liked the training we did."
Okay so he did just mean physical conditioning. "Well nothing's wrong now but… doesn't something seem off to you?"
That earned a raised red eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You're awesome big bro!" Four voices called out against a laughing Hashira. Somehow they were- How were they flying around like that?! Not important, focus on suspicions now.
"It just doesn't make sense how forty people disappeared, and some other corps members would die to two demons like those." Jikon's intuition hadn't been wrong before and it couldn't be wrong now. "They were barely as strong as the hand demon." That really put into perspective the scale of the two adversaries Kyojuro dispatched. Despite all the trouble that he caused, the Hand demon was only a threat because they didn't have pure nichirin swords and they didn't have experience against actual blood demon arts. With all that added information they were certain that they could beat a threat like that with an arm tied behind their backs now.
"That makes sense. But if there's another demon why wouldn't it attack with the others?"
"Use your blood demon art, detect anything before it springs up." That wouldn't be a bad idea under normal circumstances but Jikon was forgetting one key factor… life wasn't so simple.
"That's not what my technique does. I can detect nearby signs of life but I can't tell the difference between a person and a demon, they're both alive. I'd know how many things are on this train but I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a demon that was hiding or a normal person."
Jikon crossed his arms and tried to think more about it but nothing else came to mind. He glanced over towards the others being so happy and decided to just let it go. "Well even if something else is here we have the six of us and a Hashira. So like you said, what could happen?" Shinobu taught him that enjoying the moment was usually for the best in all the month or so they'd been together. "Big bro! I'll learn with you too!"
"Of course, I'll teach you as well!"
Koujo shrugged and joined the merrymaking too, even though he was already being trained by Kyojuro that didn't matter. It was the thought that counted.
Inosuke was draped over Zenitsu's legs and Zenitsu was sloppily sat against the seat. Senjuro was resting his head on Rengoku's shoulder. Jikon was using the window to rest his head against, while his elder brother used his shoulder. Tanjiro sat up in his chair. They were all peacefully asleep, in fact all of the passengers were. The conductor wasn't a passenger however and he was running through the cars with tears in his eyes.
"I've done as you asked! They're all asleep! Please, please do the same to me!" He bowed low against the floor, prostrating for sweet dreams. "Please allow me to see my dead wife and daughter again!"
No response. Until a hand extended towards him. Just a hand with the kanji for 'Dream' written on some of the fingers. "Certainly." Now the hand had a mouth on it. "You did a wonderful job, now sleep forever." The man tensed then fell to the floor. "Now dream you're with your family again."
"Hey, now that they're asleep, what are we supposed to do?" A rougher voice was added to the mix.
"There's around two hundred passengers on the train. That's forty more for each of us." That voice was more analytical than the last.
"Then what are we going to do about the demon hunters?" A feminine voice questioned. "Our presence might wake them up before you finish. We can't get close."
"My blood demon art can make sure we finish them off before they get a chance to notice us, but that means the humans have to act fast and tie themselves to them."
The first voice made a disturbing sound of happiness. "Well we just have to make sure they stay asleep for Kamanue then~ You seven understand your roles right? Make sure you don't touch them much while you tie yourselves to them, and monitor their dreams." Seven sleep deprived humans sat in front of them ready to carry out their mission. It was the only way for them to have their dreams come back.
"Then I will move to the end of the train. Would you like to join me, Kamanue? I could use unhombre joven to pass the time."
Lower Six had no idea what this woman just said to him since she spoke that different language but he didn't like the tone and that was enough. "We need to focus on these demon slayers, just go to the back of the train."
Carmen imitated being stabbed in the chest by his words but sauntered away without another word. Wakuraba started thinking about her casually walking to the caboose. "Won't the hunters wake up from her presence?"
Mukago shook her head as she started pulling a large needle from her sleeve. "Whatever they are, they aren't demons like us. They don't feel human either."
"Let's just have these ones prepare the dreams. I oh so love it when a Sweet dream becomes a Beautiful nightmare." That made the other Lower Moons keep some social distance since Enmu was starting to blush and moan.
The soft crunching of the snow underneath his feet. The chill of the mountain air. It felt wrong. Tanjiro drew his sword and looked around when he felt that disturbing feeling. "Calm down. Control your breathing… How did I get here?!" He heard something and snapped around to- To-
"Oh look!"
"Big brother's back!"
He dropped his sword from shock and started to run towards the two of them until he sent them all to the ground in a loving tackle that confused them. He wasn't a Demon Slayer anymore. He was just a boy with a burn on his forehead who brought coal to and from his house. "I'm sorry." He hugged them both close and started to cry, then scream. Then mixed the two together out of sheer happiness.
Soft rain dropped onto his hair and he looked up at the rainclouds. "This rain…" He drew his sword slowly and started to look around. It looked like… "A house? No. It was his house. He opened the door and saw a red head of short hair, but his skin was…
"Right on time for lunch!" An arm wrapped him into a headlock and a hand started dragging a knuckle into his head. He let go of his sword to fight back but once he got free he saw-
"Kouka?" Wait a second. She didn't have two arms! And she was missing so many scars!
"Are you asking me my name? You sick or something? Shion! Your boy's coming down with something!" She started walking towards a- Hang on that actually smelled really good. A hand got on his shoulder and that's when he realized that he didn't look the same. No haori and no uniform, just normal clothes and a tan colored hand on his shoulder.
"You alright Jikon?" The voice was right but the skin was- He'd been pale for months now so why is he like- Was… was it all a dream?
He turned and saw his father come in through the deck with his ever present smile. "I hope neither of my sons is catching an illness from this rain. You boys are tougher than that, aren't they Kai?"
No way… No damn way! That outfit. That face. "Well I've been scouting them for this long haven't I? They'll help turn things around for sure."
"Was it all a dream?"
Bubbles rose to the water's surface.
Zenitsu led her with a smile on his face. "Here I'll show you! The peaches are delicious! And with all the white clover in bloom, I can make you a ring of flowers. I'm pretty good at it." He turned his head and stared into her pink eyes. "Come on Nezuko!"
"Yeah! Make a lot of them okay? I'd love that so much!" Everything about her was so amazing to him that he jumped for joy.
"There's a river but it's shallow so don't worry!"
That made her stop smiling. "A river?" She dug her feet into the ground and stopped them. "But I can swim at all. Zenitsu, what do I do?"
