Call Out The Dance's Name

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of The Heart Of The Asura! You can probably guess what's coming here and even if you can't, get excited anyway! And speaking of exciting, there's been a lot of news dropped on my Pat reon recently, so why not take a moment, stop by and see what's happening. Now that's all the announcements I got, and with no guest review questions this week, the only other thing I have to say is Happy Halloween and enjoy the treat!

Nighttime: Mt. Natagumo

"Put me down already!" The Spider Sister yelled while struggling on Susamaru's shoulder and pulling at her hair.

"Gah, fine!" The Temari Demon stopped and unceremoniously dropped the other demon girl on the ground, "we've probably gone far enough anyway."

"Why's it matter how far we've gone," the spider girl asked while standing up and rubbing her behind, "and what are you even thinking? Demons can't really kill each other unless we expose the other to sunlight or use nichirin steel. I didn't see you use any of that during the fight earlier."

"I didn't bring you out here to kill you," Susamaru let out an annoyed sigh while crossing her arms, "Tanjiro asked me to get you away from that Rui guy so we could talk."

"Talk?" She repeated in annoyed confusion, "what sort of slayer asks one demon to talk to another? Come to think of it, why is a demon working with slayers?!"

"Because that dickhead, Muzan, screwed me over," the Temari Demon revealed while putting a hand on her hip, "I said his name one time, in praise, and that curse of his killed me. At least it was supposed to kill me, but I got a second chance."

"What do you mean a second chance," the sister narrowed her eyes, "how could you have possibly survived the curse?"

"Ah uh," Susamaru wagged her finger, "don't think I'm just gonna give that information away for free. First, you need to tell me a few things about yourself."

"Tell you about myself," the demon girl asked in confusion, "why do you want to know?"

"I don't," the Temari Girl scoffed, "but Tanjiro's the biggest bleeding heart on the planet, even when it comes to demons. So why don't we hurry this up before he gets himself killed. I'm Susamaru, by the way, what's your name?"

"The family just calls me Elder Sister or Eldest Daughter," she looked down at the ground, "but my real name is Gimiko."

"Your real name," the Temari Demon raised an eyebrow, "so Tanjiro was right, you guys aren't related by blood. I thought it was weird that so many similar demons were gathered in the same place. Rui kept you all in line through fear, didn't he?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," a look of actual sadness crossed Gimiko's face, "Rui is a Kizuki, one of the twelve most powerful demons in the land. Before we joined him, we were all just regular demons with unremarkable Blood Demon Arts." Her form suddenly shifted, revealing dark hair and red eyes with black sclera, "This is what most of us looked like before Rui took us in. He gave us some of his power and in exchange we agreed to be his family."

"It doesn't look like the arrangement is working out that great," Susamaru noted.

"No," Gimiko smiled sadly as she changed back to her spider daughter form, "he gave us no option to leave once we agreed. If we do not play our parts we're severely punished for it. Even accidentally reverting back is grounds for receiving his wrath. This mountain that serves as his home and hunting ground is little more than a prison for us."

"What if I said we could help you," the demon girl brought up, "we've actually been looking for a Kizuki and this dickhead fits the bill."

"What, are you like that other slayer looking to climb the ladder of success," the spider girl scoffed.

"Fuck that guy, I just want Muzan dead," the Temari Demon crossed her arms, "and helping out Tanjiro gets me closer to that. If we can get some of your fake brother's blood it'll also get us closer."

"So what, you want me to help you defeat Rui," Gimiko raised an eyebrow, "assuming I did agree to help, what's that do for me? How do I know you won't decapitate me the moment it's all said and done?"

"Because Tanjiro's a big softie," Susamaru revealed, "I'm actually the second demon he's spared. I'll admit we don't yet have a plan on how to deal with the other demon slayers in the corps but I can guarantee you that Tanjiro and his weirdo friends won't try to kill you if you agree to help us. And be honest, even if it is just decapitation waiting for you at the end of all of this, it's still better than being tormented for all of eternity by a pint-sized brat, right?"

"That's not as persuasive an argument as you think," Gimiko deadpanned, "at least try to keep me alive long enough to enjoy myself for a little while."

"Yeah, don't worry, Tanjiro's been able to convince everyone not to kill me and Nezuko so far," the demon girl assured.

"One more thing," the spider girl held up a finger, "how did you sever yourself from that man?"

"According to what I heard, I got this way after I bit Tanjiro and drank some of his blood," Susamaru shrugged, "so that might work for you, too."

"Is that what happened," Gimiko put a hand to her chin, "then all the more reason for me to help you keep him alive. But just in case, let's try something."

"What would that-," the Temari Demon was about to ask until the white-haired girl leapt forward and clamped her mouth down on her wrist, "AH FUCK!"

