ATTENTION: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OF DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA OR DEVIL MAY CRY. ALL CREDIT BELONGS TO THE AUTHORS, CREATORS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING PARTNERS!

A Demon's Cry

[(6)]

"Dammit! That bastard! Where the hell did he go?!" Inosuke hissed, charging through the woods in the direction he last saw the larger spider demon flee. Practically coughing up flem and saliva with every breath, the demon slayer's body nearly gave out, bringing him to a kneel. "I'm tellin' ya this doesn't hurt. Whatever doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt!" He kept trying to convince himself.

The fact that the spider demon dared to flee and hide made Inosuke's blood boil like volcanic ash. "Now that it's come to this, I'll sniff it out for sure!"

Placing both swords beside his body, he concentrated all senses on his surroundings.

More…

More…

MORE…!

Inosuke gasped, "There you are! You idiot piece of crap! How high did you climb up?!"

Coiled around the branch like a timid koala, the larger spider demon shook with fear. It refused to look down at its pursuer, cowering.

"Dammit! So you're plotting to make me use my head again, huh? In your dreams!" Inosuke declared.

However, the spider demon started to shake more violently. The growls of fear soon turned into snarls of anguish. A hiss sharp enough to cut through the air and send a chill down anyone's spine. "Hssssraaaaaaaugh!"

"What the?" Inosuke glared, "Oh, I see! He's trembling with fear and dread at seeing me, huh?! AHAHAHAHA! It's a little too late for that!"

Inosuke's taunting laughter was silenced once the spider's face started to melt off its head. The smaller humanoid spider demon's skin began to peel, fibers busting at the seams like a stretched cloth. Pulling itself out of its skin, it grew more massive in size. Bulging muscles, more eyes, longer white hair, and spikes lining the side of its arms grew with its new evolution. Like a certain alien warrior, new fangs sprouted out from the sides of its mouth, ready to snatch at its prey.

"I-Is it molting?!" Inosuke shivered.

"KEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!" Leaping down from the branch, the evolved spider-faced demon displayed its physique so incredible that Heracles himself would be filled with envy. Saliva dripped from its snarling jaws, gaping before Inosuke. There was no fighting the fact; the tides of battle had turned. Inosuke lost fate's fortunate favor.

"Jeez." The boar-headed hunter attempted to calm himself. "That's too big, even for me. This is looking very bad. I've never felt this much pressure from an enemy before." His body began to stiffen up and limit his movements.

"I'll get crushed just from the pressure!"

"UUUREEEEEEEAAAAAAAGH!" The demon shrieked in Inosuke's face.

Demoralization conquered all in his mind. Inosuke began to succumb to fear. "It's no good. I can't win."

The demon pulled back its fist, ready for a punch.

"I'm gonna die." Inosuke whimpered. "I'm gonna be killed."

"Don't die!"

That was Tanjiro's voice. His memory. His words.

"Don't die until I get back!"

"Always live your lives with great pride." The memory of the sweet old outpost woman entered his mind, her words soothing like soup. "I wish you luck in battle."

"Tch." They were right. As much as Inosuke was ready to throw in the towel and die violently, he had no choice. The limit on his body was in place there by his mind. He did have a choice. Live. Fight! "I won't lose. No way am I going to lose! I am Inosuke Hashibira of the Demon Slayer Corps! BRING IT ON YOU SCUM!"

POW!

Unable to register that he was already struck, Inosuke's body bounced all over the forest, redirected by each tree trunk he hit. "So- So fast! I can't see it!" Skidding against a tree, he locked on the spider demon in front of him with a punch closing in on his face.

CRACK!

The spider demon's fist cut clean through the thick tree trunk, having destroyed anything that would have been in its path. However, it realized it missed once Inosuke leaped up from behind and slashed at its head.

"Beast Breathing, Fang Three: Devour!"

CLANG!

"They snapped?!" Inosuke's swords snapped before his eyes, each blade now unusable. The realization was not as painful as the demon's clothesline to the stomach, propelling him into a nearby tree. Tumbling onto his back, every muscle and nerve swelled with agony. Inosuke couldn't move. "Oh, crap. I missed my fall with a breathing technique."

The spider demon grabbed Inosuke by the head with his massive hands, practically crushing him in its grip alone. "Don't come near my family! Stay away!" It hissed as it began to pulverize Inosuke's head.

"I- I refuse to die!" Inosuke gargled. "Beast Breathing, Fang One… take this Pierce!" Thrusting both damaged swords into the demon's neck, the slayer attempted to push deeper. To his dismay, the opponent didn't flinch nor respond. "I stabbed it! What the hell?!"

Tightening its grip around Inosuke's head, it attempted to destroy the man into a pulp. His choking hollers were replaced with cracking bones as more and more pressure sought to end his life. He was right there! This slayer's head could pop at any moment! Just a little more strength and it's over!

Inosuke's eyes bulged and his jaw became more stressed. In his final moments, he saw a woman. A bruised, bleeding woman with a face so familiar yet unrecognizable. Tears streamed down her face as she spoke:

"Forgive me. I'm sorry, Inosuke."

Life showed him his Tanjiro and Zenitsu, that sweet little old lady from the Wisteria outpost. The vision reflected that woman again; a memory so faint. Sliding down the cliff he heard her beg him: "I want you, to at least, survive, Inosuke!" Her words soon turned mute as ringing induced in his ears. His last thought? 'Who- who are you?' Before coughing up a puddle of blood.

SLICE!

"HSRAAAUGH!"

The demon stumbled back, its arm sliced clean off! The cut appendage fell to the ground after releasing Inosuke from that crushing death grip. The hunter, in a daze, gargled some more blood before looking over. "W-What was that?"

He spotted his white-haired savior in a long, red, trench coat, holding the most bizarre-looking weapon he had ever seen! It wasn't a katana. It was no ordinary sword. Inosuke felt himself charmed by its abstract design. It was way too big to be a normal sword! Attempting to sit up, the man gawked in the direction of this newcomer "D-Did that guy cut through him? Who is he?! What is that sword? It… it's bigger than any sword I've seen. And it has a skull on it!"

[Devil May Cry 3 OST - Taste the Blood]

Dante rolled his neck as he turned around facing the disgusting spider demon that was about to kill this wannabe devil hunter. He couldn't help but chuckle at its snarls of anger. Once the demon instantly regrew its arm, Dante nodded in awe. That was new.

"HSRAAAAAAUGH!" The demon charged Dante, mouth open and arms extended to grab him.

Bending his knees, Dante raises his right arm, locking eyes with the opponent. And right upon impact-

"KYAH!"

CLANG!

The spider demon tumbled back across the ground, hitting a tree.

"What?!" Inosuke yelled in disbelief. One moment the extremely fast demon was about to grab that man, then after a wave of his arm and a burst of red light, the demon flew back into the trees! He didn't even touch him! "How is that possible? I- I've never seen anyone… as incredible as this guy!"

Charging aimlessly, the demon leaped towards its white-haired adversary, only to receive the same fate.

"KYAH!"

CLANG!

"KYAH!"

CLANG!

