Taisho Era Extras 2
(Wow this is super overdue, I hope the amount of filler content makes up for it. I also wanna say that I greatly cherish each of you reading this, you matter to me. Enjoy)
It was a sunny day at the Butterfly Estate. Birds were chirping, flowers were decorating the warm ground around the piece of land, and a surprisingly upbringing mood around the area. For whatever odd reason there was the strange sight of Yuka walking around the estate with an umbrella keeping her out of the sunlight. Fully healed and not needing help just to stand anymore.
"That smell is awful but… you get used to it." The wisteria trees around them really did their job in keeping demons out… or keeping them in. "Being around Demon Slayers and them not wanting to cut my head off."
Might as well check around and walk the beat. Her bare feet took both her and the black kimono with blue butterflies she was wearing towards the entrance of the-
Someone was on the other side of the yard with a wooden training sword. "Ryūryū Mai!"(Flowing Dance).
"A boy with pink hair?" She couldn't remember his name, but she heard it once or twice here and there.
Currents of water were following his movements in a steady, gentle, flow as he weaved through rattling chains that Ami was using to fight with.
"Come on! Come on!" Those wrappings she wore were barely keeping her bust down… it wouldn't kill her to actually wear a shirt for once. Yuka's thoughts on the bear girl and her scarcely clad body aside, she was directing that chain with two weighted ends surprisingly well. "Is dodging all you can do pinky?"
He ducked below the practice chain and started trying to close the distance, but once again the length of the chains and the sheer maneuverability that this girl had over them was too much for him to get past. 'How is a girl this big so damn fast?!' The rattling sound behind him got louder and all of his low tier battle instincts- 'Wait my what?' They told him to move! He slid below the chain that would've left a huge mark on his very precious skin. An alloy flail sailed over his head and he watched it pull back immediately, but then it went right back at him. 'Same attack twice? I'm not that stup-"
Out of nowhere, a muscular leg slammed its foot right onto the chain and caused the flail to come right back around for his body. "Ni no kata: Tenmen Kudaki!"(Second Form: Upper Smash). That large flail was right over him and coming fast!
'Not today!' A frantic leap saved him from an unnecessary training injury and the ground caved beneath the deceptively powerful smashing attack. "The hell is wrong with you stupid bear?! Aren't we just training?!"
Ami just smiled and pulled her weapon back. "Well you gotta be ready to get hurt in a fight Taiki." She started spinning the flail rapidly with a battle ready grin on her face. "Demons won't hold back so why would I?"
"It's just practice! If we kill each other in a training fight then why bother?"
Yuka watched Ami spar with… Taiki? And saw that she was obviously the more experienced of the two just from that few moments of the two going at it. "That's weird. Why is the Stone Hashira's Tsuguko here? On Shinobu's- On your Estate?" She turned and was met by the familiar purple eyes of the Insect Hashira, although now she actually had a genuine smile on her face… which was less disturbing than the expressions she had during the torture.
"Oh, Ami? Well she's here to train with another Tsuguko of course!" Okay that answered everything she really wanted to know. "Have you seen Jikon around? I've been looking for him for around an hour now." Who else could she ask if not one of her friends? Somebody had to know where the newest Hashira was.
"I'm not actually sure. I haven't seen him today."
Well that disappointing answer wasn't what she wanted, but that wasn't any reason to let her spirits drop. "Well alright, I'll just keep looking!" The Insect Hashira decided to leave the three to their devices and investigate around her land to find her- 'Even thinking that word is so strange…' Even after two months she had trouble actually calling him that title, but she definitely liked that he was hers to call that.
"Might as well check inside, he could be training those girls he discovered." She was the first to find out that he'd taken in girls from a destroyed school, and she welcomed them with open arms. "Who knows what amazing things they'll be able to do if given a chance?"
"It's too big!"
Chotto matte. What did she just hear? A nimble hop towards the doors of the training room and she put her ear by the wooden door. 'That sounded like the Yoshino girl… maybe I misheard what she said.' The paranoia of being in her first relationship was probably to blame. Just because her partner is a very attractive young man who's been surrounded by girls… 'I'm suddenly forgetting my point.'
There wasn't any more talking from the training area, but there was the residual sound of moving bodies and- Stretching fabric! Okay wait wait. She's overthinking this. There's no way that-
"See, you just have put it in your hand." That was Jikon's voice. Saying to put something in a hand… reason was starting to go out the window.
"But Jikon-sensei! It's too big! I need both my hands to handle it!"
Alright this was the time to officially say- "What the Hell is going on?!" Shinobu used most of her physical strength to break the door down with her face turning red out of- of- In hindsight maybe she could've just opened the door to ask that question so she'd look a little less… crazy.
The entire Butterfly squad was looking at her like she was crazy, even Rui was wide eyed at the sudden entrance that she pulled. There were a few odd things going on that started calming her down. The first being the girl with auburn hair, Nonoka, casually lifting a one hundred eighty kilogram bar on her back… despite being just an inch shorter than Jikon's five-six height.
Second was the more expected view of Jikon holding a forty kilogram dumbbell while Yoshino struggled to take it from him. All her best effort went into trying to accept that heavy weight but her petite frame wouldn't allow it.
"Shinobu!"
She came back into the current world and noticed that she'd been staring at the scene for a few minutes, and Jikon called out to her. "Oh-! I was- There's just- How's the training going?"
'She didn't break a door down just to ask how things were going… something's wrong.'
