The Hashira Arrive

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of the Heart Of The Asura! We got a few surprises for you this week with the addition of a new character and some slightly different interactions! What'll happen, I wonder. One thing you don't have to wonder, though, is what you'll get by becoming a patron! You get news, scene samples, and even the possibility of a commission and all you got to do is look into becoming a patron! Now then I believe that's about everything, and with no guest review questions this week, on to the story!

Nighttime: Mt. Natagumo

'Damn it,' Inosuke thought as he felt his head slowly being crushed, 'I refuse to die here, I refuse.' After he'd sent Kojugai flying, the Father Spider had made short work of the boar fighter. He'd hit him so hard and fast that the dual wielder didn't have time to dodge and the one time he was able to evade and counterattack against the demon's neck, his swords broke! The Father had seized his head then which was how he wound up in his current predicament.

"Breath of the Beast First Form," he coughed weakly, "Pierce!" He shoved both blades into the demon's neck, using all of his remaining strength. The slayer was rewarded with the feeling of his weapons sinking ever so slightly into the monster's throat, but that small triumph would be quickly overshadowed as the demon growled and squeezed his head even harder. Inosuke couldn't breathe now and the only coherent thought he could muster was wondering whether or not he'd black out before his head broke into little fleshy pieces.

The boar boy was already leaking blood out of his nose and mouth, the red liquid staining both the interior and exterior of his mask. He couldn't see anything and very soon he wouldn't be able to feel anything, either. In fact, that moment may have come as the pressure was suddenly relieved from his head. But something wasn't right.

Why did it hurt when he hit the ground, and why was he still able to see and feel everything else? More importantly, what happened to the large demon's arm?! "Too many slayers have died on this mountain already," a voice he didn't recognize spoke, "I shall not allow you to take another, demon." The monster backed away a little, looking at it's now stump of an arm as an old woman stepped into Inosuke's view. She was oddly youthful despite her obvious age with red-streaked blond hair tied into double spikey buns and sharp-looking orange and silver eyes. Her outfit consisted of the usual demon slayer attire with the addition of a grey and black haori decorated with moon motifs.

'She sliced his arm off while he's in that form,' the boar fighter realized in disbelief, 'how can an old bag of bones like her do a thing like that?!' But his amazement was just beginning as the Father Spider roared in rage, forcefully regenerating his arm before charging towards the woman at full speed. "Simpleton," the old woman remarked before effortlessly leaping up to meet her foe, "Breath of the Moon First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace."

All Inosuke saw was a flash in the shape of a crescent moon before the old woman landed behind the demon and stood up straight. As the demon turned back towards her, she lightly wrapped the handle of her sheathed sword. The Father Spider's head popped off then as the body made it a few steps before collapsing with a thud right next to her. "You…. you just," the boar fighter struggled to put what he just saw into words, "you killed that demon so effortlessly."

"I can't move exactly like I used too," the woman revealed, "fortunately I learned to be efficient over the years. Live long enough and you might be doing this one day yourself. Oh, I'm forgetting my manners." She bowed, "my name is Momo. What yours, my young comrade?"

"Uh, Inosuke," he stuttered, "Inosuke Hashibira."

"What a fascinating name," Momo mused before pulling out an envelope with some healing ointment and bandages, "you seem to be able to move at the moment, so take this and tend to some of your wounds."

"Wait, where are you going," Inosuke shook off his surprise and stood up.

"There are other slayers on this mountain that need help," the old slayer informed, "you wait here and the Kakushi will be along in a bit to see to the rest of your wounds. I don't want more of Oyakata's children dying if I can avoid it."

"But you can't leave yet," Inosuke pointed one of his broken blades at her, "I need to know if I'm as strong as you are, so fight me!"

"Oh dear, you're one of those," Momo sighed in slight exasperation while reaching for something in her sleeve.

"I'm a fighter is what I am," the dual wielder declared proudly, "now pull out your sword and….wait a second, when did this happen?!" Someway, somehow Inosuke was now tied up and hanging from a tree limb a few feet off the ground.

