Somewhere in the deep pits of Hell lies a city known as "Imp City". A city that is home to the imp race, who are known for being ranked at the very bottom of Hell's hierarchy system. But in that city lies a huge office building with horns on it. This is the headquarters for a business group known as the Immediate Murder Professionals or I.M.P for short. They are a hitman service that goes to the human world to kill any humans that screwed over any sinner demons when they were alive.
The group is made up of four members. First, there was Loona. A tall anthropomorphic female hellhound with a goth appearance. Her assigned job is the company's receptionist, who answers calls from new clients to let her co-workers know about any new target to kill, but she does go out on the field with them on occasions, as she can use her deadly claws and teeth to maul her foes. She tends to have a rude and snarky personality as well as having a short temper. She's not a big fan of her job and is often seen staring at her cellphone. However she does have a lot going on deep down as she's not the type of person to show her emotions.
Next, there was Millie. A female imp with short hair, wearing mostly black clothes and has a southern accent. She is the company's buiser, and her main weapon of choice is a large battle axe. She has a very cheerful and energetic personality and is almost never seen without a smile on her face. She also grew up on a farm with her family, but at one point, she worked as a lowly goon trying to survive in hell's hierarchy system. It wasn't until she discovered I.M.P when she would finally find a place in life.
After her, there's Moxxie. A small male imp with white hair and is also Millie's husband. The two of them met after Millie joined the company and they eventually fell in love and got married together. Millie can be quite overprotective of Moxxie and threatens to harm anyone who would dared lay a finger on him. Moxxie is also the company's weapon specialist, as he is quite knowledgeable of different kinds of weapons and his main weapon of choice is a sniper rifle. He is also a skilled songwriter and guitarist, as he has written his own music before, mostly for his darling wife Millie. But outside of that, Moxxie is often seen as the butt of the group as he constantly gets bullied by his co-workers, mostly by Loona. But he seems to be the most vocal and realistic one of the bunch.
Finally, there's the company's founder and CEO, Blitzø. He is also an imp, but is slightly tall for his race, and sports several burn marks on his skin as well as a heart shaped skull symbol on his forehead. He is also Loona's adoptive father and took her in after rescuing her from a horrible dog pound before she turned 18. Before Blitzø entered the assassination business, he worked as a clown along with his best friend in his father's circus business. However, after a huge accident that took the life of his mother, he struggled to live on his own due to his low ranking race. That's when he founded the hitman company I.M.P, which is rare for an imp like himself to do. As the company's CEO, he is very invested in making it successful and will go through anything to achieve his dreams, and out on the field, he can be overly saddistic when dealing with his tatgets, and his main weapon of choice is a flintlock pistol. However, his personality can be seen as vulgur and self-absorbed, as he can be somewhat of a jerk to other people and even his employees. But despite all this, Blitzø also has a lot going on deep down as he struggles to move on from his past after losing his mother and severing ties with those he cared about due to his bad actions. But other than that, he still tries his best to make his company successful and rise above his lowly social position.
With use of a magic book 'given' to them by a powerful prince, the four demons are able to carry out their work and help any of their targets by killing any piece of shit that screwed them over when they were still kicking. And even if there's nothing they can do about it, those sinners are never getting their money back because it's hell, and nobody cares.
One day, it was another normal day for the company. Inside the office, Loona was seen sitting at desk staring at her phone scrolling through her social media feed with a bored expression on her face, waiting for the receptionist phone to ring and have to deal with her usual day of assholes screaming in her ear, when all of a sudden…
"LOONAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Screamed a voice.
It was Moxxie, and he was seen storming out of the office's break room with a pissed off look on his face, marching over to Loona's desk. "Loona, did you eat my lunch again?!" He asked furiously.
"No." Loona replied deadpan.
"Well, this morning, I had a perfectly made ham and cheese sandwich in the fridge, and when I went to go on my break, it was GONE!"
"Well, I don't know what to tell you." Loona replied. "And throwing a pissy shit fit over it is not going to solve anything."
Moxxie growled. "Well, I already know it was you!" He scolded. "You're always the one picking on me half of the fucking time and I wouldn't be surprised that you ate my lunch again just to spite me!"
Loona then looked down at him with a blank look on her face. Just then, Millie came in. "What's going on out here?" She asked. "Whatcha screaming about Mox?"