Her adorable face made him blush and stutter. "Ah! D-Don't worry! I'll carry you on my back and jump across!" He knelt down and let her climb aboard. "None of you will touch the water!" He took a stance and lightning crackled around him before he took his powerful leaps. "Just leave it all to me!" He jumped from rock to rock and kept them moving. "Here we go!" It was such a happy time for them both! Nothing could ruin it!
He sank deeper into the depths.
"Survey team! Survey team! We are the cave survey team!" He marched with the bamboo bunny following his footsteps. Her long white ears being the only animal trait she had. "Survey team! Survey team! We are the cave survey team!" Two figures appeared on rocks beside him.
"Wait a second boss!" Ponjiro called out, his ears and tail being his features.
"Just wait a sec boss!" Chunitsu piggybacked, with those ears, that nose, a thin tail and those teeth.
Lord Inosuke looked at them in question. "What is it, Underling one and Underling two?"
Ponjiro pointed ahead. "I can smell the other boss with her underlings fighting the boss of the cave!"
"And they aren't squeaking like me! They need help!" Chunitsu said in distress.
Ahead was the powerful equal that he met in his life. The bear queen herself. "Come on underlings! We can take this thing down!"
The red fox, Gojou, bared his claws and fangs. "I'll rip this thing to shreds boss!"
"Don't rush in, it's super strong!" Despite that, the badger Pikkon was right behind him.
Lord Inosuke pointed and commanded his underlings to rush in and he saw two of them run ahead without hesitation. "Hey wait, don't fall behind Underling three!" He held out a gift to her to catch her attention. "Here, I'll offer you these sparkling acorns. Let's go!"
'Why am I here?' He looked down and reminded himself of why he really was here. 'Right. Reporting to father about my becoming a Hashira.' He told the story of his fight against Lower Moon Two, how hard he pushed himself and how his heart set ablaze in the end to strike down the-
"What does it matter that you've become a Hashira?" That took away Kyojuro's smile. "What does it matter that you're a Hashira now? It doesn't matter. You can't use the true breathing style. There's no point."
He walked outside and saw a familiar face… did he always have that sword and haori? "Brother. Did your news of becoming a Hashira make father happy? I hope when I become a Hashira, that he'll acknowledge me as well."
He thought about his father. He wasn't always a heavy drinker with a strong sense of inferiority. He was so passionate before. The man who raised them with such enthusiasm just up and quit being a swordsman one day. 'Why?' That didn't matter now. 'Our mother died when Senjuro was too young to remember, and the anguish of our father only makes it worse on him.' He knelt to meet his brother's eyes. "To be honest, no, he wasn't happy. He said it didn't matter. But that won't extinguish the flame in my heart. I'll never lose my faith. Listen, and keep this in mind. I believe in you, and I know that no matter what path you take I will believe in you." He cried and hugged his elder brother tightly. "Let's both do our best, no matter how lonely it gets."
"Everything is set. Those ropes I gave them allow one to invade the dreams of whoever you are tethered to." Emmy's creepy hand mouth was licking its lips. "Hashira or not, once you're asleep you're as vulnerable as a newborn. I'll enjoy my part of the feast once we've disposed of the demon hunters."
"Make sure you're careful with tying the ropes. If we move them around too much then they might wake up." A girl with twin braids instructed. "Any mistakes and-"
"What are you doing!?" She and her partners looked to the side and saw a flash of red, then a flash of yellow and red.
Rengoku's hand latched onto the girl's throat and held her into the aisle. 'Wait! He's supposed to be asleep! He- He's still asleep?!' The Flame Hashira's eyes were shut tight even with his face scrunched up in anger.
Koujo moved quickly and grabbed the sharp object that was about to take his eye out then chopped his assailant on the neck. 'Who are these people? Why are they attacking us?' Whatever weapon they were using got stabbed into the back of his neck. Imagine their surprise when he turned and hit them hard enough to crack the window of an empty pair of seats.
'That- He should be dead!' He watched as the redhead quickly knocked three others down and left them awake. Then he saw Koujo pull the sharp object from his neck and the wound closed instantly. 'He's not human!'
"Who are you all? What did you do to my friends?!" His eyes were slitted even as he heard Nezuko kick open her box.
"Hmmph?" She looked around and saw the strange sight but her eyes went to her brother first and foremost. She put his hand on her head and he was still out like a light. "Hmph. Hmph!" She slammed her forehead into his… and started bleeding. Tears ran down her face and she repeated the action, with a little boost. Pink flames exploded from her and covered both Tanjiro and Senjuro.
"Start explaining before I get mad!"
A girl with shut eyes opened her mouth to talk. "He put everyone to sleep! He said it was a bloody art, we were told to tie ourselves to you all and enter your dreams until-" He started zoning her out once he heard 'bloody art' and he knew what had to have gone down from there.
'So it was a blood demon art that puts people to sleep but I was just taking a normal nap , that means it doesn't work on other demons.' He looked at the crying demon girl and started to pat her on the head. "It's okay. Don't worry." That rope on Tanjiro's hand was burnt. So was Senjuro's. "Your burning blood did that? Do that to the other ones okay?" She nodded through her tears and started burning away Zenitsu and Inosuke's ropes. His brother was still out cold and that scared him. "No way this isn't related to this aura, I can sense this sleeping blood demon art on it. Something tells me not to cut it but maybe…" Koujo clenched the rope and dug his nails into it. "Maybe I can-!"
"AAAHH!"
He should feel happy. The Master just announced it himself. Senjuro Rengoku was officially a Hashira. A new haori with designs of yellow roses and blue lilies, a gift from his associate. The Burning Demon Hashira. "I don't get it."
"Something on your mind Senjuro?" That was his other new equal. The Surging Flow Hashira, or just Jikon if you were his friend. "You don't look too excited."
"He's looking pretty pale." That was the ever large form of a friend of a friend. The Solid Bear Hashira, Ami.
A cackling laugh from her friend didn't even make him snap out of it. "It's not every day you get to be an equal to the Boar Hashira!"
"He could be a bit shocked from it all." The yellow haori of the Raging Thunder Hashira, Zenitsu.
The sound of someone moving and a scoff. "I worked just as hard for this but you don't see me going into a coma." Yep, that was definitely Taiki, his other half so to speak. A haori decorated with the patterns of cherry blossoms and green hydrangeas.
The role of Hashira was split between them both. Alone they were strong but together they were The Blooming Nature Hashira, and were deemed as a complimentary pair that even a Twelve Kizuki couldn't stand against.