"It looks like you need some extra restraint to keep from hurting yourself," Momo finished tying the rope to another tree, "trust me if you couldn't evade this you weren't going to last long against me. After you're all healed up, do some training and improve your Total Concentration Breathing, that'll help against the next opponents you face. But for now, do as I said earlier and wait here for the Kakushi to arrive." She turned and began walking away then.

"Hey, you can't just go walking off!" Inosuke kicked around irritably, only succeeding in making himself look comical as he started swinging side to side, "come back here and face me, dammit!"

"Even after all these years I still don't understand why some boys insist on being so noisy," the lady slayer mused to herself as she headed for her next destination.

With Susamaru and Gimiko

"What the fuck was that?!" Susamaru growled while having the eldest daughter of the spiders in a headlock, "you took a damn chunk out of my arm!"

"I was," Gimiko coughed, "testing a theory. I didn't think you'd agree if I told you what I wanted to do."

"I've had my arms cut off multiple times and survived getting torn apart by my own ability," the Temari Demon finally let her go and put her hands on her hips, "something you'd know if you'd just asked."

"So, you wouldn't have gotten mad at me if I'd asked first before biting you," the spider girl questioned, happy to be breathing properly again.

"I would've said let's figure it out," Susamaru sighed, "now, why don't you tell me why you just took a bite out of me?"

"All demon cells come from the same source," Gimiko began, "and I've heard of demons who can fuse with or at least hide in other demons. My theory is that whatever allowed you to be free of that man's curse still resides in your blood. Now that I've ingested some, my body should react and absorb the cellular anomaly into my bloodstream, mutating my body to the point that the curse will no longer matter."

"Shit, if blood was all you needed, I could've just slit my wrist or something," the Temari Girl rubbed the bridge of her nose, "well how is it, do you feel any different?"

"I guess, I do feel kind of strange," the spider sibling admitted while examining her hands and moving her fingers experimentally, a little lightheaded, actually.

"Really," a voice made both demon girls jump as another girl wearing a white butterfly haori seemed to suddenly appear next to Susamaru, causing the Temari user to recoil in surprise, "but I haven't done anything to you yet."

"You're a slayer," she noted the nichirin sword held by the new arrival, including how it was missing most of the blade.

"I am," the dark-haired girl smiled wider, though there seemed to be something slightly off about it, "you may call me Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira."

"Hashira," Gimiko repeated with a slight slur in her voice like she was drunk, "Oh no. They're like, super dangerous. We gotta run girl." That's what she said, but when the sister spider turned and attempted to run she almost immediately tripped and fell on her face. "Is she still following us?"

"I'm pretty sure neither one of us is escaping," Susamaru sighed before holding her hands up, "and we're not trying to run, anyway."

"Ara, now that's intriguing," Shinobu mused, "what exactly is wrong with that girl?"

"Long story short, I stumbled on a possible way for a demon to be free of Muzan Kibutsuji's control," the Temari Demon explained, "I can say his name now without repercussion. The little genius down there decided to try a bit of my blood and see if the same thing would happen to her. Results are obviously still pending."

"How curious," the Insect Hashira put a hand to her chin, "you've put me in something of a dilemma now."

"Well one of your slayers is in a bigger dilemma," Susamaru informed, "Tanjiro Kamado is fighting one of the Twelve Kizuki right now. If he doesn't get help soon, he could die."

"There's no need to worry about that," Shinobu assured while sheathing her sword, "or to be more precise, I'll need to take care of another matter before I tend to that one." She drew her sword once again. "You see, since you're both demons I can't just take you at your word. Fortunately, I'm a specialist in poisons that affect demons and right now I've coated my blade in a powerful paralytic. It won't kill you, but you won't be able to move for a while. I'll be able to go and help my fellow slayers then and should be back before sunrise."

The way she said it all with such a bright smile creeped the Temari Demon out big time. "Uh, better idea," she laughed nervously, "why don't we just go with you. Tanjiro knows me and can vouch for me, so there's no need to stab us or anything like that." Truthfully, Susamaru wasn't sure if this girl was telling the truth about there only being a paralytic on the blade.