Moxxie turned to his wife. "I'll tell you what's going on!" He then gestured over to Loona. "This meth-addicted homeless woman stole my lunch again and she keeps denying it!"
Millie gasped and glared at Loona. "Loona, is this true?" She asked.
Loona just stared at the two imps, and knew that she's just going to have to admit it just so they can get off her ass already. "Ugh, fine. Yes I did." Loona groaned. "Now will you two fuck off already? I have a long day of assholes on the phone to deal with."
Moxxie groaned in frustration. "You know how much of a pain in the ass it was to make that sandwich Loona?!"
Loona rolled her eyes. "It's just a damn sandwich, what's the big deal?"
"Well firstly," Moxxie said as he began to explain. "I had to go to the store to get more bread since the bread I had was all moldy, and this fucking asshole at the store kept bumping into me with his shopping cart for no reason, and then when I finally came back, I dropped ALL the ham on the floor by accident thanks to these GODDAMN SLIPPERY HANDS! AND-"
Millie then proceeded to sooth her husband. "Moxxie, calm down." She said. "It ain't no biggie. It's just a sandwhich."
Moxxie then took a deep breath. "Right." He sighed. "Just a sandwich. No need to get angry about it."
"Yeah and besides, I was doing that gut of yours a little favor." Said Loona, pointing at his stomach.
Just hearing that made Moxxie angry again. "How many times do we have to go through this shit?! I'M! NOT! FAT!"
Loona just smirked at him. "Really?" She asked. "Because last I checked you can't even sit on a workout ball without deflating it."
Millie then proceeded to defend her husband stepping forward to Loona. "Do NOT talk smack about my darling Moxxie you alcoholic BITCH!"
Loona then slammed her phone on her desk and leaned forward, glaring at millie. "The FUCK you say to me you little shit?!"
The two of them glared and growled at each other while Moxxie backed his wife up. It looked like a fight was about to break out and things were about to get ugly.
Meanwhile, Blitzø was seen sitting in his office while on the phone with a new client. "Uh-huh, and you said that this son of a bitch was in…Ah-Sa-Koo-Sah?" He asked while leaning back in his chair with his feet on his desk and playing with bobbleheads of Moxxie and Millie. The client was then heard rambling on the phone. "Right right. Well, you're in luck then! Me and my crew have been going on a SHIT ton of missions in Japan as of late, so we pretty much know the whole country inside and out!" More rambling was then heard on the phone. "Huh?, Oh you also want us to kill that sexy bitch that he cheated on you with?" Blitzø asked. "Well, if I were you, I would keep that skank alive just to leave her traumatized for seeing her luvy-duvy sunshine die RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! And besides, she would most likely be down here with him along with you so I don't-" Just as Blitzø was about to finish, the client told Blitzø about how much they would pay him if they killed them both. "What was that? How much money?" He asked. "DEAL! Alright then, we'll be sure to-"
Just then, Blitzø heard a loud crashing noise coming from outside his office. He then got up from his chair, still on the phone to see what all the commotion was. He looked through the windows and saw his three employees going at each other's throats and knocking over a bunch of stuff in the process. The sigh of this made Blitzø facepalm. "Christ on a stick…" he sighed and returned to the phone. "Uhhhh, right. We'll kill that piece of shit, and if we don't, your money is ours and you can go fuck yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fire to put out in the office."
Blitzø then exited his office building and walked up to his three employees. Loona swiped at Millie with her claw, but she managed to dodge it and kick her in the face. Loona then grabbed Moxxie and threw the little imp into a wall, knocking over a portrait with a bunch of horses on it and causing it to land on his head. Blitzø couldn't take any more of this and had to cease this bullshit. "STOP THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT NOW!" He exclaimed loudly, which made all of his employees stop fighting, with Loona throwing one more punch at Millie.
Blitzø then took a deep breath and began to walk up to his employees with a stern look on his face. "Alright now that all of you have ceased this bullshit," he began, "would you three mind explaining to me what the FUCK is going on out here?! I was on the phone with a client and I got RUDELY interrupted by you three having some sort of gang bang!"
"Loona's the one who started it!" Moxxie said as he ran up to them and pointed at her.
"What?! You're trying to frame me here Fatty?" Loona exclaimed and then gave a look of innocence. "I would NEVER start something like this!"
"Exactly!" Blitzo agreed. "Shame on you Moxxie for trying to frame my Loonie-Toonie for this bullshit!"