The Insect Hashira was quickly accosted by the young lady and her hands were in the dainty girl's. "Jikon-sensei was helping Nonoka and I with our strength training!" She was looking rather feline despite her name and physical attributes.
Aforementioned Hashira sighed and dropped the weight he was holding. "There's just a problem." He pointed at the girl who was now holding up a bar with Sumi and Naho hanging on the ends of it, smiling just as jovially as the girls were. "Nonoka is… scary strong. But Yoshino-" A quick glance at the girl trying to lift the dumbbell again and it was clear what was wrong. "She's not very strong."
The girl was trying her hardest to pick up the weight but it was barely budging from its position on the wooden floor. Even though her breathing was very loud and clear, no progress was being made on moving the weight. "You can do it! It's super easy, just pick it up!" Nonoka's cheering wasn't helping but it was the thought that counted.
"That's easy for her to say. Why is this so heavy?!" She stopped once she realized she raised her voice but when she didn't hear anyone correct her she had to remember that this was a new- no. A good environment where being frustrated was fine.
So maybe she overreacted just a tiny bit. But with the limited knowledge she had it wasn't her fault. 'Well I should at least make them aware.' She walked up to Yoshino and tapped her on the shoulder. "You can't lift that because you're too small. It's simple anatomy you see, body types like yours and mine don't have the ability to have as much muscle and because of that we can only get so strong."
"Then how is Nonoka so strong? Aren't girls usually weaker than boys?" Jikon's question was a little rude but not inaccurate. Men are typically stronger. So how was this girl making all that weight look like a joke?
"I've got an idea of why, and it relates to Kanroji."
Kanroji… that name sounded familiar for some odd reason, but Jikon just couldn't put a finger on why. Oh well, his focus was on training these girls. At least Niji could be left alone to improve herself.
Taiki ducked below another sweeping chain and leapt into the air with a singular goal in his mind. "Shi no kata." To land a solid hit on Ami or get painfully injured trying! Rougher streams of water appeared in the air behind him as he fell and the bear girl's muscles flexed in anticipation.
"Shi no kata!" Her powerful arms swung the chains in a wide swing, manipulating both the practice axe and flail towards Taiki in a wide ranged attack. "Ryūmongan, Sokusei" (Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest).
His water coated blade struck the oncoming weapons and managed to deflect them away from his precious body. "Uchishio." (Striking Tide). Now he was falling right for Ami with her only protection being out of use for her. "Takitsubo!"(Waterfall Basin). Coursing water fell with his strike and his wooden sword was going to crack right against her head, gender equality and his personal pride demanded he land this attack!
"What's going on here?" Well well well. If it wasn't a conveniently timed interruption to their training.
A few footsteps revealed a very feminine figure with pink hair in two long braids that ended in bright green. A white haori and a Slayer uniform open at the chest, ending in a skirt above green thigh-high socks. To summarize: 'She's… something.' A light blush was on Taiki's face but it was gone the instant he saw chains move and his body wanted to avoid being hit. Priorities won over thinking about the cute girl who jus- PRIORITIES!
He weaved and forced his body to dodge in a spiraling motion and avoid the rattling chains from the overeager mountain of a girl. The new and sudden motions made his lungs hurt from the exertion but he knew Ami would make that worse by hitting him before he could hit her, so he struck first and he struck hard.
"Woah!" Ami watched a wooden sword impact against her left shoulder and the left side of her ribs. Somehow the separate strikes were almost at the same time even though he was just landing from that weird burst of agility. "Alright! That hurt a lot, not bad Taiki!"
'She's so passionate about practicing. The way she shows off her upper body even though she's so muscular, it's so admirable!' The newcomer was in her own world as the training came to a stop for now, and Taiki immediately started walking up to her.
"Who're you? Slayers can't just walk up to the Estate like- Wait a second." His eyes drifted down to her visible cleavage and lingered- 'Not what I'm looking at! The buttons on her uniform are gold.' The only people with golden buttons were- "You're a Hashira. And a girl."
And a girl? He just said 'and a girl' to her. 'He sees me as a- Wait! No, calm down Mitsuri. Don't let your thoughts go too far. All he did was acknowledge me as a girl.'
"Well obviously, I did that. Hashira or not, you're still a girl." Something so simple but it put a massive crack into planned events… and that crack was going to immediately shatter. "Well why are you here? No way it's just to interrupt my training to be the strongest."
The fact that she was talking out loud aside, this boy is really just talking to her like it was an everyday thing. The constant flush on her face was starting to become more visible. "Well I came here for Shinobu, today is a day for us to have lunch together."
"Then I'll eat with you. I'm hungry after dealing with the bear, she's annoying."
"Hey!" She was a lot of things but she wasn't annoying. "You're the one who was whining all about training with me! Don't get all mad when you can get hurt. That's why we gotta practice!"
"Try reading a book and finding out what practice means stupid bear." Taiki brought his attention back to the Hashira with a roll of his eyes, practice doesn't mean kill each other. "Let's go eat or whatever." He didn't even wait for a response to that. Just went right inside to find the Bug Pillar.
And now she was going to have to eat in front of this cute boy- "Wait, cute? Mitsuri, you're getting ahead of yourself!" Mitsuri was holding her face and wriggling her body back and forth like the embarrassed young woman she was. "But that means he'll see me eating. Oh no." Well all good things must come to an end… even when they barely lasted three minutes. "Maybe I can try to eat a bit less."