With Inosuke and Kojugai

'That's the single most terrifying demon I've ever seen,' Kojugai trembled at the sight of the mutated Father Spider, 'the presence radiating from him is crushing, I'm afraid to even move.' The now even mightier beast of a demon growled, his beady eyes no doubt going back and forth between the two slayers, deciding which one to attack first. 'We have to escape somehow, but what can we do?' He risked a glance at Inosuke who seemed to be just as paralyzed with fear as he was.

'What do we do, what do we do?' As the slayer watched, the demon's head turned ever so slightly towards the Boar Fighter. 'Oh no, he realized that guy, and I hate to admit it, is the stronger out of the two of us.' And Kojugai didn't want to admit it. The Dual Wielder had been loud and obnoxious since they met and, in most cases, completely devoid of any actual plan other than charging in at full speed. And yet, he'd still overcome his own fear and managed to wound the Father Spider.

'If either one of us has a chance of beating this monster, it'd be him,' the older swordsman admitted. That's why, when the demon made as if he was about to attack, Kojugai moved. With a speed he didn't know he possessed, brought on by fear and adrenaline, the Breath of Water user pushed Inosuke out of the way and held his arms up. There was no time to dodge nor brace himself as the Father Spider moved with a swiftness that belied his size. The next thing Kojugai knew was pain and the wind whipping past him as he was sent flying into the air.

By some miracle he managed not to hit any trees as he broke through the canopy and continued to sail onwards. 'Inosuke, continue to survive, until either Tanjiro or I…..return.' He tried to adjust himself in the air, wracking his brain for a way to soften the impact. But he was already fighting just to stay conscious before he broke through the branches again.

Kojugai didn't know how far he'd flown nor his position upon landing. All he knew as he impacted the ground was pain for the briefest of moments as images of the others flashed in his mind. Then, everything went black. When he next woke up, it would be to find another battle.

With Tanjiro

One thread after another was thrown at him as the boy swordsman dodged and jumped to avoid them. He leapt up, kicked off a tree branch, spun in the air and ducked beneath attack after attack. 'Yes,' Tanjiro thought in triumph, 'I've managed to separate the scent of the threads from the demon's scent, I can read his attacks now!' This gave him a bit more confidence as he finally started moving forward, closing the distance for an attack.

'Water Breathing First Form,' the boy slayer readied his sword as he approached, 'Water Surface Slash!' His target was a vertical thread Rui sent at him. The boy slayer had managed to cut through some earlier when the demon boy had used his threads to block his Striking Tide. That's why, when his blade met the attack, Tanjiro's eyes widened in shock as it snapped off while the thread continued.

It was only thanks to him instinctively shifting his body to the right at the last moment that he was able to get away with only a slash across his face as he fell to the ground. 'I don't believe it,' Tanjiro struggled to his feet and took a fighting stance, noting the state of his weapon, 'my sword broke? Don't tell me the threads he's using are tougher than the demon's body I fought earlier?' He dodged out of the way of another thread whipping at him as the assault resumed.

'If I had any reason to doubt before it's gone now,' the boy slayer continued to dodge thread after thread slashing at him, 'I'm sorry, Urokodaki sensei and Mister Haganezuka, my inexperience wound up getting my sword broken. My opponent really is one of the Twelve Kizuki.' This also meant the only reason he was still alive right now was because the demon boy had indeed been holding back this whole time. 'But there's no time to feel sorry for myself, I still have enough of a blade to decapitate him, all I need to do is get close.'

A task easier said than done. The threads seemed to have a life of their own and came at him from all sides, forcing the boy slayer to back off time and time again. "I've cut you up a bit and even broke your sword," Rui pointed out, "you've no doubt realized by now how outmatched you are. So, are you going to take back what you said earlier?"

Tanjiro didn't answer, but his defiant glare and the readying of his now half a sword said more than enough. "Very well, then I'll end this by slicing you to ribbons." He put both of his hands together and attacked with a mass of threads this time, forming a giant spider web in front of the boy swordsman. 'Oh no, I can't dodge this!' Tanjiro tried to find a flaw in the attack but there was no time.

The web closed in and struck, causing blood to spray into the night air. But this time, it wasn't Tanjiro's blood. At the last second, the box on his back had opened and his sister moved in front of him, taking the brunt of the attack. "NEZUKO!" He grabbed her before she fell backwards and pulled her over to sit against a tree.

All concern for his safety was forgotten as he checked on his sister's condition. He found that her wounds were deep, the one on her left arm being so severe the limb was threatening to come off. What was worse, they didn't seem to be healing all that quickly compared to a regular demon's. "That girl," Rui's voice sounded from the other side of the tree, "is she….your sibling?"

"So what if she is," Tanjiro barked back, still desperately trying to see to his sister's wounds.