Moxxie got angry and stepped forward. "But she stole my lunch!" He said. "and she was also calling me fat again!"
"Oh, boo-hoo!" Blitzø said, making a crying motion with his hands. "That is NO reason to throw this fucking shit fit! And besides Mox, you HAVE been looking a little large as a barge lately…" he then wrapped his arm around Moxxie and patted his stomach which Moxxie immediately reacted by swatting his arm away. "I fucking hate you two, so much." Moxxie said to Blitzø and Loona.
"Oh don't worry about it, Fatty." Loona said with a smirk. "I hate you too. And besides, they WERE the actual ones who started it because the old lady here," Loona gestured over to Millie. "called me an alcohol bitch!"
"Firstly," Millie began, "I'm not THAT old, and secondly, I was only trying to defend my Moxxie here!"
"Yeah," Loona said smugly. "Trying to defend him from being a fatass."
Millie got angry and looked like she was about to start another fight as she reached for her axe. "Do you wanna go again, huh bitch?"
"Oh bring it on you skank!" Loona said as she unsheathed her claws.
Blitzø then rushed in to stop them. "Oh no you guys fucking don't!" The two of them immediately haunted their inevitable fight. "Look, I get it, you two are both pretty, especially you Loonie, but need I remind you all to act more maturely around here?!"
Moxxie scoffed at that comment. "Oh that's rich coming from you Mr. 'I'm gonna stalk my employees in their apartment to watch them fuck!'" He retorted, while lifting the portrait off his head.
"Okay firstly Moxxie," Blitzø began pointing his finger at him. "Fuck you for ruining my favorite horse portrait. Secondly, yes I do act a bit…rough around the edges outside of work…"
Moxxie scoffed again. "OUTSIDE of work?! Your inappropriate behavior even displays DURING work! Like the multiple times you tried hitting on some of our clients you miserable fuckwad!"
Blitzø then got into Moxxie's face. "Yes, and I'm TRYING TO FUCKING IMPROVE HERE!" He then proceeded to walk around the office explaining his business. "For we are a professional company! It's our duty to make sure are image has the best reputation and we don't fuck it up by acting like a bunch of fucking infantile REEEeeeeally can't use that word anymore!" He then stopped walking and got in front of his workers. "Could you imagine if a client walked in on us doing this fucking bullshit?!"
Just then, the four of them heard their office door swing open. A new client had just come in. Blitzø then sighed and rubbed his temples. "KINDA LIKE THAT!"
"Well, you are the one that's currently acting like that Mr. Hypocrite." Moxxie retorted, which made Blitzø sigh and slap Moxxie across the face. "Whatever, let's just see what this fucker wants already." He then cleared his throat and turned to meet the client. "Hello, what can we-"
Blitzø immediately stopped as he saw the client's dark appearance. He had a gloomy look on his face and had a long black mullet with green streaks at the end and huge horns coming out of his head. He had skin that looked like it was made of pure stone and was wearing a burgundy kimono with some sort of wolf pattern on it. And he also had a scar across his neck as if it was sliced across with some sort of blade. He then began to walk slowly up to the four demons, who all had weirded out and shocked looks on their faces.
"Uhhh, is he doin' okay?" Millie asked. "Cause he looks like he has been possessed."
Hearing this made Blitzø's eye bug out. "Oh shit, it's a FUCKING GHOST!" He exclaimed and began to freak out. "I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN ONE DAY! EVERYONE, DEFEND THE OFFICE! NOW!" He then immediately jumped behind Loona's desk to hide.
"Oh god dammit." Loona sighed as he unsheathed her claws while Moxxie and Millie pulled out their weapons. The sinner was still ominously approaching while Moxxie and Millie were gripping their weapons tight while Loona had a bored expression on her face, and Blitzø was shaking in fear behind the desk. The sinner was then standing in front of them.
"Hello." The sinner said. "Are you the individuals known as 'The Immediate Murder Professionals'?"
Blitzø peeked behind the desk and looked at the supposed 'possessed' client. "Uh, n-n-no! I-I think you have the wrong address." He said nervously. "Now fuck off already!"
The sinner then gave him a confused look. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Because I could've sworn it said 'I.M.P' on that door over there."
Blitzø then looked even more nervous and began sweating. "Oh, t-that stands for something else! Totally not what you're looking for!