"KYAH!"

CLANG!

The beast failed to capture this annoying intruder, being repelled every time he threw an attack! How was this all even possible?! Roaring in a frustrated spit of wrath, it pulled at its hair in confusion. How?! Why?! Why can't he even touch him?! It didn't help once Dante started laughing.

"The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout~." He sang. Retrieving Ebony and Ivory from their holsters, Dante aligned their boresights right with the chest of the Demon. "Down came the rain-"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOBOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOBOOBOOOOOM!

"-and washed the spider out!"

Covering his ears from the gunfire, Inosuke hunched over; only looking up when the choir of chaos concluded. "Holy crap." The sight of the bleeding demon choking on lead was the least of his fascination. He couldn't stop gazing upon the two contraptions in his savior's hands. "I've never seen anyone as- as incredible as this guy! Those things… sang to me like a bird with a mouth filled with thunder! Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!"

[END OST]

Spinning the hand cannons around his pointer finger, Dante tossed Ivory in the air before catching it, throwing Ebony under his leg like a ball pass and juggling the firearms into their holsters. "Ah, it seems I missed a chunk." Dante squinted at the baseball-sized chunk of flesh that kept the spider demon's head attached to his body.

"Hey, you!" Inosuke screamed right before Dante stopped in his tracks. "Fight me snow-white! You beat that Twelve Kizuki! Now I'm gonna beat you up! That's how I've drawn it up! If I can do that-!" Inosuke pointed to himself with glee. "Then I'll be the most powerful of all time!"

"Another time, kiddo. Maybe when you're stronger." Dante lined up the sword to the small chunk of the neck left, taking a few practice swings like he was on the driving range.

'WHAT THE?!" The boar's head freaked out.

"Oh yeah, by the way, that wasn't a Twelve Kizuki. He went down so much faster than those weaklings. Couldn't you tell?" Dante glanced back.

"OF COURSE! I didn't think a scrub like that could be one of the Twelve Kizuki! It was Tanjiro who said it! Not me! I was going along with what he said!" He squealed back. "Fight me you weakling! Or else I'll piece you up myself!"

Approaching the sporadic boar-headed hunter, Dante began to pace him, inspecting him up and down. "Piece me up? Eh, I guess I have some time. Gimme your best shot!" Dante placed his hands behind his back and leaned forward.

Inosuke darted full speed toward Dante, each breath heavier than the last. Each exhale coursed through his muscles, pushing them against the Earth. More and more he pushed forward, mentally preparing to deal the first blow! Is this how this demon slayer was going to bring himself an ultimate victory? "Fear me white-haired swordsman for I- wait- WHY AM I TIED UP?!" Inosuke began to struggle in place.

Finishing the knot, Dante grabbed the nose of the boar's head before turning it around.

"HEY YOU BASTARD! I CAN'T SEE!"

"Well, it's a good thing you won't be going anywhere then." Dante chuckled.

SLICE!

It was one thing to be focused in your world of self-entertainment. It was another way to distract yourself entirely from your surroundings. The demon-spider's body began to fade, Dante feeling a chill slide down his spine. Laughing it off with a sarcastic snarl, he pointed both Ebony and Ivory towards the quilted Hashira standing before them. "That was my kill, thank you very much."

Not batting an eye towards both those familiar hand cannons, Giyu Tomioka sheathed his blade with grace. "Distracted as always, Dante. Even after two years have passed."

"Tying up a loose end. I assume you Hashira are here to 'save the day?' or just here to interfere with my contract." Despite the calm tone of voice both warriors displayed, the tension was sharp enough to cut through steel.

Even the rowdy Inosuke fell silent from the pressure between the two.

"A calling from the master to eliminate the demons on this hill and rescue captured hunters. I'm not going to waste my time with you anymore." Giyu hissed.

"Seems you're already going back on your word, heh. Cash is short and I need to eat. So, stay out of my way. Capeesh?" He taunted Giyu.

"You've gotten even more arrogant than I could ever imagine." Giyu turned away and began to walk off into the woods. "You're looking through a selfish green lens. If you want to do at least one thing right tonight, you might as well help Lady Shinobu and the rest rescue the others."

"Hey…" Dante felt his heart skip a beat with one hard squeeze. "What are you talking about? Giyu! Hey! Tch! Sir Frownsalot is living up to his name." Dante couldn't help but walk off in the direction of the remaining demons, leaving a screaming Inosuke behind. Why did he feel his blood turn cold at the thought of uniting with the others again? Do they know? Would he have to fight them as well tonight? Many questions began to sneak through the battle filter placed over Dante's mind in these situations. More demon hunting! Less pondering philosophicals!

Breathing heavily in the shadow of death, Tanjiro clutched his broken sword with all the remaining strength in his body. The white-coated demon Rui and his 'sister' both stared daggers at this pitiful attempt to finish them off. 'My sword has been broken!' Tanjiro mentally stated the obvious. 'I can't believe it, the threads this boy has been wielding are tougher than the body of the demon I couldn't cut down earlier! Forgive me Urokodaki and Haganezuka, due to my inexperience, my sword is now broken. But no, this isn't time for that!'

Tanjiro evaded a sudden thread that snapped in his direction. A few more snapped at his legs. Leaping in the air, the young man twisted his waist, narrowly scathed by the certain strings of doom. 'It's no good, the strings have a life of their own! I can't even get through their attacks! He's even holding back not to kill me, but to play with me as if I was some sort of toy!' For someone who held back, the bleeding gashes on Tanjiro's face pleaded otherwise.

"Well? Do you still refuse to take back what you said earlier?" Rui taunted. Tanjiro just grunted, throwing a pie-worthy insult right into his face. "Fine then. I'll slash you to ribbons." Pulling his hands together, a web of threads revealed themselves from the shadows of the dense forest.

'I can't dodge this!' Tanjiro accepted his fate as the slashes began to tear blood up into the air.

He flew back in horror, Nezuko taking the entire web of slashes to her skin. Blood squirted out from her arms, legs, and torso, staining the pink kimono she wore. Grunting through the open gashes, she hoisted Tanjiro over her shoulders and made a break for cover. Once secured in the thick bushes and trees, Nezuko collapsed.

"Nezuko! Nezuko!" Tanjiro shrieked. "Nezuko! You… you protected me! I'm sorry!"

Rui's 'sister' clutched her kimono, "A little girl emerged from the box, but she appears to be a demon!" Suddenly hushed by the sight before her, she couldn't take her sight off of Rui's hand twitching.

Gasping for air, seemingly choking on shock, Rui softly strained a call out to Tanjiro and Nezuko. "Hey, you- is that… is that girl… is she… is she your sibling…?" His voice shook.

"So what if she is?!" Tanjiro hollered, holding Nezuko's near-severed arm. 'The wounds are so deep. Her wrist is about to fall off. Hurry up and heal! Hurry up and heal! Hurry up and heal!' He panicked.

"Siblings… siblings… siblings. She was turned into a demon. Yes, she is with him." He muttered in disbelief. "The sister protected the big brother, risking her own life. That- that's a genuine bond! I- I want it!"