The impromptu leader coughed and gave a soft smile. "Well whatever it is, he's our friend. So let's be kind to him no matter what." The Hinokami Hashira, Tanjiro, was clear on how they should be acting. All of his friends were unique individuals but they all cared about each other, and him, a lot.
So why did none of his friends notice when he was set ablaze by bright pink fire? Why did he suddenly lose all of his joy when it happened? Somehow it felt like he was just waking up from a dream. Like he knew that none of it even happened and now he was just… 'Wait… Could this all be a trick? No I- The Train!'
Well at least Tanjiro was wide awake. "The smell of demons is so strong that it's making my head spin! Even if I was asleep, the train cars closed off and airtight… How could I have missed this?"
Koujo broke a door down and hung over the edge of the train. "We all make mistakes Tanjiro! Let's-!" He ducked back to avoid a giant suturing needle, complete with black threads. "Oh great I guess we're doing this then." He drew his sword and looked backwards to see where that same attack came from, and right before his eyes was a female demon with a tattoo on her left eye. "Tanjiro! Go take down the strong demon upwind! I'll handle this one!" A spiral of flame followed him as he dashed back to challenge Lower Four. Tanjiro marveled at how fast he moved but he did remember that training with a Hashira showed results.
"Nezuko! It's too dangerous for you! Wake up the others!" Tanjiro called out while leaping onto the top of the train cars.
A demon in a suit turned around to greet him but he didn't even get to speak his little monologue. Tanjiro rushed in with the full intent to kill this demon there and then. "Not even going to give me time to explain? That's so mean."
'Seisei Ruten!' (Constant Flux). A great dragon of rushing water formed around him with every rotation he made.
That creepy hand mouth opened and sent a wave of blue energy. "Sleep now." That forced Tanjiro to lose consciousness but he woke up that same instant, and continued his charge. "Huh? Sleep now." Once again he fell asleep but woke up and started slashing for this demon!
"I figured out how to wake up from your dreams! Each time you put me down-"
"Sleep now."
He nearly fell off the train but once again it lasted barely two seconds before he woke up. "I'll get back up!" His rotational slashes continued and everytime he was put to sleep he woke up with even more determination.
'I suppose I'll have to force a nightmare then~' "Go to sleep!"
This time it wasn't the snowy mountain he loved so much. He saw the bloody forms of his brothers and sisters. Blaming him for their deaths. His mother telling him that it was him who deserved to die. His father scolding him for failing to even protect his family… It pissed him off! "Don't you ever put words in my family's mouth!" His attacks were furious and it showed with the sudden fury of the water dragon he commanded. "They would never say any of that! Don't insult their memories!" He leapt up and sliced right through the demon's neck and that was that… 'No. That was too easy. His scent is still thick on the train…'
"I understand now." The feminine voice of this male demon was not a pleasure to hear. Tanjiro watched as the severed head grew along a fleshy tendril and looked down to him. "Those earrings, I see why the Master wants you dead. You're like a festering boil on the bottom of the foot. You don't look surprised that I'm not dead so maybe you aren't as dense as I thought, but allow me to explain what's happening here. I've taken the time to merge nearly all of my body with this train! Even this isn't my actual head! But that isn't all, the other Lower Moons are on board as well! Can you really manage to fight them while protecting anyone from sating my hunger as well?"
Tanjiro grit his teeth but then he realized something. "If I were alone then that would be impossible. But I'm not alone!" He dashed forward to shut this fake mouth up but it retracted into the train again. "The others will make sure nobody loses their life here!"
'Ichi no kata: Odayakana Sakura!' (First form: Calming Cherry Blossoms). His nearly simultaneous hits managed to scrape the neck and marked eye of this demon but they weren't anything significant. He saw the tattoo on that eye, 'Lower Six! I won't let you hurt anyone!'
Kamanue jumped back with his vision returning to normal. 'This boy's faster than he looks!' He formed a shakuhachi from his flesh and started putting it to his lips to play but his opponent wasn't even letting him get that far.
More pink swirls and petals followed Senjuro's attacks to stop this demon in front of him. 'He's trying to play it, it has to be a part of his blood demon art! I can't let him play it.' He carved half of the instrument away and took some of Kamanue's fingers before going for his neck again.
'I'll have to make this a game of keep away!' Kamanue dodged and avoided the slashes with efficacy but luck turned on his side once the train pulsed and started to be enveloped by fleshy tendrils. "Looks like Enmu finally started things off, so tell me this flower boy. How will you fight me and protect the people around us?" The instant that Senjuro took to see the tendrils reach for passengers, and the following seconds he used to slice them to ribbons was more than enough time for the lower moon to start playing his new instrument.
'Oh crap!'
"Now you can fight even more of me, kekkijutsu: tsukiakari no gensō."(Moonlight Illusions). Wisps of smoke and light emerged from the holes of the shakuhachi and formed into three more exact copies and they rushed Senjuro without any hesitation, growing their own shakuhachi to use as weapons.
The Rengoku didn't falter and decided to breathe, because he wasn't going to just give up because of numbers. "Ni no kata: Mikage Ume!" (Second form: Honorable Shadow Plum). A series of rotating slashes deflected and connected with both the demon clones and some tendrils reaching towards innocent people. 'Keeping everyone safe will be harder with him trying to attack me, I have no choice!' He displayed his speed and agility by moving as if he was a free flying bird. "I'll cut your head off now!"
His sword connected with a neck but it turned out to be a sacrificial clone, still might as well follow through to even the numbers. Once the clone dispersed into smoke he saw his enemy playing another tune. "Tsukiakari Hansha Hikari no Mai ." (Moonlit Dance of Reflecting Light). The entire train car was filled with bright light that even made the user wince from surprise. "It may not be putting you to sleep but there's only so much someone can do when they're-" Half of his neck was already being sliced into.
For whatever reason this constant flash of light only slowed him down for a moment, and once that passed he could see just fine. Having to mix his focus between the tendrils and this Lower Moon was the only thing slowing down his landing a decisive blow. But a little bit of light wasn't going to do much compared to that constraint. 'I just need a second! Something that can-!'
A flash of lightning shot by and threw off Kamanue's next move and it gave Senjuro a window to dive through! "The hell was that?! There's no storms on a train!" His brief loss of attention ended up costing him. Senjuro closed the distance and was spinning elegantly in the air. 'He got too close! I have to use my exploding clones!' He tried to bring his instrument up but he was the slower one in the exchange.