As luck would have it, she did not have to eat less. It might've been the exact opposite in reality.
"Here's another plate, Kanroji." Taiki's mellow voice was accompanied by him sliding another plate to the girl seated next to him. "Try the steak, it tastes good with the rice." He emphasized that by eating a cut of beef then pairing it with some of the seasoned rice he was eating.
Right beside the pinkette was the Love Hashira and she was demolishing several plates of food in front of her. It was like she breathed in the food- Hopefully she was breathing between the massive bites she was taking of everything she was eating.
Aoi was watching the Hashira eat with restrained disgust but out of respect she wasn't saying anything to show it. Shinobu was just enjoying her food, very accustomed to her fellow Hashira eating like this so it wasn't anything to just calmly sit in the dining area with her while she did this.
Meanwhile there was the Love Hashira herself just scarfing down the food in front of her without a care. Encouraged by the boy beside her to keep going even with a ninth plate being put in front of her. 'Hold on a minute.' The realization of how much she actually ate just hit her and she started to blush then slowly look at Taiki to see- 'He's just eating next to me?'
There he was. Casually eating his own second plate of food right beside her. Like she didn't just blast through eight right beside him, almost like he just didn't care that she ate this much. 'Come to think of it, he doesn't even put me on a title. He's just called me Kanroji since I told him my name, no 'Lady' or even 'Miss' with it.' This boy was an enigma and she wanted to solve why he was so different. "Busujima."
His green eyes, green as her hair actually, met hers. "What is it?" Slightly muffled on account of the food in his mouth but he still was ready to answer her question. No matter how annoying it would've been.
Now. How do you say, 'you're different from a lot of people I've met' without sounding rude about it? There had to be a polite way of saying this. "You're very strange." That definitely wasn't it.
"The hell is that supposed to mean? You're the weird one with green in your hair."
Oh. So he wasn't much different than she thought. Silently judging her hairstyle for its-
"It would be better if it was all green. Or if it ended in pink. But I guess it looks good on you." With that he just kept eating. Even while Mitsuri donned a deep blush on her face that went unnoticed by the snickering Insect Hashira.
"Well that's a first isn't it? Most people don't have much good to say about your hair, Kanroji. I'm surprised that even Taiki would have a compliment, what with how mean he's been the last few weeks." His attitude wasn't unnoticed. She and Jikon actively made sure to give him extra physical training or chores whenever he got too lippy with someone.
"It looks nice on her. That simple." He wasn't going to let the issue go anywhere else since silence was a very good choice that he discovered was his best bet in times like this. "Don't be mad your boyfriend doesn't compliment you."
The emotions that just flashed across Shinobu's face showed her utter shock, anger, and something that couldn't be put into words but was best described as the feeling of not wanting to deal with something annoying. 'How does he know? How would he know?! We've been keeping that private this long!'
"Unless you just don't have a boyfriend. That's even more funny, nobody liking you."
She couldn't be more relieved that he was just making assumptions and not even looking at her. Her face definitely would have given something away if he was paying any- KANROJI! Shinobu nearly broke her neck to see her associate and- Thank whatever deity there is that she was too busy covering her face and quietly squealing to even notice what just happened. Bullet dodged.
'He likes my hair! He likes my hair! He really said something nice about my hair!' One of her few insecurities and he actually complimented it! 'Taiki Busujima, you really are different!'
The doorway to the deck opened and revealed two figures kneeling. One was a man with pale skin, pink hair, and tattoos marking his entire body. The other was a woman with blue hair, equally light skin, but no markings on her skin. Akaza and Yuki were in a room with a large bookshelf and a young boy standing in front of it.
"We are here to report to you. Master Muzan." Once those words left Akaza's mouth, the boy turned and his calm blue eyes immediately turned into fierce reddish-pink slits.
"Have either of you found what I asked for?" That boy was definitely not a boy with that deep voice.
Akaza remained serious and continued his report. His loyalty being to the powerful being right before him before anything else. "We looked into it but came up empty handed. Having no way to confirm its existence, we have not located the Blue Spider Lily."
"And?" There better have been more to this.
"We will continue with our greatest efforts to live up to your expectations, Master Muzan." Akaza raised his head while Yuki kept hers lowered. An Eclipse had no reason to speak until their Moon was finished or they were addressed directly after all. "As you ordered, we have eliminated both a Hashira and hopefully stunted the progression of a future one in the display, so you may rest assured."
That young boy turned to face them with pulsing veins directing towards his eyes and along his neck. "You seem to misunderstand something, Akaza." A simple raised finger sent a wave of oppressing power towards the Upper Rank and his Eclipse. Immediately spreading horrific pain throughout their bodies. "So what if you killed a Hashira? So what if you stopped a Hashira from being created? That doesn't matter. A demon beating a human is a guaranteed thing. What I want is the annihilation of the entire demon slayer corps."
Their bodies were under an agonizing pain but they both bit hard and kept their composure as best they could. They were tough. This was nothing. Even as their blood boiled and their cells stung, they wouldn't object.
He was tearing pages out of that book in his hand. Page by page it was becoming less and less. "Obliterate each and every last one of them and never let another one enter my sight again." He raised the book in front of him and ripped it in half without any hesitation. "It's not complicated and yet it hasn't happened yet. You boast about killing A Hashira. But there were several demon slayers there. Why did you fail to kill them when I made a point of sending you both because you were nearby?"