"Wait a minute!" The 'sister' screamed, interrupting her brother's trembling. "Wait a minute! I'm your elder sister! Don't abandon me!"

SHUT UP!

He sliced his demon 'sister' into multiple pieces, infuriated with her fakeness and fraud! The ground exploded behind her, followed by multiple trees falling in the area all stained with her blood. Tanjiro braced, shocked by the even more menacing look on the demon's face.

"None of you ever managed to fulfill your roles. Not once, not ever." Rui spat.

"Wait-" His sister's detached head pleaded, "But, wasn't I the older sister you always wanted? Please let me make it up to you!"

"In that case, go kill all the people wandering all over this mountain. If you do that, I'll forgive you for what just happened." Rui ordered.

"Fine." Picking up her head and reattaching it, the elder 'sister' scurried off into the darkness of the woods, fear leaking from her lips. "I'll go kill them all!"

Once she was gone, Rui faced forward toward the bushes he suspected Tanjiro was hiding with Nezuko. "Boy. Hey, boy. Come out so we can have a chat. I want to talk. The thing is that I was moved. Seeing the bond you two share gave me the chills. You even saw how it nearly took me out of action. There are no words in this universe that can describe how moved I was. However, as of right now, your fate is death by my hand. Wouldn't that be too unfortunate, though?"

Tanjiro held Nezuko closer to him, chills running down his spine.

"But there is one thing. There is just one thing that will let you escape this grim fate:"

Your sister… give your sister to me…

"If you hand her over without a fight, I will spare your life."

Dumbstruck and dumbfounded, Tanjiro merely clutched Nezuko tighter. "I don't understand what you're saying!"

"Your sister will be my sister." Rui clarified. "Starting today."

"You don't think I'd ever agreed to that. Plus, Nezuko isn't a thing! She's my sister! She has her feelings and free will! There's no way she'll ever be your sister!" Tanjiro replied.

Rui's excitement turned into a frown. "That's alright." He murmured, now monotone. "Because I'll forge a bond. I'm stronger than you. I'm talking about the bond of terror. I'll teach her what happens when she disobeys."

The snapping sound was almost audible in Tanjiro's mind. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU SPOUTING THIS NONSENSE OUT OF YOUR ASS!" He hissed, even letting out a near insult. "Using terror to shackle someone hand and foot is NOT THE BOND OF A FAMILY! UNTIL YOU GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR HAMSTER HOLE, YOU'LL NEVER GET WHAT YOU DESIRE!"

"So irritating." Rui huffed. "Do you mind not shouting? On top of the fact that we may not see eye to eye, I am all but 4 meters in front of you."

Tossing her box aside, Tanjiro emerged from the tree line with his broken sword in hand. "I'll NEVER hand Nezuko over to you."

Ruin smirked. "That's ok. I guess now I will just kill you and take her. And guess what, I suppose I can use her for more than just a sister. I guess I should keep you around so you can watch me use her as my little plaything-"

Encompassed by rage, not thinking, and the pain swelling in every nerve he snapped again. "You MotherF-"

BOOM!

A distant pop of thunder censored his rage.

"..-er! I'm gonna put you in the ground, tear your F-" BOOM! "-king guts out and shove them down your throat!" Tanjiro swore.

Rui, mildly disturbed, covered it up with a maniacal smirk, "Oh, that's the spirit! I'd like to see you try it!" Placing a hand under his low-hanging hair, he raised it to reveal a familiar marking in his eye:

LOWER FIVE

"That is if you can defeat a Twelve Kizuki like me!" He chuckled. "In a family, a father has his role. A mother has hers as well. As the brother, it is my responsibility to protect my older sister and younger brother. If one can't understand their role, what reason do they have to live? So tell me, boy, what is your role? It's to relinquish your sister to me and disappear. If you can't do that, then your only other option is to die. You can't defeat me."

'Lower Five' Tanjiro accepted this turn of events. 'That explains his power. This kid is a true Twelve Kizuki. Though, cutting through his threads is going to be hard. What do I do with this broken sword? If his neck turns out to be tougher than his threats..'

"Hey, boy," Rui called. "I don't like that look in your eye. All that glittering? How foolish. Don't tell me that you think you're going to win!" Rui yanked his hand back, pulling Nezuko and her box out with multiple threads connected to her. Catching her before she hit the ground, Rui strangled her in a choke hold, aiming his threads towards Tanjiro. "There, I've taken her. Now do you understand your role?"

"Let her go!" Tanjiro charged full speed ahead.

"I told you I'd spare your life, at least, if you didn't defy me!"

Amongst their arguing, Nezuko's claws revealed themselves, in an instant, she swiped across Rui's face slashing his eyes out of sight! "Raah!"

But in a moment, after evading a line of threads, Tanjiro noticed. "Wait, Nezuko is gone?!"

Drip… Drip… Drip…

Looking up into the moonlight, there he gazed upon the body of his sister, crucified in the web of threads, blood dripping from every gash in her body. She grunted in pain at every attempt to move.

"NEZUKO!" Tanjiro shrieked. He turned back to Rui, whose face was healing up at an alarming rate.

"Quiet down. That's not going to kill her. After all, she is a demon. But, it looks like I'll have to teach her a lesson after all. Maybe more. Let's just let her bleed for now. If she doesn't learn to be obedient, I may leave her like that till sunrise and get a taste of some scorch."

"YOU LET HER GO YOU BASTARD!" Tanjiro's mind-breaking state drove him forward towards Rui, murderous intent clawing at the seams; itching to get justice for his sister. He avoided a barrage of threads, tripping over one and rolling right to Rui's feet.

KICK!

Flying through the air, Tanjiro's body came crashing down into a bush nearby. Blood filled his lungs, causing him to cough it up all over his uniform. Rui's shadow forced Tanjiro's gaze toward him, right as a punch to the head sent the demon hunter tumbling. "Gaah!"

Rui couldn't help but be suppressed by some sort of pity. Was beating Tanjiro the same as picking on some weak animal? "You don't think that if you get close enough to me you can chop off my head, do you?" He closed the distance with his arms spread out. "Here, give it a shot." Once Tanjiro swung, he evaded with ease following up with a jab to the gut and left hook into his cheek.

Using the momentum from the punch, Tanjiro spun around and drove his blade into Rui's neck! Only for it to not budge in the slightest.

"Didn't I tell you? You have no chance against me." KICK!

Tanjiro tumbled across the forest, slamming through bushes, into trees, and covering himself in blood and dirt.

Rui approached his near-motionless body. "My body is more durable than any thread I manipulate. If you can't even cut those threads, you have no chance at my neck."

Nezuko screamed through her muzzle, struggling in the webs. She couldn't bear the sight of her brother being battered to near death by this demon. The more she pulled, trying to break free, the more the threads carved into her skin and made her bleed.

"You're talking too much." Rui extended his hand in her direction. "Quiet down a bit."

"AUUUUUGGGH!" Nezuko shrieked, threads lacerating deeper into her gashed wounds.

"YOU F-" BOOM! "-KER! STOP IT!" Tanjiro screeched, wobbling back to his feet.