"But she's a demon, I'm certain of it," the Kizuki thought aloud, too quiet for the slayer to hear, "yet she leapt out in order to defend her sibling, risking her own life. That truly is a genuine bond! Despite their best efforts, none of those demons I made my family were able to fulfill their roles. But what those two have, I want it!" He spoke loud enough for Tanjiro to hear then, "boy, come out so that we can talk."

"What, come out," the slayer responded in slight confusion, "why do you suddenly want to talk?"

"Because," the demon boy put a hand over his chest, "what your sister did just now, it really moved me. In fact, it gave me chills. I don't think there are words to adequately describe how it made me feel. Your inevitable fate tonight was to die by my hand, but after seeing your sister's actions just now, I've decided to grant you an alternative to that fate."

"An alternative," Tanjiro repeated, quite suspicious of the demon's motives.

"I will allow you to leave this mountain alive on one condition," he pointed at them, "Your sister, I would like you to give her to me."

"You want Nezuko," the boy swordsman narrowed his eyes, "why do you want her?"

"I would like her to become my little sister," Rui stated matter-of-factly, "starting today."

"You think I'd actually agree to something like that," a vein stood out on Tanjiro's forehead, "Nezuko isn't some object, she's a person with her own thoughts and feelings. She'll never become a sister to someone like you!"

"You don't need to worry," the spider boy assured, "I'll forge a bond with her stronger than yours, a bond born out of fear. She'll learn very quickly what happens when she disobeys."

"That's exactly your problem right there," Tanjiro pointed his broken sword at him, "you can't forge a lasting bond with someone by shackling them to you through fear! That is not the bond of a true family and until you're able to fix that misunderstanding you'll never get the bond that you want!"

"You don't need to shout, it's irritating," Rui sighed, "but it seems the two of us don't see eye to eye on this issue."

"We definitely don't," the boy slayer dropped Nezuko's box and walked into the open, "I'll never hand Nezuko over to you!"

"If that is your choice, I'll simply have to kill you and take her," the demon boy stated casually.

"Not if I take your head first," the slayer retorted defiantly.

"That's the spirit," Rui actually smiled in amusement, "come and see how long you can last against one of the Twelve Kizuki." His left eye with the kanji for five was now clearly visible as he held up his right hand. "I'll even give you a momentary handicap!" He whipped his arm up, causing something, no someone, to come flying out of the bushes.

"Nezuko!" Tanjiro charged forward as the demon caught his sister and restrained her with an arm around her neck before producing threads from his other hand. The boy swordsman had to backflip away to avoid the attack aimed at his head. But when he got back up, his sister was gone. 'What, where did she go,' he looked around frantically until blood dripped on his sword from above and his gaze went up before he yelled out in horror. "NEZUKO!"

She'd been suspended in midair by numerous threads wrapped around her limbs, digging into her flesh deep enough to draw blood. The entire scene of her hanging upside down in pain was illuminated by the moonlight so there was no mistake she was in bad condition. "Quiet down," Rui chided as scratches on his face caused by the demon girl were healing, "that isn't enough to kill her since she's a demon, but I'm going to let her bleed for a while as a lesson. If she doesn't learn to be obedient, I'll just leave her there until the sun rises and she gets scorched to death."

"No you won't," the swordsman rushed forward as Rui shot more threads at him, "let her go!" He deftly avoided the threads for a moment as they tore into his haori and ripped off his right sleeve but fell to the ground as one nearly cut into his leg. The Kizuki was right in front of him then, kicking him painfully and sending him flying into a tree. Tanjiro didn't have time to recover before he was hit by a painful backhand that made him stagger several feet until he regained his footing.

The demon slayer coughed up blood then, the result of the kick to his stomach as he tried to stay steady on his feet. His breathing was heavy and he was having trouble raising his arms as the demon strode casually towards him. "If I'm not mistaken, you seem to believe just closing the distance will allow you to take my head," Rui spread his arms out wide, "well then, give it a shot." Tanjiro grit his teeth and swung but missed when the demon leaned his head back before countering with two painful punches to the elder Kamado's face.

On the second blow the boy swordsman spun around and slammed his half a blade into the Kizuki's neck. But it went no further. Despite Tanjiro pushing with all of his might the skin wouldn't break. "Didn't I tell you, that won't work," the Lower Moon kicked the boy slayer hard this time, sending him flying so fast that he partially cratered the ground when he impacted. "My body is more durable than any of the threads I control, so if you can't cut those you have no hope of cutting off my head."

For obvious reasons Tanjiro didn't offer a retort as he struggled to his hands and knees. He heard the sound of his sister struggling to break free of her bounds, wanting nothing more than to aid her brother in his fight. "You're too noisy," Rui tightened the threads around her even more, causing her to give out a muffled cry of pain before she fell limp.

"STOP IT!" Tanjiro yelled while getting into a shaky stance.