"Roku no kata: Uzumomo!" (Sixth Form: Whirling Peach). The weight of Senjuro's body added on to the force behind his swing and it brought his pink blade all the way through Kamanue's neck! He... He just managed to beat one of the Twelve Kizuki... it might've been the weakest one but- He still won!
"No way. All my hard work just to get to being Lower Six and it's gone like this? By some kid who hasn't even kissed a girl yet?! That isn't fair at all!" He complained about the unfairness of it all and started to dissipate as all demons do when they're beheaded.
Seeing the body turn to ash confirmed this wasn't a clone and now Senjuro turned his attention back to where that lightning went. "What was that?"
Nezuko watched the dandelion in awe. He just blitzed in and cut her free without even waking up. "Thunder Breathing, first form… Thunderclap and Flash!" He exploded in six different leaps that were too fast for her to even follow, then he landed behind her. "Sixfold." With a soft clink he sheathed his sword. "Nezuko… I will protect you."
"Hmm!"
Then he started swaying and snoring. "…protect you… I'll…"
Her admiration turned to that, '•-•' face again. At least now she had backup.
"Rokuro, I can tell that more of the hunters are starting to wake up." Wakuraba sounded threatened but his superior didn't even look fazed.
"As if it matters. We each ate ten humans already, not to mention some demon slayers. A few more won't give us any-"
"Shi no kata: Uchishio!" (Fourth form: Striking Tide). Powerful strikes with water accenting his blade. Jikon nearly had both of them in that instant but they activated their blood demon arts and managed to save their skins at the last second. Speaking of skins he watched the one with Lower Three on his eye start turning red and the one with Lower Two on his eye was getting more muscular, and some reddish black smoke was coming from his mouth.
"Got lucky there but we aren't letting you get any more easy hits on us! Kekkijutsu: Tetsuchi Niku."(Iron Blood Skin). He slammed his arm into the spot Jikon was at and raised his hand up to catch the sword coming for his neck. "A nice try, but my skin is as hard as metal." That point was matched by Jikon's sword only scraping against that hand.
Despite having the advantage for a surprise attack, Rokuro didn't land said attack. Jikon jumped up and started twisting his body in different directions. "You aren't any Hashira but here you are fighting the both of us with your weak body. I don't know if I should say you're brave or brainless. How'd you even wake yourself up from Enmu's blood demon art?"
He didn't dignify that first half with a response, at least not one related to the statement. "It's nice to dream a happy dream, but sitting still on your dreams and hoping they come true instead of making them real is pointless. We can all dream, but having dreams in reality is what matters. Nejire Uzu." (Whirlpool). The rotation of his blade and the water following it did heavy damage to the fleshy walls of the train and to the demons under him. 'Protecting the passengers and fighting these two… not a good combination.'
He walked forward and took in the damages he saw, that and the train becoming a living being. He was a disappointment for letting this happen. "Such an ugly mess… If the other Hashira were here to see what I let happen…" Drawing his sword and taking up a powerful stance. "I could just crawl under a rock and die from embarrassment!" He sprung up and rotated like a blazing whirlwind. Delivered burning slash after incinerating strike.
'Ugh! What happened?!' Enmu thought as a figureless consciousness.
An entire car of the train shifted and threw everyone awake off their footing. That was the signal for some of them.
Koujo raised his sword while Mukago held two giant suture needles. "Kekkijutsu: Ketsueki Ketsugō!"(Bloody Bindings). She threw one of the needles and it moved like it had a mind of its own. It weaved crossing stitches and patterns on its way to Koujo but for all the intricate motions it only managed to pierce his arm… and that made Mukago smile. "Now die!" The needle ripped through his skin and- Now it started piercing into his body!
'I can feel it tearing through me!' The patterns were making sense now! It was the pathway that the suture would take to make his organs mincemeat! His lungs were shredded to hell and his stomach burst, but luckily he wasn't human. Of course that didn't negate the pain.
"Nobody ever expects something so boring to be so dangerous. I earned Master Muzan's favor with such a plain blood demon art, and I'll make him proud of me as long as I live." She yanked the thread back and with it came the offal coated suture. "Wherever the other hunters are, they should be getting tired from dealing with the others. I just have to wait until I can kill them easily."
"Roku no kata!" Imagine the surprise when you see someone with organs grinded into mush standing up and preparing an attack.
'How is he still alive?!' She prepared another mincing attack but the entire train shifted from something big. 'What the hell was that?!'
Koujo's attack spun and struck every wall of the train with hot cuts that pushed back whoever was trying to make his life harder. "Nenshō Kōjō!" (Burning Deduction). Mukago was next on the list of things to be sliced up but she snapped out of her stupor.
"Chiito Suime!"(Bloody Thread Stitching). The needles shot to the walls and weaved back and forth to create a wall of flesh, threads, and traces of metal. That gave her some cover once the attack landed and didn't entirely ruin the wall, but it did make the train shift once again. Not as greatly as the first one but it was noticeable.
"Ay ay. Un demonio extraño." Mukago turned when she heard that foreign language and right there in a seat beside some random man was the harlot that was supposed to be helping them.
She would have said something about it but her instincts preferred her jumping back to avoid a rush of burning sword swings. "Seitōna Tensei: Hibana Bara."(Rightful Reincarnation: Ember Rose). When Mukago saw a rose with five burning petals underneath him it all made sense.
"He's a demon?! You're betraying Master Muzan!"
Carmen watched the Lower Moon pull her sutures back while Koujo took note of her. "Kibutsuji isn't any master of mine." He looked at the slowly regenerating walls of the train and figured that he had enough time to deal with the seamstress and then question this mysterious foreign woman. "Go no kata: Enko."(Fifth form: Flame Tiger). A majestic burning feline crashed into Mukago's newest barrier and slammed right through it, and behind it was a burning Demon.
Carmen watched all of this and decided that she might as well do something to help. "Well if you need help then I will, but next time you're going to need your own feminine charm." Mukago found that she was suddenly on the other end of the car and Koujo was turning to look at her… with a missing arm.
'I didn't even see her move!' Lower Four thought to herself and the demon traitor probably had a similar line of thought.