"I'm certain this Tanjiro person can vouch for you whether you're there or not," she giggled slightly before taking a stance, "now hold still." The girl moved then, with a swiftness unlike anything Susamaru had seen in her couple centuries of life. There was no time to run and even simple evasion seemed impossible. As the Insect Hashira struck, a loud ringing noise filled the night air.

With Kojugai

'Beautiful,' the Breath of Water user thought in awe at what he just witnessed. He'd regained consciousness a few minutes ago and had started his trek back towards where he hoped Inosuke was. The problem with that, however, was he had no idea how far he'd flown or if his comrade was still in the same place. But the slayer had to start somewhere and began running back despite the pain he was now currently in.

Fortune would smile on him then, at least in a manner of speaking. As he ran, Kojugai heard the sound of yelling and steel clashing against something. 'Is this where Tanjiro wound up,' he couldn't help but wonder. The boy slayer had been gone for some time and if the sounds he was hearing now were any indication whatever battle he was fighting hadn't ended yet.

'We stood a chance with Tanjiro,' the senior slayer admitted, 'and he's closer than Inosuke. Perhaps if I help him then the both of us can go help that crazy boar boy. There's still a chance for us to all make it off this mountain alive!' With this thought in mind Kojugai rushed over where the sounds of battle were intensifying.

When he finally burst through the bushes, he froze and stared in awe. There was Tanjiro, wielding only half a sword and yet, the blade gleamed beautifully as fire was erupting from it. 'Is that Breath of Flame,' he couldn't help but wonder for a moment, 'no wait, something's different about the movements. They're more circular and the technique being used is different from any Breath of Flame form I've ever seen.'

Whatever it was, the technique was working as Tanjiro sliced through all the red threads attempting to cut him to pieces before, with a burst of red flame aiding him, he cut off the demon's head with one final, glorious swing! "Unbelievable," Kojugai couldn't help but think aloud. The boy was, he assumed, only fifteen or so years old and yet he was able to strike with such power. "Well, I guess that saves us some time. Let's head over."

He began making his way over to the now exhausted looking slayer on the ground, but stopped upon seeing something horrifying. The demon boy's headless corpse, was standing up? 'How's that possible, he was decapitated by a nichirin blade?!' The slayer saw the supposedly cut off head descend from the trees then through the use of the demon's spider threads.

Even from this distance, Kojugai could tell the spider boy was pissed as he slowly approached Tanjiro. The boy swordsman must've used up all his energy with his last technique because all he seemed able to do at the moment was crawl along the ground. 'No, he'll be killed at this rate,' the Breath of Water user drew his blade and charged. Be it luck or just the demon's current fixation on Tanjiro, the youthful looking demon didn't notice Kojugai until he was right up next to him.

"Breath of Water Sixth Form," he twisted his body and came around with a powerful horizonal strike aimed at the demon's neck, "Whirlpool!" A resounding clang echoed through the forest as the slayer gasped. Despite using all of his strength, the blade hadn't cut!

"Out of the way you annoying fly!" The spider boy whipped his hand at Kojugai who instinctively leapt out of the way, just barely dodging a slashing attack that cut a tree into sections.

"Kojugai," the boy swordsman called from his position on the ground.

"Tanjiro," he called back while avoiding another attack, noticing Nezuko for the first time, "I don't know who that girl is, but take her and get out of here!" The slayer evaded the next strike then rolled to dodge a few more.

"You don't understand, Kojugai," the slayer called back, "that's a Kizuki, Lower Moon Five!"

"It doesn't matter," the senior Corp member insisted, "I saw what you did just now, you actually cut his head off. I can't allow such potential to die here, even if it cost me my life!"

"I'll happily take you up on that!" Rui yelled back as he unleashed more red threads. Thanks to his anger the demon's moves were a bit sloppier, or so it seemed thus far. Kojugai took advantage of this and charged in with another technique.

"Breath of Water Third Form," the slayer moved his body in a flowing manner, maneuvering his blade around the threads until he hit Rui in the neck again, "Flowing Dance!"

"Bastard!" Rui turned to face him with more red thread as he raised his blade.