"Strange, did she pass out," the demon boy ignored his protests, instead noting how Nezuko had a slightly different aura than the other demons he'd encountered. The boy slayer desired nothing more in that moment than to charge in again, but he roughly gripped his own wrist, forcing himself to be calm. 'Don't give in, don't get too emotional, that's what he wants,' the swordsman reminded himself, 'control your breathing, concentrate.' He took several calming breaths then focused on gathering the required air for his next technique.

His regular forms clearly wouldn't suffice, so he had no other choice than to use the final, most precise form that he knew. Readying himself, Tanjiro shot forward once again. "You still don't understand that it's futile," Rui, annoyed, sent more threads at him. Much like the first time he tried it, the boy swordsman slashed at the threads when they got close.

Unlike the previous attempt, however, the blade cut cleanly through the threads, causing the Kizuki's eyes to widen somewhat as the slayer slashed apart even more threads. 'Yes, I'm actually cutting through them!' Tanjiro didn't let the temporary triumph distract him as he kept going. This was the result of his technique, a form that used constant rotations to increase the power of the attack more and more with each turn. It was the tenth form of the Breath of Water: Constant Flux!

"An impressive technique," Rui crossed his arms in front of him, "I'd certainly be in trouble now, if these threads were at full strength." Blood flowed out then, covering his hands and running up into his threads, dying them crimson. "I have no more use for you, so die at the hands of my Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Cage!" As the name suggested, a cage of crisscrossing threads resembling a circular spider web surrounded Tanjiro and closed in on him, cutting off any and all escape routes, "farewell."

'No, I can't cut these with the amount of rotations I have,' the slayer realized this based on the more powerful stench given off by the crimson silk. Time slowed to a crawl then as he tried desperately to figure a way out of this predicament. But he couldn't run, couldn't dodge, and couldn't cut his way out. Was this really, how it all ended?

His life flashed before his eyes then, all the way back to a time when he and Nezuko were small children. He saw his father, Tanjuro, a man he resembled in several ways except his face and form were far more gaunt, the result of an illness that had plagued his body for years. "Tanjiro," he spoke softly, "learn to master your breathing and become more like Hinokami." It was strange he'd be remembering this of all things right now.

Hinokami was a fire deity and at the start of every year his father would perform what was known as a Kagura dance in order to ward off injuries and disasters while also offering their prayers to him. It was seen as a necessity, given that theirs was a family who worked with fire. Tanjiro had always found it strange how his sickly father was able to perform such a dance barefoot in the snow every year for so long. He'd even asked his father about it once and he'd told him there was a…breathing technique? That's right, he'd passed down not only the earrings to him, but the dance and a breathing technique as well!

That dance had a name. Tanjiro recalled it now as he used the technique, his breath seeming to catch fire as he did so. The dragon of water that was formed from his previous technique took on a visage of fire as he called out the name: "HINOKAMI KAGURA!" His now ignited blade cut through the red threads, allowing him to keep moving.

The very surprised Rui reacted on instinct, throwing more threads at him. He didn't understand how, but Tanjiro knew he had to keep his momentum, keep running forward as he cut through more threads, not slowing down even when they managed to slice into his body time and time again. There was no room for hesitation and attempting to switch between breath forms would leave him immobile, a fact he also knew on instinct. So he continued to charge, continued to cut through the threads.

For once, the Kizuki showed fear in his eyes as he jumped back, kicking of trees while throwing more threads at the slayer. But Tanjiro was relentless, not letting up for even an instant as he leapt off trees too, cutting through more threads, shrinking the distance little by little. Even so, he could feel the technique starting to take its toll, so he resolved himself to cut off the demon's head even if it meant getting sliced to pieces! The moment the boy swordsman was in range he swung, even with red threads surrounding his body to tear him apart.

Yet this did not prove to be his end as the red silk suddenly ignited in crimson fire. This was the power of Nezuko's Blood Demon Art: Exploding Blood, and thanks to the mass amount of her blood that was present on the Kizuki's threads, she had more than enough fuel to burn away all of the ones in front of her brother. 'Impossible, the threads have been cut and burned away?!' Rui had no time to think of anything else as the flaming blade met his neck.

"The bond between Nezuko and I can't be severed by you," he declared while pushing with all of his might, "or anyone else!" The sword sank into the Lower Moon's flesh then and in the next instant his head went flying in a spray of blood and flame. A Kizuki had just been decapitated.

If I'm going to write the most iconic scene of the first season, I'm gonna make it as epic as I can. But what did you think of my retelling of it? Let me know in your comments and reviews along with what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! Also, just dropped a lot of news on my Pat reon, so if you got a moment head over there and check it out! Last thing, stop in next time as Susamaru and Gimiko deal with an unexpected slayer problem! 'Til then.