His arm grew back and he immediately transformed into that same form he fought Ryuji in, only this time he was missing the horns. 'She was faster than I could respond, I had to watch her claw my arm off.' The bloody nails showed exactly how he lost the limb and his mind set to kill the weaker enemy so he could focus, now more than ever since the fleshy tendrils were nearly done growing back. He ran across the wall and swung in a powerful arc with flames coursing around him. "Kien Banshō!" (Blazing Universe). It wasn't any trouble to actually carve through the demon's shoulder and nearly cut her in half but the issue came from the backhand he got courtesy of the foreigner. At least it looked like a backhand.
"Do I have to do all your work? I wouldn't mind it if this is what you can't take, yo gusta los jovenes."
Mukago's injury closed up and she sewed her kimono back into one piece. "I don't understand what you're saying but I'm strong enough to handle him. I just need to-" Koujo was in front of her with his sword mid-swing.
A brilliant blazing bird with deep red eyes flew behind his attack. "Seitōna Tensei: Hono Tori." (Rightful Reincarnation: Flaming Bird). The bird surrounded his sword and brought the nichirin blade right through the Lower rank's neck. Then his attention went to her convulsing body.
'He actually cut my head off like that?! I didn't even eat anyone in this car!' Her anger forced dozens of smaller needles out of her body and they sailed straight for the sleeping passengers.
Koujo pushed his body to move even faster than he thought he could to intercept every single projectile that could've done the same thing that they did to him. 'Taika Hogo!' (Protective Conflagration). Cutting flames everywhere. Destroying a last ditch attack, repelling the attacking tendrils, and making the woman take a step backwards. 'I can feel Tanjiro and Inosuke moving towards the front of the train, I just need to hold this lady back until they deal with this!' He stopped his attacks and faced the woman in her black dress. "I'm Koujo Itadake. Rank Kanoe. The only Demon who's a Demon Slayer."
She smiled with those alluring lips, the red lipstick only adding to her appeal but he was uncaring for that detail. "Soy Carmen. You have something different with you, and it makes me think killing you is a waste." She started walking forward and he charged.
She wasn't like any demon he'd met so far but going to cut off someone's head was a pretty guaranteed way to kill them. 'Shiran-' She caught his weapon in her well maintained hands and was smiling at him… He didn't like it at all.
Her eyes glowed pink and his fighting spirit suddenly decreased like he was just a newborn. "You know they say fate can be sealed with something small…" He was too busy trying to pull his sword away but his body just wouldn't listen to him! Why couldn't he get back?! "I'll make you lucky and seal yours myself."
'Damn it! I can't pull back! Wait, why is she getting closer?' His thoughts of escape were taken by her cherry red lips being right in front of his own.
"A kiss will make you mine." Her lips pressed into his and something invaded his mouth. Something cold and slimy like raw liver. Whatever it was started to flood his body but he put the last of his available power into kicking this lady away like a temari! "Oh, some fight?"
He was shaking on his two feet but he managed to stay standing. 'Why is… everything cloudy… whatever she did… everything's hazy… don't let… again…'
Carmen strutted up to him and gently cupped his jaw. "No tenes preocupa mi dulce chico. I'll teach you more about yourself than you know… and maybe things about me~" Those lips came towards him again but his will was strong.
He'd fight back until he was good and dead.
Lower Three and Lower Two were recovering after the blazing assault that was Kyojuro Rengoku just charged in and attacked both of them and the extensions of flesh from the train. Jikon's desire to at least take out Lower three increased. "Rengoku already told Tanjiro and Inosuke to find the neck, and he's going to handle keeping people that aren't near us safe with Zenitsu and Nezuko."
Rokuro gave a menacing smile while Wakuraba had a calculating look on his face. "That was a Hashira… Rokuro we need to split our attention! If one of us occupies him, the other can eat a human and get some more strength!" That actually would be a good plan for them to overwhelm him… Uh oh.
Jikon calmed himself and kept his breathing steady. Constant would be very useful in killing the iron skinned one. He moved like there were hot coals under him and appeared right in front of Wakuraba's extending arm. "Mizu Guruma!" (Water Wheel). This was just an experimental attack so the results were either going to be useful or not.
'Didn't you hear me before? I said my skin is as tough as metal! Swinging metal against metal doesn't do any-' His eyes widened once he saw his bleeding stump start to return to a normal arm. 'Thing?' He looked at the calm boy's face even as Rokuro was stampeding towards them with his gi nearly ripping from his sudden muscle growth. 'Tetsu Yari.' (Iron Spears). It would ruin his own kimono but any damage against this annoying kid was good damage.
'San no kata: Ryūryū Mai.' (Third form: Flowing Dance). With careful footwork did Jikon evade every tearing spike of iron and he managed to cut one or two of them right off. 'I can't afford a mistake here, both of them are trying to eat!' His blue eyes landed on a little girl rousing herself out of her sleep.
Rokuro's bulky arm slammed into his side and knocked him away from Wakuraba. "If you're just going to hold me back then you can die too. I have to prove my usefulness to the Master, not you. You're a demon, quit acting like you're a weak human."
The red skinned demon didn't pay that much mind, instead looking at where Jikon's pained eyes were and- Ohhh… "This girl is what he was looking at, and now I know which one to start with."
Rokuro inhaled and Jikon gripped his sword tighter. 'Kekkijutsu: Kuro Ryū Kemuri!' (Smoke of the Black Dragon). He exhaled dark smoke with traces of red energy towards the water breather and something in the deep part of his brain told him not to get hit by it… or really to let it near him. Just then the entire train shifted like it did when Rengoku made his presence known, but this one was weaker. Still enough to throw both demons off their balance and imperfect terrain was just perfect!
"Ku no kata." (Ninth Form). Splashes of water in a large spiral from floors, to walls, to even the ceiling of the train car. Jikon was a blur of movement in that momentary distraction. Wakuraba's grip on the girl loosened just long enough for Jikon to pull two moves in one. He sliced Wakuraba's hand off and grabbed the girl in a scoop then deposited her beside where he landed. "Suiryū Shibuki." (Splashing Water Flow). His attacks weren't done.
The lower moon was hardening his skin to its limit but it wasn't enough, the speed and force behind each strike was slicing into him more and more with every strike. "I can't even keep my eyes on him! How is he so fast?!" Rokuro was preparing another smoke cloud but it just blew up in his face. Literally. Jikon kicked him in the stomach then used him as a springboard to keep rushing Wakuraba.