"Akaza." He was strong. The blood starting to leak from his eyes wouldn't do anything to break his calm.
"Yuki." If Akaza could sit there and be collected then so could she. As much as she wanted to scream from the pain, she wouldn't.
"Akaza…" The pressure was only growing with each passing second and yet he was keeping silent. A clear mind gave a strong body.
"Yuki…" Lord Akaza was the example. She carried out her duties as his Eclipse for this long, and she wasn't going to stop following his lead just to cry out in pain.
"Akaza!" Blood was starting to pour from his mouth and his smaller veins and capillaries were turning visible with every beat of his heart. Yet he didn't exclaim.
"Yuki!" No matter what she felt, as long as she could stand by Akaza's side then she would tough it out!
"You've both disappointed me. Akaza, you suffered a blow from someone who wasn't even a Hashira. And Yuki, you were nearly beheaded by someone who wasn't a Hashira." He turned back to the bookshelf, not even giving them the dignity of direct attention at this point. "How far you've fallen, Upper Three and Eclipse Three. You're dismissed."
They both stood up and bowed their heads before leaving without a word. Conveniently when the door of that room opened to reveal a middle aged man asking if the studious boy he'd taken in was alright.
They walked away with scowls on their faces and pure hate flowing through their veins. There was an obvious reason for their feelings-
"Don't run away you cowards! Turn and face us now!"
A black blade punctured a tree and Akaza stared at it for a few moments. Clenching his fist until he boiled over. "Gnngh!" Blows started landing on the sword, tearing piece by piece off the metal and breaking away at his anger. "Grrnnnggh!"
"Cowards!"
One last hit ripped the sword in half and Akaza stood there with a grin on his furious face. "Calling me a coward- I know your face boy! The next time I see you, I'll enjoy splattering your brains all over the ground!" The demolished sword was there but in pieces. Honestly it was remarkable that it survived so many direct attacks from an angry Upper Rank, but it still wasn't durable enough to avoid being shredded like paper in the end.
Yuki was off in the distance staring at a boulder with her fists tightly clenched. Her own feelings slowly reaching a tipping point until she lashed out. "Dnngh!" Small but powerful explosions rang out in the night as the boulder was turned to dust in a flurry of violent punches. "Almost cutting off my head… I'll never forget your face! You'd better get a lot stronger brat, because next time I see you-" One last punch and even the dust of the boulder was blown to hell. "I'm not holding back at all!"
The Rengoku Estate was very different. It was very quiet without the ever bombastic Kyojuro Rengoku being present. It didn't help that the fairly emotional Koujo Itadake wasn't there either. Senjuro was looking into his father's room, clad in his uniform and ready to go on a mission after this.
"Go away already! Your brother already ended up at death's door, shouldn't you go do something to be with him?!" Shinjuro was already under the influence and his youngest son wasn't safe from a verbal attack. "Neither of you has any talent but you still try so hard! There's no point in fighting so hard when you'll just lose in the end!"
Senjuro clenched the fabric of his pants firmly. He had to calm down before he could give any response to those words. "I don't agree with that. I've been learning that all you can do is work your hardest to overcome weakness."
"That's just something the weak say to feel better. No matter what you won't compare to someone who was born with talent, those are few and far between and you aren't one. Neither is your brother."
It was moments like these where he took a page out of his friend's book and asked the right question. "If that's true then what about all the swordsmen who've kept people safe since the Corps was made? What about the Master and his lineage? They can't fight because of their sickness. All of these people are weak and useless, at least, that's what you're saying."
No response. His father didn't even give that a response.
"Elder brother wanted me to tell you something, I'd like you to hear it."
A grunt of dissatisfaction and shifting to drink more of his sake. "What should I care what he had to say? Probably his gripes and complaints about me. All worthless complaining. Go away!"
Senjuro stood up slowly but- but he wasn't going to just go without saying it. "He wants you to take care of yourself. He asked me to tell you that." Now the youngest Rengoku was out for his mission and that left the eldest to think about his oldest son.
"I'll be heading out now, Father."
He grabbed his sake container with a growl and brought it to his mouth. "Empty." Just like him. A shell of the man he used to be. Shit. At least he was alone and nobody could hear him crying over his sons. "Kyojuro… Senjuro…"
Genya stood outside with the sounds of a river and waterfall in the air. Shirtless and barefoot. Almost two months since the night he can't even remember and here he was making up for what happened with the Flame Hashira by training his body. There was a log wrapped in his left arm, and a large rock on his right shoulder. Neither of them would be put down until he was able to focus hard enough to ignore the feeling of the waterfall crashing down onto him.
'Amida Kyō. Focus on purity and what lies beyond myself. The waterfall is in the present but that's temporary. Focus Genya. Focus.'
Little did Genya know that he was being watched very closely as he trained himself. By someone who just finished their training for that time of day no less. "Woah. He's- He's looking real nice." Ami saw the muscular young man standing under that waterfall and just barely managing to hold on… and she liked what she was seeing.
From his toned stomach to those chiseled arms. His carved chest and even his defined legs were visible through his drenched pants. Drenched. Uh oh. A quick shift of herself and she found that a certain part of her was acting up again. No wonder she was being so ferocious to Taiki, her body was doing that overheat thing again. When she looked at Genya it only got worse for whatever reason.