Rui ignored him. "I'm your big brother now." He reminded Nezuko. "Enough of that internal wailing."

'Calm down. Don't get emotional or else you play right into his hands.' Tanjiro had to remind himself.

Nezuko then fell motionless, passed out on the web of threads. Rui was equally as surprised to see this revelation. "Did she just pass out? Huh, this demon has an interesting aura about her. There's just something about her that's just not like the rest of us. Interesting." Turning his head in the direction of Tanjiro, he snarled at another futile attempt to try and kill him.

"Doesn't he know that it's futile?"

Panicking, the elder demon sister kept running as fast as she could, clutching her face. Rui tore her to ribbons for interrupting his revelation. Compared to hearing the news of their mother's death earlier, the slash she got across the face was getting off easy. Though, her orders were clear. If Rui were to forgive her, she needed to murder everyone else on this hill! The demon slayer corps were already deployed. How long until a Hashira comes to take her life? Running up on an unsuspecting demon slayer, she fired her threads at him, wrapping him up into a tightly woven ball of webs.

"What the?!" The poor demon slayer shouted. He poked the ball from the inside, trying to get out, but it was no use.

"Just give up. It's impossible to cut your way out. My balls of yarn may feel soft, but it's extremely durable." The elder demon sister smirked.

"WHAAAAT?!" Inside the ball, it began to secrete a thick, green liquid.

The demon continued, "First, the solvent will melt those clothes away. Then, it will be your turn! You'll be reduced to mush in no time and then you'll be my meal!"

Click! BOOOOOOM!

With a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning, the elder sister felt her head fill with excruciating pain. Blood squirted out the other end just as the lead bullet passed through.

After the demon's body united with the ground, the gunslinger spun the Colt 1911 pistol around her finger before holstering it. There was a greater task at hand, getting the demon slayer out of this ball of yarn. Sifting through her toolbelt, the unknown savior revealed a trench knife, attempting to get it through. No use. She then poured some holy water on it. The surface of the yarn began to burn as the knife slowly entered.

"Jackpot" she whispered.

Though, rising to her feet from beyond the grave, the elder demon sister looked at her assassin with infuriated eyes. Instantly she fired her weaving webs, hoping to trap her inside of a yarn ball as well.

Mary leaped over the weave, cartwheeling in the direction of the demon. After flipping over a weave from the left, she aimed both of her pistols right at the demon's chest. Her heterochromatic gaze turned the elder sister's once rage-filled eyes, into a gateway peering into pure terror.

BOOM! BOOBOOBOBOOOOBBOBOOBOOOBOOBOBOOBOOOM!

Each bullet punched her further and further away before a last bullet to the forehead knocked her to the ground. Mary leaped on top of the demon's body, shoving a sawed-off trench shotgun into her mouth.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" The demon threw her hands up in surrender, muffled yells echoing through the shotgun's barrel. "I'm being forced into this!"

Mary pulled the muzzle out of her mouth and placed it against her neck. "Speak. And you better start making it make sense."

"Please!" The wounds started to slowly heal up on her body. "I'm being forced into this! If I defy him, I'll be slashed to pieces!"

"Really?" Mary sarcastically raised an eyebrow. "Ain't that tragic…"

"Please! I'm telling you the truth! Please help me! Please!" The demon girl begged, teardrops forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Alright then. Before I take this gun off your neck, let me ask you a couple of questions. So, let's start with the obvious. How many people did you kill tonight?" Mary asked.

"Five." The tears began to roll down her face. She faced away from the slayer, certain of her fate. But, was it really because death was right at her front door? Or maybe it was because there was some guilt weighing on her conscience to the point of unbearable pain? Or was it just an act to gain sympathy? "But I was ordered to! I had no choice!"

Mary sneered, "You make a good liar. Doesn't help your case. I know the number. I counted every one of their corpses and marked them right on the barrel of this shotgun." Tapping the muzzle, it was revealed that they had multiple notches marked on the metal. The side closer to Mary seemed to have a row of notches freshly made. "As much as I hate to admit it, it was impressive that you could cocoon one of our brethren up like that. I guess you've eaten at least 80 people, yes?"

"Huh? No, I haven't eaten that many people. I only killed 5." She repeated herself.

"Oh, no no no. You see, I came here from the West. You know? West? And on the West side of the mountains, I counted 14 of these cocoons hanging from the damn trees. Everyone inside was liquefied. Massacred… So that's 14 of them so far that you murdered in cold blood. But that's not even the freaking cherry on top. I'm still tryin' to find the total number." Mary hissed.

"But, why are you trying to find the number? What good is that?" The demon asked.

Chuckling, Mary pressed her foot down into the demon's chest with more force and lowered her tone, rattling bones with every word that left her war-torn lips. "Because I plan to punish you for every life you took. Starting with the very first one. If you go unpunished, then they'll never receive justice. I could shoot bullets into your eyes, douse my knife in holy water, and slice you open. I'll torture you for every sin you've committed."

"And then perhaps we can become great friends!" Another voice interjected, sounding much more enthusiastic and softer than Mary's more raspy, harsh tone. Shinobu overlooked the scene, placing her hands together in approval. "Mary is right! There are many ways to torture you for all the things you have done. Only then you can be reborn and we can become friends! But since you're a demon, it surely won't kill you. Neither will there be any lingering effects!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE KIDDING!"

PAPOOOOOOM!

Mary pulled the trigger, splattering the demon's upper portion of her head all over the ground. Once the dust settled, Mary kicked her body aside, ejecting the shell and loading another one.

"My my, so violent," Shinobu commented. "You truly make use of your tools."

As the succeeding Arms Hashira, Mary knew there was an expectation in training, skill, and execution. She knew all too well there were more than enough things riding on the line. She backed off the demon carcass and began to walk towards the large ball of yarn, holding the demon slayer hostage. "I don't get why you try to befriend these creatures. That will forever stump me."

"We all have our reasons! It's sad. It seems to be clear that we will never become friends." Resting her hand on the sheath of her sword. She stopped following Mary once the demon's head began to reform rather brutally. "It seems you didn't shoot at her neck."

Both Hashira instantly split off before the demon could regain her sight. Extending her hand to strike, she gasped seeing how both of them mysteriously disappeared. Suddenly, Shinobu herself appeared in the air with her kimono spreading to resemble that of butterfly wings. With an incomprehensible speed, she struck the demon multiple times across the body before landing behind her. "Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance." She announced. "Caprice."

Clasping her throat, the demon sister glanced at the multiple gash wounds all across her body. Her kimono was soon soaked with blood, but her head was still intact. "My head hasn't been cut off!" What kind of sword was that demon slayer using? Glancing at it, the weapon looked different from any sword she had seen before. The middle mass of the blade was missing, only a sharp thickness towards the tip. "I see, her body is small and she has no arm strength to behead me. So I can win this!"

BUBUMP!

"Eh?!" A toxic gasp left her lips as she felt her whole body being paralyzed. Her veins began to bulge, her heartbeat slowing down but becoming more intense by the second.

BABUMP! BABUMP!