"Ran Utakata!" (Turbulent Effervescence). Each attack left bubbles of water in the air. Floating harmlessly. A direct contrast to the rapid sword strikes that were constantly assailing the Lower Moon.
Rokuro wasn't happy about being treated like rubber. 'That fucker!'
By the time he managed to create some spikes to slow the boy down he already had to heal from the attacks that sliced through his metallic skin. 'If I can just-' A slice through his shoulder. 'Anticipate where he'll go next-' This time it scraped into his neck but it didn't go all the way through.
Jikon's mind was suddenly thinking of something new. 'This feels like I've seen it before…' He shrugged it off and cut into the demon's knee. His attacks were fast and with the strength he was putting into each strike he'd manage to cut through this one's neck in no time.
"You're mine!" Iron spikes burst from the demon's back, and since Jikon's next attack was from behind it wouldn't have left him many options. 'I win!' So the surprise when he slid beneath the demon and with a well executed slice managed to sever both his achilles tendons was well deserved.
A quick turnaround and jump into the air with a powerful waterfall behind him. "Eighth Form." Cold metal sliced into Wakuraba's neck… and into the floor of the train. "Waterfall Basin." The bubbles started popping in powerful bursts that forced back any regrowing tentacles. "Destruction!" Somehow none of the bursts of water actually hit the passengers or the little girl cowering away from this fight, but Jikon stood back up to see Rokuro smiling at him. "What are you happy about? I just killed your partner. Do you want me to cut that ugly beard for you first?"
That insult to his facial hair aside, Rokuro's body started emitting that black and red smoke. "That just means there's more for me!" He came at him fast and only now was Jikon realizing that using that variant of the Ninth form hurt his ankles pretty bad from the constant recoil. "You slowed down weakling!" He started ducking below a punch but it turned out to be so much worse. Rokuro grabbed him and judo slammed him into the floor. "Come on! Humans are already inferior but I thought you were brave… or stupid." He raised and slammed a foot down where a boy was a second ago.
The Hakuga stood up and focused to ignore the throbbing pain in his ankles. "What's with you and calling me names?" All he said before taking off and swinging his water laced blade into Rokuro's forearms. "Does it make you feel better?!"
"It's because you're just a human! You're prey by default, and I'm the predator as a demon!" A game of pushing the other way. The advantage Jikon had was that his force was doing damage while his enemy was only hurting himself. "I know you can feel it, that black smoke of mine! It's what wisteria is to us, but it works on humans instead!"
Now that he thought about it… he could feel himself getting a little weaker. "So what?!" He pushed harder but it didn't make much headway, and then Rokuro managed to grab his sword and fling it into a wall behind himself. Now he was disarmed and against an enemy that could hit hard. Then he was hit hard. Everything was tasting like iron now and when he slammed into the door for the car he felt blood starting to drip down his face.
"Is your weak body giving up already? I didn't hit that hard, at least not for a demon. Now you're a demon slayer without your precious sword, too weak to actually fight without that weapon. Show me your blood!" He was about to charge again but a blue haori with dark gray clouds wound up blocking his line of sight. 'What the?' He grabbed and threw the article in time to block a deceptively powerful punch with his left arm. 'That- Did he break my forearm?!' The hit had a frightening amount of force behind it but the planning was the most dangerous aspect.
'Like Rengoku said, predict your enemy and you can strike more efficiently! You might not have total freedom but that goes for a demon too, and if you can force them to choose then do it!' Moved in and dug his knuckles into the tissue connecting the demon's arm to his shoulder, that let him dodge under his next attack safely.
"Just shut up with the insults! You're the one weaker than me!" He sidestepped a wide grapple and slammed his palm into the side of Rokuro's head.
"I'm the one who could kill you and everyone you care about! I'm the predator and you're just human prey!" He recovered and let the black smoke envelop his arms.
"I don't care what insult you want to give me as a human… weak… inferior… prey… whatever…" He ducked below a swing with all the power to instantly kill him in his condition and proved exactly how he was Koujo's brother. Rokuro's world shifted when that fist crashed into his jaw but Jikon's conviction hit even harder than that. "Defending other people- Is harder than taking them away!"
While his enemy dealt with a concussion he slipped by and grabbed both his sword and haori. Now he was strong and had the means to put this 'predator' down. There wasn't enough space for the tenth form so he'd need to go for the second best offensive strike. "You look like you're planning something! Whatever bad idea you have doesn't matter!" The both of them slammed into one another. Rokuro's forearms were crossed and blocking Jikon's fourth form.
"Uchishio!" (Striking Tide). He was putting everything he had into his attack… and it wasn't enough.
"That hurts… but it's weaker than before!" His engorged arms pushed harder and harder to start forcing Jikon closer to the floor. Black smoke started turning solid to act as a bigger surface to pin him. "If that's all you can do then I was right! You really are weak!"
He was gritting his teeth but what really mattered was that he fulfilled that simple goal. "Okay… that's fine. As long as I'm a wall for these people… I don't care if I have to die!" He couldn't see the face of the girl behind him but if he could then he'd know she was starting to cry at her hero starting to lose the fight all her life she knew that good beats evil so- So why isn't he winning?
Rokuro gave one great push and it brought Jikon to his back. "Then you can die like the dumbass you are!"
'Damn it! DAMN IT! Dad! Mom! Urokodaki! Master Oyakata! Giyū! Inosuke! Tanjiro! Zenitsu! Nezuko! Koujo! S-Shinobu!' Tears started running down his face but he didn't stop pushing! 'I'm sorry… Everyone, I'm sorry! I couldn't kill this Lower Moon… I couldn't even protect myself!' A man shows who he really is when he's about to die. 'I just wanted to help people… I didn't want to let anyone die again!'
"DIE!" Rokuro used all of his force and slammed Jikon into the floor beneath his arms.
Everything went dark and it all felt like it was over. He did the best he could at least. Who knows how many people would've died if he didn't even manage what he did.
"STOP IT!" A rock hit Rokuro in the face.
"What? A rock?" He looked at the girl and someone else heard her cry out from his entrapment. "Next, I'll kill you next okay? You don't have to worry about him waiting for you in hell, I'm sure he-"
"EEEAAIIEEHHHAAAA!"
Suddenly he fell off balance as the entire train shook with that piercing wail. "What the hell is Enmu crying about? I guess I have to hurry and kill-" He quickly discovered that there wasn't anything under his arms anymore. "He- How did-?" There was the sound of flesh and metal being sliced but when he turned there wasn't anything there. "Wha-"
"I'm not going to let you kill her." Something slammed into his chin and sent him careening through that hole in the roof and onto the top of the car. "I won't let you kill anyone."