"Breath of Water Eighth form!" Kojugai came down with as powerful a vertical strike as he could muster, "Waterfall Basin!" The blow hit hard enough to kick up dirt, obscuring Tanjiro's vision for a moment. But within that moment a familiar metallic sound had greeted his ears. His fears were confirmed as the top half of a nichirin blade landed in front of him. He looked back in horror to see that it did indeed belong to his senior's now broken sword.

"Tanjiro Kamado," he coughed as blood spilled from numerous deep slash wounds on his front and arms, "for an instant…. I saw in your technique…. the sun." The senior swordsman fell back on the ground then.

"KOJUGAI!" He yelled at the sight of the dying slayer.

"Go… Tanjiro," the man urged weakly, "you have… to live."

"Such insolence tonight," Rui spat, "to think his technique would have enough power to soften the blow. But I'll finish dicing him to bits in a minute. You are still the main source of my anger, Kamado." Tanjiro simply growled while trying to get to his feet, "but no matter, we'll finish it with this technique."

He once again produced numerous red threads between his fingers. "Blood Demon Art: Murderous Eye Basket!" The threads surrounded both Tanjiro and Nezuko then, spinning at high speed. Like one of his earlier attacks, this one left no room for escape unless one was able to dig beneath the earth.

But despite putting all his strength into it, Tanjiro couldn't even raise his arm. He wracked his brain, tried putting every last bit of effort into moving even another inch. Yet there seemed no way out of it this time. "Now it ends," Rui stretched out the threads between his fingers.

Tanjiro braced himself for the pain and the now familiar sensation of the threads tearing into his flesh. Yet for some reason, all he felt this time was a quick breeze. A scent entered his nostrils then, the smell of a person! "You did a good job, holding out this long," a voice the Kamado boy hadn't heard in two years spoke, "leave the rest to me."

The boy slayer's eyes widened as he managed to look up and see a person wearing a haori that possessed red on one side and a green and yellow pattern on the other. It was Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira! "Is there some torrent of insignificant insects spilling out tonight!" Rui growled, "you keep showing up and getting in my way!" He summoned up his strings again, more than any Tanjiro had seen him use up to this point. They swirled around in front of him like some kind of kaleidoscope. "Cutting Thread Rotation!"

He launched the now large orb of threads at Giyu, but the Water Hashira stood unafraid. "Breath of Water," the swordsman spoke calmly, "Eleventh Form: Dead Calm." As the Blood Demon Art came within striking distance it seemed to fall apart and harmlessly float past the Hashira. Both Tanjiro and the Kizuki stared in shock at the spectacle. 'Those were the strongest threads he had, the ones that I exhausted myself cutting,' the boy swordsman noted, 'Giyu slashed them all with seemingly no effort, not a single one was able to touch him.'

"I-Impossible," Rui grit his teeth, "let's see you try that trick aga-SLICE!" In the time it took him to blink, the Water Hashira had closed the distance. Before he had even a chance to react or come up with a counter, Giyu seamlessly slid his blade through his neck. This time, Lower Moon Five's head was cut off for real.

As it hit the ground, Tanjiro was snapped back to reality. "Nezuko," he turned and started crawling towards his still unconscious sister, "I'll be right there…. In a moment…... don't worry." His strength was still gone, crawling was the best he could do at the moment. But he was just as determined as ever and soon enough, he was embracing his sister once more.

Thankfully, she was still breathing and her wounds finally seemed to be healing properly. Tanjiro was so relieved he didn't notice Rui's headless body staggering over towards them until it collapsed onto the ground next to them. The boy swordsman caught a scent then, one of overwhelming grief. He didn't know why, but he was certain it wasn't the spider demon's sadness at his own death that was causing it.

The stench brought tears of sorrow to Tanjiro's eyes as he understood this type of sadness all too well; the sadness of losing treasured bonds. That's why he reached his hand out and placed it on the body of the dissolving Kizuki. Perhaps it was just his nature, but in the end, Tanjiro felt neither anger nor hatred towards the demon who tried to take his life and his sister away from him. He felt only pity and a hope that, somehow, if it were right, the spider boy would find happiness in his next life.

Alas, his senior slayer did not share such sentiments as he approached and stepped on the white kimono, the only remainder of Lower Moon Five. "Don't waste your sympathies on a demon who devoured countless humans," Giyu chided, "it may have looked like a child, but it was a monster who lived for decades."