Uncontrollably bleeding from the mouth, the demon's skin turned purple. "AAuuuuuugh!" She screamed in agony. It spread more and more across her skin as she backed up away from Shinobu. Taking her last breath, the world began to blur and darken just as she collapsed.

Mary wasted no time to place the shotgun against her neck and let out a thunderous-

PAPOOOOOM!

Shinobu waved her sword with a smile. "They shouldn't think they are safe just because they haven't been beheaded. Some use poison like me." Twirling the sword across her body, in the air, and right into its sheath, the Insect Hashira couldn't help but smile. "I may be the only one of the Hashira corps unable to behead demons, but I've created a poison lethal to them!"

"Hey, Shinobu," Mary called out. "She's dead. Can't hear you." Grabbing hold of the trench knife that was in the cacoon, the heterochromatic Hashira pulled down on it, opening it up for the young demon slayer to be free. Watching his body flow out, all covered in liquids, she couldn't help but try to conceal her amusement. "Are you alright?" Mary asked.

"Just barely…" He tried to sit up, but failed, weakening a greater weight than anticipated. "What happened to the demon?" He turned over to see everything but her head fully intact. "Shouldn't you finish it off?"

Shinobu trotted over. "I killed her with Wisteria poison and my colleague blew her head off with her tools! She's already dead, so we can leave the rest of her body to rot. I'm an expert in pharmaceutics. Your clothes may have dissolved but your body is more or less unscathed! I'm so glad!"

"Go put some pants on." Mary mocked, watching the young man scoot away in embarrassment, covering up the well-needed areas. "No, we need to find the demon that forced this girl to do his dirty work. She may have been a liar, but I can tell that was the truth."

"Did Tomioka beat us to it?" Shinobu teased.

BOOM! BOOBOOBOOOMBOOMBOBOOBOBOOOBOOOBOOOOOM!

Gunfire made both the Insect Hashira and the Arms Hashira do a complete 180 towards the direction of the gunfire.

"Mary?" Shinobu called out. "By any chance did you leave any of your tools around for the others to play with, dear?"

"Not in the slightest. Careful saying that name. You're the only one allowed to call me that, I just don't want the other hearing it and saying that name. Maybe there's a military camp we didn't know about?" She squinted. "Or is there another Arms Hashira I don't know about?"

"Oh don't be silly. The only other Arms Hashira that could be still hunting demons is-"

SILENCE…

…

…

Shinobu's smile faded, despite the attempts to maintain contempt.

"Who?" Mary asked. Why so sullen?"

"Ah, it's nobody!" She suddenly smiled again. "Probably that thing you said about a military post!"

"Then let's give them a hand!" Before Mary could dart off in that direction, Shinobu grabbed her shoulder. She got the chills once she noticed the dark shadow covering the Insect Hashira's eyes.

"No need." Her voice got a bit deeper. "I trust that he can handle himself."

Now she was curious. "HE?"

"I mean they!" Shinobu corrected. "I think that little troop could handle themselves just nicely."

THUD!

Tanjiro's body hit the ground right at the same time as Rui's head. The flames around Nezuko's body ceased, releasing her from the bounded web.

"Nezuko!" Tanjiro struggled to speak, witnessing his sister's body plummet into the dirt. His attempts to crawl towards her? Futile. It was almost as if his muscles forged a mutiny against his body. "N-Nezuko! I- I won..." Reflecting on an old technique taught by his father, Tanjiro vividly embraced the Kagura that has been passed through his family for generations. Even he was unsure how he pulled off the finishing move. Regardless, it saved him. Groaning while rising to his knees, Tanjiro failed to ignore the excruciating pain, actively wincing at the slightest movement.

Distant sounds of thunder further disoriented him, adding to his already failing vision.

'Huh? I- I can't see Nezuko. Is it because I took too many breaths?' Tanjiro weakly pondered.

Boooooooooommmmmmommmomoooom! BoooBooBoomooomooooom!

'Ack! T-Thunder! M-My ears! The ringing in my ears is brutal! My whole body is throbbing with pain!' Putting one arm out in an attempt to crawl, Tanjiro shuttered across the dirt; not even making it an inch. 'I gotta heal up fast! I'm still not done fighting! I need to save Inosuke! Right away!' Freezing in place, Tanjiro shuttered with the intense smell of mixed blood. Sweating, he felt pinned down by fear. 'The scent of blood just got much stronger! Come to think of it, I didn't smell ash along with it. Don't tell me-'

Step. Step. Step. Step.

"Even though I chopped off his head?!" Tanjiro cried.

Rui reached out, pulling the webbing connected to his fingertips. He revealed his severed head connected to the strings, slowly lowering from a tree branch. "You thought you'd defeat me? Poor kid. Did your pathetic delusion bring you joy? I cut off my own head with my threads before you could chop it off." Watching Tanjiro struggle to crawl away merely boiled his blood. "Enough, I'll kill you and your sister. I haven't been this enraged in a long time."

'Get up! Get up!' Tanjiro mentally screamed. 'Control your breathing! Get up! Hurry! Right now!'

"I don't know why you aren't burning up right now. It was only me and my threads that caught fire, right?" Rui maliciously approached Tanjiro.

'W-What's this?!' Tanjiro sniffed the air again. 'That scent! It's not blood. It's a strong burning metallic sensation, mixed with a lack of a smell.'

Step. Step. Step. Step.

"Ya know, I have no idea why you would just hang your head over a branch like that and NOT expect me to want to hit it like a pinata." A snarky voice called out.

Both Rui and Tanjiro tensed up, facing the direction of the voice. A long silver sword came down and lightly tapped Rui's hanging head.

"Boop! Man now I really wanna hit it harder and see if candy will come out!" Laughing confidently in the face of Rui's overflowing anger, the demon hunter couldn't help but smile at Tanjiro and the handicapped demon. "Long time no see, kiddo."

"I-It's you!" Tanjiro recoiled in disbelief. Noticing his past hero was... less clothed than before... Tanjiro regained his focus on his savior taking a strange stance with their sword.

"Yep, it's me. Now, forgive me, I may be a bit rusty; I saw this Babe Ruth guy do it across the water. All I ask you to do is rate this homerun!" Rebellion swung towards Rui's dangling, awestruck head.

Rui quickly pulled his head back, catching it before Rebellion could smack it in two. Once in his grip, the now angered boy reattached his head, snarling at Dante. "I don't know who the hell you are, but thank you for making me enraged!" Weaving crimson red threads, he pulled them across his body, bearing fangs for the others to see. "Now I can carve you up without regret!"

"Dante-san. You need to get out of here." Tanjiro struggled to speak. 'Keep your breath under control. Don't let this disrupt your breathing! You need to protect Dante and Nezuko!'

"Blood Demon Art: Murderous Eye Basket!" Right as Rui finished his chant, multiple threads started to surround the both of them, forming a dome shape around them.

Dante nodded his head, clapping a few times. "I didn't know you low-lives were interested in a cat's cradle. But that's some fine crocheting work if I say so myself."

"DIE!"

"KYAAH!"