Speaking of the young man with scars, he was looking a little wobbly right now. 'Oh shit!' She ran to the water and trudged right in to try and make sure that he didn't drown once he passed out, and pass out he did. Somehow he didn't drop the log or rock onto himself but he still didn't have to fall into the water and drown. "Come on Genya, I gotta get you inside!" She put his arm over her shoulder and resisted the waterfall dumping hundreds of pounds of water right onto her long enough to get him out, but the wrapping she wore around her chest was beaten right away.
She got indoors and immediately went to his room and plopped him down on the bed. "He's out cold. I gotta make sure he's okay." And how did she go about that? "Wake up!" She slapped him in the face with enough power to leave a massive handprint... at least he woke up.
"AAAAH TH- FUUU!" Genya was writhing in pain and sat up in a fury unlike any that he ever felt. "WHY?! That hurt so bad!" Groans and rubbing his face to try and reduce the pain while Ami- Huh, he never saw her blushing like that before. "You okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Just... that heat feeling, you know?" She put a hand over her- Oh hell. Genya was blushing too now, Ami drawing attention to her always bare skin wouldn't be an issue normally... but the intensity behind it let him know that there was a lot more going on. "I'm not the Bear Queen for nothing, but the heat- Wait. Genya! You can help me!"
He wasn't dumb by any means, so when she started talking about her 'heat' he knew exactly what was coming his way... and as a man he couldn't just try to brush it off. "Y- Yeah, I'll help you..." His inexperience with girls was showing. "How?"
And now Ami was just as confused... so she did what felt right, and pulled Genya in for a kiss. Clumsy and overall uncoordinated, but their feelings were showing through it. Genya was reserved but still more than happy to push forward, and Ami was a wild gal with plenty of energy to spare.
Genya followed his instincts and decided to take initiative by putting a hand onto Ami's exposed chest. 'Just... do what feels right.'
...
...
"That- That was amazing."
Both under the blanket and sweaty from the intensity they just experienced, but damn was it something good.
"Y-Yeah. It was." Catching their breath after something so intense was warranted, but when Ami sat up and looked him in the eyes he had to utter a quick prayer.
"Think you can do it again?"
The nighttime was so beautiful. It was the only time she could really be out after all. Haia walked along the lonely road with the moon as her only source of light. Well it wasn't actually that lonely since she had someone right beside her, and he was happy to be with her. "Koujo." His red eyes were on her now and she had a question. "What was that back there? With Ryuji."
He folded his arms and continued walking as he thought about that. And if he was being completely honest- "I don't know. I never did something like that before." That wasn't the exact answer she wanted so she had to dig deeper to find out what it was.
"In all your time as a demon you never did that?"
He furrowed his brow and exhaled orange flames. "I've only been a demon for a couple months. I don't know anything about what I can do, but what I did back there is new." He genuinely didn't know how to explain what happened with the clown fucker but he knows something happened. A couple things actually happened. "I messed up turning Masami to my side and that bastard started killing her off with his curse."
"Huh? Turning her to your side?" Did he mean talking her into joining him or using a hypnotic blood demon art? There's only so many ways you can turn someone to be with you after all.
"It's something I can do. At first I did it by biting the demon, and it worked just fine when I did. I turned Susamaru and Rui against Kibutsuji just fine." Now he was thinking about Yuko and the awful things Miss Shinobu did to make her atone… granted he agreed with the idea but it was still not the best thing to see. "Then I tried using a nail and finger and that worked good. With Masami I used a couple nails and saw her memories, then I messed up cutting her off from Kibutsuji."
Haia was still walking with her bubbly energy but now she was thinking about what Koujo just told her. He could pull a demon out of their Lord's control just by biting or scratching? It was too good to be true. There's no way. "Koujo. We're good friends right? I think we are."
He looked at her and smiled. His emotions weren't ever really hidden and she could see that firsthand. "We're good friends Haia. I know we are, and I wanna keep it that way." Well. That definitely answered her question.
"Do you think you could try and, uhm, take me from His control?"
Now she was asking for dangerous and potentially unreasonable things. "Haia… You're my friend. I care about you. If I mess up you'll die, and I don't want you to die. Ever." He put his hand on top of her head and affectionately rubbed her soft hair. "You're too cute to have that bastard try and kill you."
Oh. That was actually a really good reason. And the feeling of his hand lightly scratching the top of her scalp was very appreciated. "I don't want to be under him anymore. I wanna be able to call him so many things that I can't right now!" She started pouting and letting her eyes widen with some small tear drops for added effect. That's right, Haia was giving him puppy dog eyes.
His walls were being cracked and broken down with each second he looked at her. Everything in him said it was way too dangerous and that he shouldn't risk it… but that look was pleading with him to give it a chance. Wait, why did he think she was too cute to be killed by a pale skinned bastard? 'That was weird to think.' He shook his head and gave one last look at Haia before sighing, his willpower broken in the face of her adorable begging. "Okay I'll try it."
Her cheerful personality came back and she hopped in the air, jovial at getting her chance to finally say what she wanted and to not worry about her progenitor taking offense. "Yay! Thanks Koujo." She calmed down and held her arm out for him to do whatever his thing was.
"Don't thank me yet." He took her delicate arm in his hand and pressed his nails through her skin. "First I have to get it right." Her blood touched his nails and it all started.