He saw the kid standing there with the point of his sword on the metal of the car. Blood leaking into his right eye and forcing him to close it. "That's not your choice to make, predators have to eat don't they? As broken as you are, do you really think you can tell me no?!"
His voice was oddly relaxed as he spoke. "I'm not as hurt as I look, but even if I was missing my arms I'd kick you till you died. If I was missing my legs, then I'd bite you to death. If I didn't have teeth then I'd stare so hard you dropped dead. If I can't even protect one little girl then how would I ever live with myself as a Demon Slayer?" His conviction was as strong as his body but Rokuro didn't care for conviction.
"Yaban'na Ryu Kemuri!" (Smoke of the Brute Dragon). He ran at Jikon with his arms ready to crush him then and there.
"I heard how he slowed his heart down for that move. It was like he was barely alive." His brother's words were exactly what would help him.
"Mizu No kokyu." A surging lake of water manifested around him.
"None of those moves will save you! Time to die!"
The Slayer was unabashed. "Juichi no kata." The wild waves slowed down to a still surface. He tapped his sword down and ripples started going across the surface.
"DIE!" He stepped onto the rippling lake and overshot with his speed. Didn't matter! "I missed that time but-" Jikon was in a different stance and was looking right at him now. Rokuro lifted his arm up and it stopped before he could attack, the entire limb fell in a slurry of blood and bone. "You got lucky!" He started moving his other arm but it did the same thing and fell apart like dust in the wind… bloody dust in the wind. "What the hell did you do?!"
Jikon just walked right past him then stuck his sword towards his right. "Nagi." (Lull). Like clockwork, Rokuro's entire body started getting sliced into pieces. Every part of him was being shredded by attacks he couldn't even see. 'It's sloppy but faster than anything you can do.' Jikon's heart rate finally rose and with it came Lower Two's fall.
His head was separated from his shoulders and it was scratched up like a mat in a cat lady's house. 'I couldn't even follow that last attack! Was this kid a Hashira all along?!' Those were his last thoughts as his remains fell off the train entirely.
Jikon looked towards the engine and saw Tanjiro and Inosuke combating a mountain of flesh with giant blue eyes coming out of it. "I can't go help them, I need to make sure the passengers stay safe. Good luck Tanjiro, you too Inosuke!" He jumped back into the closing hole he came out of with his mission in mind.
Tanjiro was just forced asleep by these giant blue eyes. All he could do was slice his neck in his sleep to wake up! 'I can't slice through the neck if I don't stay awake!' He said that but immediately fell into the same forced sleep. 'Crap!' He had to warn Inosuke. "Inosuke! If you look at those eyes you'll fall asleep! If you do, then you need to slice your neck in the dream!" He managed to go a few meters but he was forced asleep again. 'Have to keep moving!' He jumped towards the weak point and again looked at the demon eyes. 'I have to keep my eyes shut when I wake up!' He woke up but there was an eye right in front of him. 'Damn it! Again!' Once more he fell into that trap. 'Wake up!' Again. 'Wake up! Slash your neck!' Asleep. 'Wake yourself up!' He didn't get to slash anything but some of the floor. Inosuke pinned his hands down.
"You aren't dreaming right now, don't fall for his trickery." He stood up and sliced the pile of eyes and meat down. "I'm wearing the hide of the mountain god, he's probably too scared to look me in the eyes!" That was a reason for it. It was more likely that the demon couldn't tell where he was looking.
"Inosuke we need to-"
The same man they moved out of the way to get to the neck bone rushed down at them. "I won't let you take away my chance to dream!" He was about to stab Inosuke but Tanjiro's quick thinking had him grab the offending hand with the weapon and knock him out.
"Did he try to stab me?!" Tanjiro started moving him aside but Inosuke said they should just leave him there if he wanted to attack them.
"We can't let him die."
"If we don't stop this thing then the others won't make it!"
Tanjiro turned and the two watched the flesh grow even more before shooting out hands to capture them. They dodged and countered with slashes. "We should combine our strength. When we synchronize our breathing we can attack together!"
Inosuke snorted in acknowledgment. Then the fight began. They jumped high and as they fell it was a flurry of attacks to slice apart every single piece of elongated flesh that tried to stop them. It was a free fall but that's when eyes manifested on every inch of flesh they could see. 'Damn it! If we fall asleep now!'
"Not today!" Inosuke took charge and ripped through eyes as they went down. "Come on and follow the leader!" The flesh was getting thicker above the neck bone but that wouldn't stop the great Inosuke! "Kedamono no kokyu. Shi no kiba: Kiri Komazaki!" (Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice). Multiple slashes in quick succession revealed the vulnerable neck of this narcolepsy fighter.
Tanjiro fell and switched his breathing up. 'Father, please guide my blade! My chance to sever the neck in one hit is now!' Fire coated his sword and he started twisting his abdomen for the attack. "Hi No kokyu: Hekira no Ten!" (Sun Breathing: Azure Heaven). A powerful ring of bright fire split the train from the engine.
"AAAAIIIEEEEAAAAHHH!"
A last ditch effort to take any and everyone that he could with him was countered by the Flame Hashira slicing the assailing flesh away with a stern expression. "Nensho Kōjō!"(Burning Deduction). Powerful strikes that guaranteed this demon wouldn't take any lives as long as he were there.
The passengers in another car were equally safe from any harm but it was courtesy of not the Flame Hashira- "Mikage Ume."(Honorable Shadow Plum). But his younger brother acting to defend everyone he could. Attacking every single threat to the innocent, still sleeping, people that he saw with whirling swings.
Then there was the water breather running on sore ankles and cracked bones to keep everyone he could safe. "Ryūryū Mai Asakage."(Flowing Dance Shadows of Dawn). Circular rising slashes and rapid movements to go from one person to the next.
All of those different attacks and force from opposing sides lead to constant shifts and lurches. The entire train was starting to derail while the masses of demon flesh were exploding and breaking away. "Inosuke! The train's about to tip over!"
"I know!"
"We need to protect the passengers! Hel-" This time the train didn't shift, it jumped off the tracks and knocked both boys clear. 'Focus on landing! Don't hurt yourself!' Tanjiro rolled when he hit the ground and started tumbling down an incline. The entire train came to a grinding halt and derailed from the tracks.