"I haven't forgotten that," Tanjiro's grip tightened on the kimono, "I will always bring my blade down, without mercy, on any demon's neck to ensure there are no more victims and avenge the ones who were killed. But, for those who fell into despair after becoming demons, who regret their actions, I will never disrespect them, because all demons were once human! No different from you or me, so please, don't trample on his remains. The truth is, they're all… tragic creatures."

"You," Giyu's eyes widened upon seeing Nezuko, "wait, you're traveling with your sister?" Tanjiro was about to answer until the Hashira suddenly stepped over him and drew his blade. He realized it was to protect him as another figure's blade clashed against his. As the newcomer leapt over and landed a short distance away, Tanjiro saw that it was another slayer, this one a girl close to his age.

What set her apart more was her white boots, black skirt, and white shoulder cape along with a flower clip that held her black hair in a sideways ponytail. "Lord Giyu," she spoke simply, "is that not a demon behind you?"

"Stand down, Kanao Tsuyuri," he ordered, "this one isn't a threat."

"But our orders," the now named Kanao looked suddenly unsure, "Kocho sensei told me to destroy every demon I find on this mountain."

"Then go and make sure no more remain," the Hashira directed, "I will handle this." The female slayer appeared somewhat conflicted by this. It was obvious she'd been trained to slay demons onsite without a second thought, so to hear a superior ordering her not too was beyond strange. That's why the girl did something unexpected; she pulled out a coin. "You can't be serious right now."

Kanao flipped the coin then, the moonlight glinting off it for a brief moment as it spun in the air before descending. In one fluid, practiced motion she snatched it out of the air and slapped it onto the back of her hand. "Tails," she practically whispered upon seeing the result before pocketing the coin and resuming her fighting stance once more, "I shall proceed with my orders from lady Kocho and slay every demon I find. Even the one you're defending, Lord Giyu."

With Honoka and Zenitsu

"So, um, who are all of you people exactly," Honoka asked the nearest Corp member, wondering why these particular ones had black and white-striped clothes covering their faces and black coverings over their heads. They'd shown up shortly after the butterfly lady had arrived and, after receiving a few orders from her, got to work treating all the victims of the eldest brother, including Zenitsu.

"We are known as Kakushi," the nearest one answered in a female voice, revealing herself to be a young woman, "we are members of the Demon Slayer Corps who specialize in noncombat roles. Typically, we evacuate and stabilize injured slayers, treating their wounds and transporting them to places where they can rest and recover. We also deliver important goods or documents that Kasugai Crows can't carry."

"So, you basically clean up the mess after the slayers are done?" The policewoman summed up.

"That's a crude way of putting it but not inaccurate," the Kakushi confirmed, "personally I shouldn't really be telling you any of this, but Lady Kocho seems to think it's alright."

"The butterfly girl," Honoka recalled, "yeah, how'd she do all of that? The venom was turning Zenitsu into a spider like some kind of black magic and she just whipped up an antidote up in, I don't know, two minutes!"

"I guess it would be surprising for someone who's never seen Lady Kocho at work before," the masked girl laughed, "not only is she a hashira, one of the best slayers in the Corp, but also an expert on poisons and pharmaceuticals. She creates concoctions like these all the time. Still, it's good the blond one here remembered his training and slowed the blood flow of his body with his breathing technique. He'd be far more spiderlike by now, otherwise."

"I'm just happy that he's gonna be okay," Honoka sighed, "by the way." She looked over at Zenitsu who was being put on a stretcher by two other Kakushi, "mind if I help carry him? It's the least I can do after he saved my life."

"Go right ahead," the girl smiled beneath her mask, "I'm sure the others won't mind." Had she known the results, the Kakushi never would've agreed to the woman's request.

"Alright then!" Honoka got underneath the stretcher and lifted the middle portion, holding Zenitsu above her head. She was also holding the two Kakushi up who'd been carrying the stretcher and didn't get a chance to let go. "Time to get you to the doctor!" The policewoman ran off then, carrying both the kicking and screaming Kakushi along with Zenitsu.