Dante raised his arm after dropping his leg back, right next to Tanjiro. The threats that suddenly closed in on them, stopped right above the elder demon slayer's arm. Sparks came from his forearm, Dante gritting against the force. "Hey, kid. If you have any fancy tricks up your sleeve, now would be a good time. I can do this forever, but where's the real fun in that?"

"How?! How the hell are my threads not cutting you?!" Rui shrieked.

"Dante-san. I- I can't raise my arm!" Tanjiro cried out. 'Great! I'm no use! Dante is incredible! His breathing technique is repelling the threads and leaving him unscathed! Wait- someone else is coming!"

Leaping above the three, Giyu drew his blade, skillfully slashing both Dante and Tanjiro free of the attack. He landed in front of them, keeping his eyes locked ahead on Rui; Lower Moon Six. "You did a good job holding out until I got here even if you weren't alone. Leave the rest to-"

"Me!" Dante finished his sentence. "I'm as much as against sister-snatching as the next guy, so I feel obligated to take it from here."

"Don't start, Dante," Giyu warned.

"I'm not starting, I'm ending it!" Dante declared.

"YOU ENDLESS STREAM OF LOW LIVES KEEP COMING AND GETTING IN MY WAY!"

Rui's shouting silenced both demon slayers, turning them to face him with shaded hair covering their eyes. "Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Rotation!"

"Total Concentration!" Both hunters called out in sync.

"Water Breathing: Eleventh Form." Giyu chanted. "Dead Calm."

"Arms Breathing: First Form!" Dante followed. "Dead Center."

"Eleventh and First form?!" Tanjiro gasped.

Rui on the other hand, kept pressing his attack forward, snarling towards the Hashiras. "I don't care what forms you both pull out against me!" The Lower Moon's Blood Demon Art closed the distance, striking the slayers with as much power as Rui could manifest. To Rui's horror, his spell broke at the seams, threads falling apart like paper in water.

"What? What did he do? The second they got near him, the threads scattered. Did not a single one of them reach him? The toughest threads of them all got slashed?" Extending his hands out he began to try again. "This cannot be!"

BOOOOOOOOM!

Tanjiro covered his ears and shut his eyes. Once he opened them, a large golden shell case rolled past him, still smoking fresh from the gun.

Giyu swiftly approached, effortlessly slicing Rui's head off with a quick, clean-

SLICE!

THUD!

Rolling in the dirt and right off of his body, Lower Moon Six's forehead bore the permanent wound of Ebony's .45 ACP cartridge buried in his skull. Looking back, that's all he could remember. Frustration clouded his mind as his threads were effortlessly nullified. Then came the flash, followed by the bang. 'I'll kill them. I- I'll kill them! No matter what, I'll kill those siblings!' Rui chanted, life slipping away and his body gradually burning up. But then he had a revelation, seeing Tanjiro struggle with Nezuko and hug her. 'Wait, that's right. Every day I missed my parents so much I couldn't comprehend it.' His body, despite fading away, tried to find his head.

Dante took the opportunity to stick out his leg and trip him.

THUD!

'Even after creating a fake family, the emptiness remained. Since I was the one with the most power, there was no one who could protect me, shield me, or care for me. The more powerful I became, the more my human memories faded. I lost sight of what I wanted to do.' His body started to crawl toward Tanjiro and Nezuko, reaching out to them for help. A plea! A cry! 'I was seeking a bond that I could never claim for myself. It was just out of my reach, no matter how hard I tried to get my hands around it.'

Tanjiro couldn't help but be pulled by the scent of overwhelming grief that emitted from Rui's small body. Placing his hand on the fading corpse, Tanjiro comforted the fading demon in his last moments.

After fading, Dante walked over and placed his foot on the robes. "Hmn, custom made. This ought to go for a pretty penny."

"Dante?!" Tanjiro recoiled in disbelief.

Giyu, surprisingly agreeing, came to his ex-comrade's defense. "Don't waste your sympathy on demons that devoured humans. It doesn't matter if it looks like a child, it is still a hideous monster that has lived for decades."

"To avenge the people who were killed and make sure there are no more victims, of course, I'll kill any demon without mercy!" Tanjiro declared.

"I feel like there's a 'but' somewhere." Dante tried to tug the robe out of Tanjiro's grasp.

"But, for those that being a demon was just pure despair-!"

"There it is."

"-those who regretted their own actions! I will never trample over them! Because the demons were once human too! Once humans like me! Please let go of this robe, Dante-san!" Tanjiro pleaded. "They're not hideous! They're hopeless and tragic creatures! Even if I lose my temper, they still cry!"

Dante instantly let go of the robe upon hearing those words. It gave him a moment to see the girl he was clutching. 'Hey, it's that little girl who punched me right in my manhood!' He thought. 'She's still alive?' Judging by Giyu's expression, he was thinking the same thing. Especially when he noticed the butterflies circling them. "Shit."

"Dante, hide!" Giyu commanded.

Instantly, the half-blood vanished from sight, giving Giyu time to position himself over Tanjiro and Nezuko.

CLANG!

Like a certain Hashira comrade once did to him, Giyu swung his sword behind his back, not even looking. Seeing the sparks and Lady Shinobu flying over him, he finally got to see those two hard years of practice finally pay off.

"Oh my!" Shinobu commented with a wide smile. She landed on her feet slowly shifting herself into a battle stance. "That's a new trick! Why would you get in my way, Tomioka-san? After telling me that we can never get along with demons… how do I put this? That's exactly why no one likes you, you know." She extended her blade, pointing it right at the three.

Dante watched from a distant tree line, Ebony's sight trained on the tip of her blade. "Wait, what am I doing? This is Shinobu? Why am I pointing my gun at her? Why am I helping the 'depresso-espresso' over there defend this demon girl?" Dante whispered to himself.

"Because you're not."

Pressing her gun right up against Dante's head, Mary aka "Lady" pulled the hammer back on her own Colt 1911 pistol. "Drop your weapons, all of them."

"Oh come on! What are you hassling me for? Who even are you?" He was irked at the feeling of the gun pressed up against his head. He lowered the hand cannon. "Do you even know who you're dealing with here, lady?"

"Now Tomioka-san! Please move out of the way!" Shinobu demanded.

"I'm not… I'm not disliked by people."

"EH?!"

Visible shock sprung across everyone; Tanjiro, Shinobu, Dante, and Lady

"What kind of punk dialogue is this?" Dante softly whispered.

"Beats me." Lady shrugged with her weapons still trained on a surrendering Dante.

Shinobu recovered from the sensation of anger suddenly swelling in her body. "Well, I'm sorry. It seems you haven't realized that people don't like you." Her soft and smooth voice was eerily contrary to her attitude behind those words. "I shouldn't have said anything, my apologies."

Giyu, Dante, and Tanjiro were all shocked by Shinobu's comments. The white-haired demon slayer especially knew what it was like to have his balls broken on the daily because the Insect Hashira wanted to entertain a scene.

"Young boy!" Shinobu called out.

"Yes!" Tanjiro responded.