They stared at one another as seconds passed. Neither moving a muscle in the cool night air. Calmly standing out where they were as the seconds went by one by one. Not turning into minutes, just moments of silence between the pair. Haia twitched and blinked twice. Koujo pulled his hand back and immediately used his other one to examine the girl's face for any signs of the curse setting off. Even the slightest patch of toxic blood and he'd cut it off then and there! There was no way he'd let Muzan kill this innocent girl.
Meanwhile Haia was coming back from learning about her human past and she was greeted by a hand caressing her cheek and a careful eye making sure she was alright. 'He's so close.' She blushed and smiled it away fast. "See I'm fine. Now I can talk about that sickly bitch all I want. He can't do anything about it either!" She raised her hands to the sky and twirled happily. Like a kid playing ball on a warm day, she was happy to have the freedom she wanted.
Koujo watched her with a smile and pulled out an onigiri with some type of meat in the center. He didn't waste time thinking about the flavor and just wolfed it down. "So. You were eighteen when you became a demon?"
Haia didn't even stop her twirling to answer him. "Yep! I told you I wasn't some granny." She was elated to be so free from Muzan and his mad monarchical rule. All the wasted years having to put up with not even being able to curse his annoying name and now here she was. "Calling him the freak that he really is! Go to hell Muzan. Go to hell!"
"I don't know how. And I don't know when. But somehow me and my friends will find a way to kill Kibutsuji, even if it takes us ten years." He was looking right at her and she stopped the happy twirling just to pay him full attention. Koujo made her a promise just now. A guarantee.
She believed in it. She met Tanjiro and knew that he would keep the promise to kill him. She met Jikon and knew that he would keep the promise to keep it. They all had their reasons to use their swords and cut off Muzan's head but different reasons aside, it was a common goal of theirs.
"I know he'll keep it too. I believe it and know it." Even in this comfortable room that was a massive upgrade over anything else she had, it was all thanks to him and she knew that she'd help find him. One way or another.
Massive corridors and winding hallways. Giant rooms that went on as far as the eye could see. Dining halls and ballrooms every now and again that broke the monotony but the common theme was that it was all endless. No matter where you went in this place it didn't seem like it ended. Right now the focus was on an enormous room made out of reinforced wood with massive columns acting as both support, and obstacles for training purposes.
Intense sword slashes met much less intense sword slashes but not for a lack of trying. He was going as hard as he was capable, but he just wasn't himself so of course it wasn't the same. Three months of this constant training and he was picking up what was getting put down. He was rather lucky that his mentor really had so much experience, otherwise this training wouldn't have any meaning.
"You're too slow." A calm voice that reeked of power warned him before the attack landed. His sword barely managed to hold back the attack and even though it did he still had more coming. Another barrage of swings that were ungodly in their execution, but that was still his partner holding back so much.
"Ay ay ay! Necessitas cuidado! Don't break him!" They both ignored the complaints of the harlot and continued their practice.
Eyes narrowed as the inexperienced used the technique. "Inefficient." He countered it with one of his own and showed how it was supposed to be done. Not a single movement should be wasted, it was supposed to be perfect. "You've made progress but it's still improper." In a single imperceptible movement he struck. His student didn't even know he was attacked until it landed.
His back slammed into a column and it only got worse once a sword pinned him into place, piercing his shoulder and embedding into the wooden support… to add insult to injury it was his own sword that was piercing his body. "Is this the end of today's lesson?" Unbothered by the sword in his body. Not like he had a choice to be bothered by it, he wasn't allowed to be. Each of his teacher's eyes looked at him with an indescribable look, possibly wondering if this was an acceptable place to leave off at.
Footsteps from behind. He didn't even look since he knew exactly who it was. "Hello. It appears that you're still training him? How long has it been since the Master assigned you to that?"
"Long enough. But for today I think that's all we need." He turned away from his student and began to walk away. "He's learning quite well. It's almost impressive."
The person who just arrived was wearing a black yukata, and her hair was the same shade of pitch black that ended in tufts of sky blue. Her eyes were alternate in color. Where one had a blue iris with a black, flower shaped, pupil, the other had a black iris with a blue, flower shaped, pupil. While her eyes had no markings of any kind, there was an accessory on her person that displayed her position quite clearly. An earring with the words 'Jōgen Rei' proudly etched onto it.
The master of his style stopped where he was and slightly turned his head to see her start to examine his trainee. "Katachi. There's no need. He shall fix himself or wait there until it's time for us to do this again. Don't waste your time getting him down."
"But the column might get damaged from the sword. I should at least fix that." She was about to begin pulling the sword out but the bound trainee stopped her by putting his hand there first. "Ah. No help needed? That's fine." It sounded passive aggressive but she was being sincere. No actual hurt was in her voice.
He did a mix of pulling and pushing the blade out of his body to free himself from the pillar, and once he was free he immediately walked towards the woman floating in the air like she was sitting down watching a show… well technically speaking she was.
Now Katachi was left to watch the student leave with that mystery woman. "Who was she? She was… beautiful."
The one who called their training done for today came up beside her and narrowed his gaze. "She's his handler so to speak. Any order she gives he will follow, but I'm quite curious of what either she or the Master doesn't seem to know."
A raised eyebrow from her tired looking eyes. "Whatever do you mean by that?"
Several pairs of eyes watched carefully and assessed what they were looking at with a masterful level of judgement and intuition. "His massive strides in progress are not due to random chance, for some reason I suspect him to know something in his true mind. But that isn't his right now… but if That Man hasn't put the puzzle together then there's no need for me to do so."