"Wow, she's like lady Kanroji," the girl sweat dropped, "looks like we're going to be down a couple hands for getting everyone else out of here."

Back With Tanjiro and the Others

The sound of clanging steel disturbed the peace of the forest as Giyu knocked Kanao's latest attempt away. 'She's pretty good,' he had to admit, 'Shinobu taught her well, she isn't leaving any openings long enough for me to counterattack, at least not under these circumstances.' "Tanjiro," he adjusted his stance, "can you move?"

"It hurts, but I can move a bit," the boy swordsman stood up with his sister in his arms.

"I need you to run as fast and as far as you can," Giyu instructed, "get your sister out of here. I'll hold this one off."

"I…. thank you, Tomioka," Tanjiro started to run, "I appreciate this!" Kanao obviously wouldn't let him escape and charged in again with her sword ready to swing. Just as she was about to strike, however, a voice called out.

"KANAO!" A woman in a white, butterfly haori dropped down from the trees, "stand down."

"Huh, Kocho sensei," the girl was obviously confused but stopped her attack anyway, "what's going on?"

"An order has been sent out," an old woman came into view with Susamaru and Gimiko following close behind, "please listen to this." She held out her arm and a crow possessing a necklace with a crescent moon landed on it.

"Orders from Oyakata," the crow announced, "the slayer, Tanjiro Kamado, is to be brought to the main headquarters at once! In addition, any demons who are found accompanying him are to be brought in as well!"

"Headquarters wants us to…... bring demons there, alive?" Kanao tilted her head while looking at her sensei.

"I will agree it doesn't make any sense," Shinobu nodded, the smile never leaving her face, "but they are still our orders. And Oyakata ensured we knew the seriousness of these orders. That's why he sent our senior here, Lady Momo."

"Pleased to meet you both at last," the elder woman bowed to Tanjiro and Nezuko, "I've heard about you from Urokodaki. It was already fascinating to hear that you were traveling with one demon, but to think you've potentially tamed three, this is not something that should be ignored."

"Hey, he didn't tame me, grandma," Susamaru huffed while crossing her arms, "he's just the better alternative to Muzan. And I guess, kind of sweet."

"What was that last part," Gimiko leaned her head lazily toward her.

"Nothing," the Temari Demon growled, "just answer me one question before we go: what'll they do to us at headquarters?"

"That's something we intend to figure out," Momo answered, "all the hashira have been called, so be wary. After all, they'll be among the ones determining your fate."

Omake: Extra Scene

Now that everything was calmed down, the group was talking, mostly, casually with each other. Gimiko, however, was still feeling a bit woozy and was finding it hard to concentrate on what the others were saying. Her attention kept drifting to other things like the bushes, the flowers, the chopped-up tree with…. A hollow section? The spider girl didn't know it at the time, but this was one of the trees Rui had carved up with his Blood Demon Art earlier.

But what really caught her attention was the presence of an odd flower sticking out of the hollow section. It had very thin leaves and was blue. 'Rui said something once,' Gimiko tried to remember, 'about a blue plant.' But as she thought of her self-proclaimed 'brother', all she could feel was annoyance and irritation. 'You know what, he may be dead now, but that doesn't mean I can't still get one good shot in.'

With that thought in mind, or what passed as a thought, she bent down and plucked the blue flower from the hollow section of the tree, and promptly shoved it in her mouth. It tasted awful, but she quickly ground it down with her teeth and swallowed it whole. "How do you like that, O-ni- chan!" She giggled mischievously to herself for a moment until she noticed everyone staring at her, "what?"

If only she'd known that at that same moment, several miles away, a certain man in white suit pants, a black dress shirt with messy black hair and red eyes was viewing this as the last sight before her connection to him was severed for all time. "That was," he grit his teeth, "and she just ate it?" The entirety of the fortress heard his next words, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"

And so the blue spider lily is once again lost to the world. For those wondering, yes, that scene is more or less canon. More shall be explained about what it does to Gimiko in later chapters. So in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! And for news and other cool tidbits, drop by my Pat reon! Last thing, come by next time and see what the hashiras think of dealing with not one, but three oddities among the demons! 'Til then.