Placing her hand beside her mouth, she leaned forward whispering a bit condescendingly. "What you're protecting there is a demon. I don't want you to get hurt so please move out of the way."

"You're mistaken! Wait- you're not mistaken, but she's my little sister!" Tanjiro proclaimed.

"Why am I helping the 'depresso-espresso' over there defend this demon girl?"

Remembering that day, two years ago, the dots connected in Dante's mind. "Oh, that's right." He swept at Lady's legs, only for her to leap over them and cling to a tree. Locking her feet around the branches, she swung down, both pistols aimed right at his head. Not good! If she pulled the trigger then it would raise awareness to them. Dante quickly vanished out of sight. "Pocket dirt!"

Lady fell from the tree once the dirt hit her eyes, blinding her for the time being. Taking deep breaths she focused and controlled her breathing. "Arms Breathing, Second Form- AUGH!"

Dante swooped in and tackled her, disarming Lady of her weapons and tossing her to the side. "Hey listen, I'd love to stay and make sure it doesn't hit the fan, but it's clear you're way too interested in me. Let's take it slow okay? That is if you can catch me."

Seeing Tanjiro run off with Nezuko, Shinobu frowned for a moment. "Hey, Tomioka-san, isn't that against corps rules?" She approached Giyu, closing in, only for him to deflect her sword and send her flying back. "So, I see you're dead serious, Tomioka-san. Who would have thought a Hashira would defend a demon?"

"..." Giyu remained silent.

"Whether you're dead serious or not, I'm not going to join you in stalling for time! So, good day to you." Leaping into the air, Shinobu landed on a tall branch before propelling herself forward in the direction of Tanjiro. She leaped from branch to branch, tailing through the sky like she was a butterfly. Stabilizing her flight back, she turned around to smile at a trailing Giyu. "Is this your attempt to catch up to me?" Giggling, once she landed on the branch in front of her, she pushed as hard as she could, becoming a silhouette in the moonlight, far beyond the treeline. "I don't mind you trying to stop me! But don't forget about the other one!"

Giyu kept his pace below Shinobu, watching the trajectory of her body. As she started to make a narrow descent, Giyu leaped up into the air as high as he could, slowly closing in on the Insect Hashira, her face glazed with surprise.

Tanjiro kept running like there was no tomorrow. The more time Giyu could buy for him, the greater chance he had at escaping with Nezuko. But, something else did cross his mind. Why did Dante suddenly leave? He hadn't seen the man in years and then suddenly when he finally has a chance to speak, it's compromised! There was no time to think too deeply about it. Clutching Nezuko and her box in his possession, the boy kept hightailing it through the seemingly endless forest. "You just gotta run! Keep running! Keep running as fast as you can!"

Suddenly, a ponytailed demon slayer descended from the air, landing on Tanjiro's back with her white boots. Nezuko's body tumbled a few feet in front of Tanjiro.

'What?! No! What happened? Nezuko! It was all I could do to just keep running!' He mentally scolded. When the young girl landed, her white clape fluttered above her back, revealing the kanji symbols worn bright as day. 'She's a demon slayer!'

Raising her sword, the slayer aimed to decapitate Nezuko quickly and easily.

Tanjiro quickly lunged for her boot, pulling it back to make the young girl fall back on top of him. "RUN, NEZUKO! GO! MAKE A RUN FOR IT! DON'T GET CAUGHT NO MATTER WHAT!"

THWAP!

Bringing her heel down onto Tanjiro's head, the young girl knocked the boy out cold. But this was far from over. There was still a demon on the loose! Nezuko. The mission was to assassinate every demon on this mountain, right? Nezuko was the last one! Charging right after the fleeing demon, the slayer swung her sword right at Nezuko's neck!

Nezuko, turning around to face her enemy, instantly shrunk down to the size of a small child. The sword passed over her head, granting her another chance to live!

'She shrunk and turned into a child.' The hunter noted, dumbfounded by the sight. Again, this was not the end! Back in hot pursuit, she swung her sword at Nezuko! Evaded! She swung again! Nezuko leaped over it. Just as Nezuko rounded a corner, she suddenly vanished. "Eh?" The younger butterfly slayer looked left, then right. No sign of her. 'Did she just vanish into thin air?'

In the branches above her, Dante clutched Nezuko close to him. He held a finger to his lips signaling to. "Shhhh."

"Mmmm." Nezuko furrowed her brows and even struggled a little.

"Hey hey!" He whispered. "I'm here to help. See? Here- to help! Stay quiet so we don't get caught!"

Nezuko huffed. "Hmmmmmm."

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot two years ago, but cut a kid some slack, alright? Otherwise, I'll admit, it's good to see you again. Hope you haven't eaten any people and not said anything. You smell clean." Dante commented.

The young slayer girl slashed at the branch. Dante and Nezuko both fell to Earth. He kicked off the tree and landed softly on the ground; Rebellion shielded Nezuko while his other arm held her securely. "Well well well, won't you look at that? Little ole Kanao is all grown up!"

"Oh? Dante." She said with a soft tone, just like Shinobu, lowering her sword. "Why are you defending that demon? The task was to kill all demons as I was told. But, oh well, no need to ponder."

"Really? When she hasn't even thrown a single attack your way? Harsh." He teased her. 'Great, now the rest of the corps is going to know I was here. But, I sort of blew it when that other lady attacked me. So, I guess I ought to make the most of this.' He almost hesitated when Kanao raised her weapon.

"Dante?" She called, approaching him with a gentle, menacing aura.

He didn't respond, simply leaping up to avoid her slash. It would be a cold day in hell when Dante threw a slash back at the young Kanao, but he feared he was running out of options. One can't evade forever. "I guess you give me no choice, Kanao."

SLASH!

CLANG!

Rebellion struck her katana, knocking the young girl off her feet. She backflipped towards a tree, regaining balance and propelling herself back towards the ex-hashira. Both of the slayers entered a dance of screeching sparks, illuminating the forest floor. With Kanao's safety in mind and a metaphorical arm tied behind his back, literally holding Nezuko, Dante went on the offensive once more.

'Come one! Tire out! Tire out! Tire out!' Dante cringed with each blow being blocked from Kanao. 'I guess I'll have to use a different approach.' "Hey, Nezuko, was it? I think."

Nezuko nodded.

"Hang on tight, alright?"

[Devil May Cry OST - Devil's Never Cry - 3:08]

Taking in a deep breath, Dante propelled himself into the air, trench coat spreading across the moonlight like wings.

On the ground, Kanao leaned back into her stance, sword pointed in the direction of Dante. She hopped from tree branch to tree branch, gaining altitude to make her final jump at the pair.

CLANG!

Rebellion shoved aside her sword before blocking a follow-up swing. Dante caught the blade between his boots. Kanao struggled as they both began to fall back to the ground. "You either let go of your sword, little lady, or you're going to take quite the tumble."

"That goes for you too, Dante," Kanao informed him.

"Yeah, that's true. But, only one of us is an active-duty demon slayer. Imagine never leaving the Butterfly Mansion." Dante teased back.

Kanao grunted, letting go of her sword and spreading her cape to slow her descent.