"Then what is your plan? You'd have to have something prepared for whatever could happen."
Her associate didn't respond. He stood there in silent contemplation while keeping his regal appearance so very alive. Doing absolutely nothing other than just standing and thinking but he was doing it better than anyone else could hope to do it. He was just that perfect.
"I'll simply let things progress from here. No matter what happens I'll deal with it accordingly." His movement was so fast that it was impossible to perceive if you weren't at a similar level. One second he was there and the next he was gone.
Now Katachi was there to contemplate and think about what her superior just said but whatever he saw and or thought she didn't think. He had more power and therefore more ability so what could he have used to say all of those cryptic things? "Hm. A mystery."
…
…
Carmen was a simple woman. She could get as stressed from things as anyone else could. So why not cut back and play with her toy? "Koujo."
In an instant there was a flicker of light behind his eyes. 'I'll… Kill you. Stab you through the heart. Cut your head off.' Those restrained thoughts were his. "How can I serve you?" Those words weren't his.
She was sitting down in a very elegant chair and decided to have some simple fun. She rolled her black dress up and revealed her glistening sex to him. "Worship me."
He took some careful steps to approach her and his mind was taking an entirely different side than whatever she wanted him to take. 'Cut you apart. Destroy every part of your body. But…' He was finally in front of her and his train of thought finally set on something that made perfect sense. 'I should make you lower your guard. That way it'll be easier to kill you.' He knelt between her perfect caramel legs and ran his hands along her smooth skin. She knew that her body was perfect so she didn't need to hear it out of him.
His thumbs moved higher along her thighs until he reached her pelvis and started to spread her entrance apart. The warmth and wetness were so inviting. A quick taste to get her guard down and then he'd be able to kill her no problem. His tongue ran along her slit and her sweet taste coated his mouth. It was almost like a peach. 'At least I'll enjoy this before I slice your head clean off.' A few more tentative licks on the outside of her and she decided that was enough of the easy treatment.
"Don't be afraid to explore my boy." Her hand pulled his head in closer and he inhaled her scent even more. She was definitely enjoying the careful treatment but she needed something more to unwind right now. Good thing this was pushing all her other buttons too.
He prodded his tongue into her entrance and raked it against the soft muscle inside of her. Exploring every series of bumps and textured tissue that he could find. 'I'll at least let you enjoy yourself before I kill you. A lady should enjoy herself.' His tongue plunged deeper inside of her and ran along bundles of nerves that sent a pleasant shock through her body with each dragging lick.
"Right there~ That's perfect!" Now she was coaxing his head back and forth in a rocking motion to draw out more enjoyable feelings on her end. "Good boy~"
His motions weren't as clumsy now and he figured out exactly where her good spots were just from the last few minutes of doing this. 'Now that she's like this I can- I can- I… What was I talking about?' He continued his service and drew more and more sweet fluid from her with his ministrations. Her moans and gasps were giving him more encouragement to go on and he couldn't really think of a reason not to. 'Strange. Almost felt like I wanted something else. Not sure why when this is… bliss.' Now he was enjoying the opportunity to worship her as he should. So many would kill to be in his place and here he was actually doing it. He really was lucky.
The ever so calm Butterfly-
"Please let us go! This girl isn't-!"
"Would you quit your yammering? Shut up already."
A hulking and chiseled man was carrying Naho in one arm like a sack and Aoi over his shoulder. The other girls were crying and begging him to bring them back while Yuko and Rui had to watch from a few paces away, the time of day was giving very direct sunlight. The safest place for them was underneath their respective umbrellas and any altercation would outright kill them. They couldn't try to help even if they weren't ordered not to by the Hashira.
"Would you be quiet already?"
Aoi reached out to the one person who could do something to help. "Kanao!"
'Mission. Order. Shinobu. Superior. Aoi. Naho. Hashira. Coin. Order.' Her hand went to a pocket and she started grabbing a bronze coin from-
"Just follow your heart."
"Kanao!"
"Lady Kanao!"
The man was walking away and nearly reached the gate when he suddenly decided to stop. He made that choice because he felt an extra weight added onto him. Kanao was holding Aoi's hand and pulling back Naho's dress to slow him down.
"K-Kanao."
"Lady Kanao…"
The man turned around and looked at the Insect Hashira's Tsuguko. "Could you be any more unflashy? Cut that yanking out. Did you forget that you just received your orders?" She held fast and didn't say anything. "Say something damn it! You really are unflashy!"
Kiyo screamed and raised her arms. "Ch-Charge!"
"Charge!" Sumi joined her assault. The girls latched onto any part of this man that they could to stop him from kidnapping their friends.
"Hey! Knock it off already! This is beyond unflashy!"
He came to a sliding stop and yelled to stop whatever was going on. "How dare you treat girls like that! Let them go!" The awkward sight of five girls all clamored onto one man was definitely something new but Tanjiro… was rightly confused. 'Wait. Are they swarming around him? Or are they being held? Which is it?'
"They're being kidnapped by him!" Kiyo was pulled down and angrily stared at by this creepy man.
"You little idiot!" Her yelp of fear was all Tanjiro needed to spring into action.
He burst forward and jumped up with his head ready to slam into-! 'There's nothing there?!' He hit the ground and acted as a soft landing for Kiyo. "Are you alright?!"
"Yes!"