"Waaagghhh!" Inosuke bounced off the springy demon flesh and stuck the landing. "Woah! Huh? Sentaro! Are you alright?!"
Tanjiro sat up and worked himself to look around. "I'll be fine. Are you okay?"
"Not a scratch on me!"
"Can you go see if anyone's hurt? Is that engineer okay?" That made Inosuke stop everything and stare at Tanjiro.
"Who cares?! He tried to stab you! Or did you forget about that? If you really wanna know, his leg's shattered and he probably can't walk!"
Tanjiro was having trouble keeping up his Total Concentration Constant but he still had to ask. "Then he's suffered enough, please help him." Inosuke growled and carefully let Tanjiro go to sit up on his own.
"Fine! Only cause you asked. It's the least I can do as a leader! But once I save him, I'm gonna pluck out all his hair!"
Tanjiro's brow furrowed at that. "You don't have to go that far…"
Tanjiro was too busy controlling his breathing to notice the clump of flesh with the tattoo for Lower One on its left eye watching him. 'I can't regenerate… Have we lost? Am I going to die? Ridiculous and absurd! There was so much more to do! We couldn't devour a single human once infused with the train! All five of the Lower Moons were totally useless! Now look what I'm reduced to after all that planning!'
He remembered the eccentric look of the Hashira. 'It was him! This is his fault! Even with all those hostages we couldn't get the upper hand! Then there was the one who looked exactly like him! How were they both so different but they did so much?! That yellow boy was fast too! And he was asleep! Then there's the two demons who were helping them! How has Master Muzan not punished them dearly? Then there's the brown haired one, was he secretly a Hashira? He killed two Lower Moons and stopped my last attempts to kill the hostages!' He reached a decaying arm forward at Tanjiro but he couldn't even drag himself an inch. 'This started when that brat wriggled away from my spell! If I had the strength I'd kill him now! That beastly boar, I'd kill him too! But I couldn't catch his gaze and put him to sleep! His instincts were too strong!' His arm disappeared and so did the lump holding his eyes. 'How were we all rendered so useless?!'
Now was the time to reflect and remember his own goals. 'The Upper Ranks have stayed the same for hundreds of years now. Even Hashira with high body counts have fallen to them, do they have otherworldly powers at their disposal?! Even after we all received so much blood, none of us could compete with them!' His eyes started to turn to ash and it would be his last time to think. 'If only I could turn back time to undo everything from this terrible nightmare…'
Tanjiro was none the wiser of that long self pity party and just maintained his breathing. "So you really have mastered Total Concentration Constant. That's impressive. You're all a step closer to being Hashira, granted it's only one out of ten thousand."
"I'll do my best to reach that level."
Rengoku stood up straight and looked at Tanjiro's leg. "It looks like your leg is nearly broken. Focus on it. Regulate your breathing and take full control, imagine your nerves reaching through your body. Picture that injury. Concentrate!"
Tanjiro breathed and managed to look within himself to see his tibia. "It's-"
"That's it! Now try to mend the bone." He placed a finger on the boy's forehead. "Focus. Don't let anything break your concentration." Tanjiro felt his pain fade, it wasn't gone but it was much lower. "Mastering your breathing will open many doors for you. It won't solve everything but it will help you grow stronger."
"Thank you." Tanjiro carefully started to stand up.
"Now don't push yourself! There are some injured but everyone is alive. Make sure to rest up."
"I will. Thank you."
"Tanjiro!" Senjuro slid down the hill and Jikon was right behind him.
"You stopped the train!" Even with one eye shut his smile was infectious. "I actually did something amazing! I used Tomioka's Eleventh form!"
Rengoku stood up and folded his arms with a smile. "Ah! I remember that one! It's a great defensive technique. It took him months, maybe years of constant work to create it. Perhaps you should be his Tsuguko after all!"
Pressure
Something's here
Two slams into the ground
Four eyes staring at them
Rengoku turned around and saw exactly what made those impacts behind him. Senjuro stared ahead into the cloud of dust and Jikon put his hand onto his hilt.
There was a man with a very short, pink haori without sleeves. He had lines all across his torso and arms, pink hair and blue eyes with crack like markings that led to yellow irises. White pants with large beads wrapped around his ankles. Tattooed on his eyes were the words, 'Jōgen San'. He wasn't alone.
Slightly behind him and to his right was a woman with skin as light as his own, and straight electric blue hair that went to her neck. She had a sleeveless grass colored kimono top and white pants like his own. Just like him she was barefoot. Her eyes were bright pink with bluish white irises. Tattooed on her eyes were the words, 'Nisshoku San'
Tanjiro squinted and made out the most terrifying detail he'd remember about this night. 'Those eyes. Upper Moon Three and- Eclipse Three? What are they doing here? Why is there an Eclipse with an Upper Moon?'
Eyes drifted from Rengoku to Tanjiro, and another pair of eyes went to… Rengoku, but not the older one. Dust was thrown in the wake of their leaps and the four Demon Slayers watched as the male and female duo closed the distance with their fists ready to strike down two people.
'Hono no kokyu.' The Flame Hashira drew his sword first.
'Mizu no kokyu.' The Water Breather was next.
'Hana no kokyu.' He may have done so last but he didn't hesitate to defend himself.
'Ni no kata: Nobori en ten!' (Rising Scorching Sun).
'Ichi no kata: Minamo Giri!' (Water Surface Slash).
'San no kata: Kōun'na Kaki!' (Fortunate Persimmon).
An arm was vertically cut in half up to the bicep. That alone was a feat considering the rank of the would-be assailant, but then there was the combined effort that caused the Eclipse to lose a quarter of her entire hand. Both demons did multiple backflips away and eyed their respective damages.
The Upper Rank flexed his arm together and healed the injury. Despite having such power and regenerative speed, his voice was very soothing. "That's a fine sword." He licked the blood from his nonexistent wound.
Two new fingers and her missing palm regrew instantly. "I agree." Her voice was relaxing too. Are all Upper Ranks opposites of how they seem? "Perhaps this will be fruitful my Lord."
"Hm. Maybe so…"
That's an Upper Rank?! I barely followed his attack towards Tanjiro!
It took both of us to stop the Eclipse woman from landing that hit on me!
Why would he attack an injured person and a younger fighter first?
They smell the most like Kibutsuji, they must be insanely powerful…