Dante threw his legs to the side mid-descent, letting her sword disappear into the green. "I think that's enough-"

WHACK!

Dante stumbled, his head buzzing from the punch Kanao gave him.

Kanao drove her leg up and right into the pocket of Dante's family jewels. But, before it could make an impact, Nezuko's leg extended, stopping Kanao in her tracks. Swiftly booting Kanao in the stomach, the white-haired demon slayer sheathed the Rebellion and let go of Nezuko. 'Dammit! You forced my hand, Kanao!' "Hey, you ok?" He asked Nezuko.

Nezuko nodded.

Kanao's footsteps came from every direction around them. Above, below, next to them, and adjacent. Dante, for a moment, closed his eyes to try and pinpoint her with his hearing. By the time he opened his eyes, Kanao's blade passed right over his chest and on a trajectory to Nezuko's neck. 'No!"

"MESSAGE! MESSAGE!"

A crow called out.

[End OST]

"I HAVE A MESSAGE FROM HEADQUARTERS! TANJIRO AND NEZUKO ARE TO BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND BROUGHT BACK TO HEADQUARTERS! TANJIRO AND THE DEMON, NEZUKO, ARE TO BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND BROUGHT TO HEADQUARTERS! TANJIRO, DRESSED IN A CHECKERED HAORI WITH A SCAR ON HIS FOREHEAD! NEZUKO! A DEMON GIRL WITH A BAMBOO MUZZLE! BRING THEM BACK! BRING THEM BACK!"

Kanao stopped in her tracks, looking at the smaller demon girl hiding behind Dante. She kneeled down, eye level with her. "Are you Nezuko?"

"The one and only," Dante added. "Man, you really have some neat tricks. I guess Lady Shinobu has been teaching you well."

Kanao looked up and slowly nodded, "She doesn't know you are here, does she?"

"No, no she doesn't. Why? Does she want an autograph? But I had a scuffle with some other crazy lady, so eventually, she's going to figure it out."

"Come back with us, please." Kanao softly begged.

The son of Sparda snickered at his own joke. "Everyone wants autographs?" He only held his breath when she replied:

"She misses you."

…

…

…

"I guess this is where we part ways then." Dante's sullen tone introduced itself as he patted Nezuko on the head. "Hey, I appreciate you not giving me a hard time earlier. Of course, and for saving my gahones; literally."

Nezuko blinked.

"I'll take that as 'you're welcome', kiddo." He began to walk away.

"Dante, wait," Kanao called.

He stopped in his tracks once again, "Listen, I ain't one for goodbyes over and over again. It won't mean anything. I came to do a job. The job is done. I need to go back home, Kanao."

"Aren't you curious about what they'll do to her?"

Dante turned around as Giyu emerged from the shadows. "Where is-?"

"She's returning to HQ with the other Arms Hashira. The Kakushi are going to fix everyone else up and bring them back." Giyu informed them.

"Why are you saying these things to me? Shouldn't you be telling me to scram, get lost, or something? I am! I just finished the job so I'm going home to get paid some big moolah!" Dante proclaimed.

"As much as I would love to see you out of here, you know we have unfinished business. If you want to right the wrongs you've inflicted on the Slayer Corps, the most you can do is make sure that this girl doesn't have any harm done to her." Giyu added.

"Huh? Why can't you do it?" Dante snarked.

Giyu squinted, "Dante, we both understand that in this world there is good and evil, right and wrong. Occasionally there is a gray phenomenon that appears between the colors or morality. We're faced with that once again."

"Did Shinobu hit you over the head or something? You're talking colors here! Next thing you'll be yammering about is stuff about rainbows and sunshine." Pacing around the area, he only met Giyu's cold gaze for a moment, refusing to look back after feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Dante, whether you know it or not, I put my life on the line for that demon girl on multiple occasions. Especially via contract. However, I can't do much under the rules of the slayer corps. Neither can Kanao. On the other hand, you aren't a part of the corps anymore." The Water Hashira leaned into his main point.

"So? The rules don't apply to me." Click! "The rules… don't apply to me. You want me to protect Nezuko?" He turned to the side as Nezuko tugged at his jacket, staring up at him with puppy eyes.

"You've clearly gone out of your way to do the right thing. You stood by young Tanjiro, you saved the boar-headed boy and you went out of your way to protect Nezuko. I think that speaks volumes over the words coming out of your mouth." There was no hiding it. He did make a promise and commitment to Tanjiro. If Giyu wanted this to work, he needed to pull at strings; and heartstrings. "I remember the day you first defended her. You were the one who convinced me to spare her. Was it because you couldn't bear the thought of seeing someone lose their sibling right in front of them?"

Was it because he already had to bear the loss of his own sibling? Nonsense! Vergil was alive! He disappeared after their last encounter, but he was still alive.

"You have the choice to do what is right." Giyu nodded.

"I don't work for free." Dante reminded the Water Hashira.

"Fine then. I'll compensate you for your time."

Like a lantern lit with a little too much fuel, Dante's eyes exploded with yen symbols. Quickly regaining composure, the white-haired hunter couldn't help but feel seduced by skepticism. Could Giyu really afford him? "Alright, if you say so. I'll hold ya to it, Wet Willie."

Visibly cringing, Giyu returned with a silent death stare.

Dante laughed in the face of his new fate, also conveniently laughing at Giyu's sour stare.

"You will have to face Shinobu."

"Yeah, I know. I guess it's time I really owe it to her."

The rest of the Kakushi scoured through the forest, searching for the surviving demon slayers. Many were recovered from the first wave of recruits to a strange fighter wearing a board head. A blonde slayer was also recovered, saved by Lady Shinobu Kocho herself. Had she not been there, the blonde man would have been nothing more than toast. With the Arms Hashira and Insect Hashira returning on their own accord, it was up to the remaining group to take Nezuko and Tanjiro into custody.

Hoisting the unconscious Tanjiro over his shoulder, Dante became concerned. "How hard did you hit him, Kanao? All this time and he still hasn't woken up. That's not good."

Nezuko turned herself over to her box, hiding from the arriving Kakushi who came to provide assistance.

"Tomioka-san! Kanao-san! Dant- DANTE?!" Some Kakushi members froze up.

"Yeah, it's me. But, I'm only temporarily employed. Here." He gives Tanjiro over to them. "He's really banged up. Broken jaw and maybe a few fewer brain cells after the smack in the head he received. I don't know, I'm not the doctor. You guys are."

"Well, Dante, ready to go?" Giyu gestured in the direction of the departing crows.

"Yeah… never thought it would be like this."

To

Be

Continued...

Well isn't this one hell of a reunion? My writing muse has returned as well as my love for both Devil May Cry and Demon Slayer! I don't have too much to say besides that we are about to soon enter the Mugen Train arc. But first, our hero Tanjiro and his cracked crew; Inosuke ans Zenitsu, have both been taken to the butterfly manor for recovery. But, most importantly, we begin the introduction of a certain group as well as the return of an old demon slayer to his face his past. Glad to be back. I hope you enjoy! Like, Favroite and Follow for more!