"You really are stupid." They all looked up to see the man crouched above them with the two girls still struggling in his grasp. "I'm Lord Tengen Uzui, former shinobi. A flashy man renowned around these parts. Do you really think I'd fall for one of your pissant head-butts?"
"Let Aoi and Naho go, you lousy kidnapper!" Kanao cheered on from behind.
"You heard him!" Kiyo exclaimed proudly.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Dirty man! Dirty man!"
"Who do you two think you're talking to damnit?! I'm your superior. A Hashira at that!"
"I don't acknowledge you as a Hashira! Hmph!" Tanjiro puffed his face up in an adorably rebellious way.
"Don't you sass me! I don't care whether or not a bottom feeder like you acknowledges me as a Hashira! Did your brain fall out when you were asleep or something?! I'm taking these two because I need female Corps members for a mission! I don't need permission from Kocho to take anyone who's not a Tsuguko!"
"Naho isn't a member of the Corps! She's not wearing a uniform!"
Tengen examined the small girl and then flung her away like she wasn't an innocent child! "Well I don't need her then."
Tanjiro caught her without a second thought and glared at the Hashira with all his might. "What's wrong with you?! Throwing a girl like that?!"
"He dropped me!"
"For now I'll take this one on my mission. Not that she'll be of much use, but she's a Corps member at least."
"Everyone has their own reasons. You shouldn't go around disturbing people just because you can. Give Aoi back!"
Tengen looked more bored than anything really. Uninterested by anything that this low class-
"Uzui." A fluttering of a blue haori with dark grey clouds. Brown hair with piercing blue eyes. A fresh uniform with golden buttons. "I'll ask nicely that you put Aoi down."
The Sound Hashira slightly turned his head and saw his associate standing right beside him with a calm expression, at least as calm as someone with a conscience could be in this situation. "Well well well. If it isn't the new guy. With a pretty flashy entrance that someone who wasn't as honed as I am wouldn't have seen coming." That sounded like genuine respect out of his mouth, more than what Tanjiro got.
"Whatever you need female Corps members for, I have a better plan. I can give you two girls and the four of us as backup."
Tengen listened to that idea and immediately looked back at Tanjiro. "Good grief. Here I thought the Demon Slayer Corps was getting weaker and weaker with unflashy guys like you crying and moaning all the time. But I guess there's some shining gems in there."
"It's like Jikon said. We'll go in place of Aoi!"
Leaves rustled and fell from the trees in a flamboyant way. Zenitsu and Inosuke were on the opposing walls, flanking the Hashira. They leapt down and joined Tanjiro in his standoff, but that wasn't all. Jikon did promise two girls.
Rattling chains stopped all the other sounds and just like that a very familiar bear pelt appeared on the scene. Ami stood behind her friends with a raring smile.
That saved the last one who would help them. A floral umbrella with blue flowers against a black base exited the Estate, beneath it was the ever so bubbly Haia.
"Now that's a flashy entrance. Not bad but what do you all have to say?"
"You can quit bullying that weak girl and bring us with you!" Ami's opinion was very clear, although it raised the question of why she'd go along.
"Aren't you Himejima's Tsuguko? Why would you come with the second Water Hashira?"
"I'm not the second Water Hashira."
"And I can do what I want!"
Inosuke stood proudly with a thumb pointed at his mask. "I just got back but I've got energy to spare! I'll gladly go!"
Zenitsu was shaking but he still tried to follow the cool flow everyone else was building. "I don't c-care if you're some huge g-guy! Let Aoi g-go!"
"An old man like you shouldn't be harassing little girls! It's dirty!" Haia's statement made Tengen glare at all of them but once Jikon jumped down and stood in front of them protectively, it was a lost cause.
The Sound Hashira thought. He contemplated. And he decided. "Is that right? You're all on board? Then I guess I'll have no choice but to take you all with me." Everyone's guard lowered at that.
Tanjiro was the most surprised since he saw this entire altercation. 'He actually backed down. Maybe he does respect Jikon for something after all.'
"But remember this… It's my mission so don't you dare defy me! Two Hashira, but my word'll be the law!" He raised his hand and slapped Aoi right on the ass, with a flashy smile.
Not even ten minutes later and they were all in front of the Estate. Tengen in the front, towering over every single one of them. Zenitsu felt particularly insecure about the massive height difference while Ami was surprised that there was another person who was noticeably taller than her.
"So old man, where are we going? You need us for the mission so spill the information." Inosuke's brash demand didn't bother the Flashy Hashira one bit. In fact he was encouraged by it.
"Well since we're all going to be going there, I may as well tell you now. We're going to the number one spot in Japan that's dripping with lust and desire. A super flashy place. Where demons reside in the dark of night and prey on unsuspecting humans…"
The Red Light District
The Red what district? It sounds like there's something crazy strong there!
Inosuke calm down, but you're probably right. And I'm a little excited!
Even the other Hashira's getting pumped?! All right!
Red lights… I think Ryuji took us through there once.
Tanjirooo! I'm already terrified of this place! Red is the color of blood! Bloody lights don't sound safe!
Zenitsu I'm sure that it's not anything involving bloody light… I hope.
A/N: This chapter was adjusted as of 2024 and more than a few others will be, but let's clarify some things. Jikon and Koujo's ages were pushed up to 18 back in 2022, I just lost the documents so I have to entirely redo them to fix that. But at any point where they say their age, it's incorrect unless it says 18(or up after their birthdays). Genya was also pushed up to Ami's age(19). That's all for now, till next time