Moxxie sighed in annoyance. "You're not making this situation better sir."
"Shut the fuck up Moxxie…" Blitzø said through his teeth.
The sinner then gave a look of disappointment and sighed. "Well that's rather unfortunate." He said. "Because I'm seeking revenge on a certain human beyond the grave."
Hearing this made Blitzø get his head straight. This sinner wasn't 'possessed', he was just rather strange. He then got up from behind the desk and walked up to him. "Ohhhhh, you ARE a normal client." He said while adjusting his jacket. "For a second there I thought you were possessed by a ghost but you're just REALLY fucking weird." The sinner looked offended from hearing that. "Yes, we ARE the I.M.P you're looking for and-" Blitzø then took a sniff but then immediately coughed in disgust. "Wow, you sir, REEK of the living world."
"Are you trying to mock me here?!" The sinner said, looking very offended and getting into Blitzø's face.
"Uh, n-no sir!" Said Blitzø nervously. "What I mean is-"
"What he means is that you must've died VERY recently." Moxxie said.
The sinner then sat down in a nearby chair. "Yeah, just last night." He said. He then noticed Loona and looked amused. "Hm, I see that you have a pet wolf of your own as well." He remarked. "Impressive."
Loona looked very offended and let out a small growl. "Excuse me?!" She said, "Firstly, I'm NOT a wolf. I'm a hellhound. Secondly, I'm also NOT a pet! I'm-"
"She's my DAUGHTER!" Blitzø said, pulling Loona close to him.
"Only on paper." Loona said, rolling her eyes.
"Shame on you for thinking that!" Blitzø exclaimed to the sinner.
"Ooh, you had your own pet wolf in the living world?" Millie asked, looking quite amused. "That's pretty badass of you!"
"Well thank you for the compliment." Said the sinner. "And I can see that yours isn't artificial."
Loona shot a glare at the sinner. "Artifi- what the actual fuck are you on about?" She asked, looking more annoyed than usual.
"Anyways," The sinner said, completely ignoring Loona. "I'm not here to make friends with you freaks, I'm here because I want you to take care of my unfinished business"
Blitzø then cleared his throat. "Right right of course." He said and pulled out a little notebook and pencil from his pocket and then wrapped his arm around the sinner's shoulder. "So, mind telling us what this little shithead looked like and how he fucked you over?"
The sinner then slowly removed Blitzø's arm from his shoulder. "Please do not touch me." He said coldly. He then began to explain to the four hellborns about what happened to him back up on earth. "Well…you see…"
MEANWHILE BACK ON EARTH…
Back at the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu was seen patching up Tanjiro's wounds from his previous mission. He didn't receive any major injuries, but he sprained his arm after one of the stone wolves bit into it. So Shinobu began to patch his arm up by wrapping it into a cast.
"There we go!" She said with a smile. "It should be all healed up in a couple hours!"
"Thank you Ms. Shinobu." Said Tanjiro.
Kiyo, Sumi and Naho were also there, relieved that Tanjiro survived his mission. "Oh Mr. Tanjiro!" Said Naho.
"We're so happy that you made it back safe!" Said Sumi.
Tanjiro gave the three girls a smile. "Thank you girls."
Zenitsu was also there and he was crying in relief that Tanjiro came back from his mission safe and sound. "OHHH TANJIRO! THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE OKAY!" He exclaimed. He ran up to him and then grabbed him by his shirt. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD EVER DO IF YOU DID NOT SURVIVE!"
Tanjiro chuckled. "Don't worry Zenitsu. I'm completely fine." He reassured. "I'm glad you all are concerned for me, but I'm fine."
Inosuke was leaning on Tanjiro's bed and was up in his face. "So what was that demon like huh?!" He eagerly asked. "Was it tough? Or was it super weak and easy to take down?"
Tanjiro laughed again at Inosuke's eagerness. "Well, he was a pretty tough opponent." He began to explain. "I struggled against him due to me also having to protect a woman while I was fighting him. If Nezuko wasn't there to help me out, I would've lost."
Zenitsu was taken aback from hearing Tanjiro's story and began shaking in fear. "Oh that sounds awful! Thank goodness I didn't have to take that demon on… There's no way I would've survived something like that!"
"Well, what matters now is that the demon has been defeated." Said Tanjiro. "Now, those mysterious murders that have been happening will now be put to rest, and I will no longer get distracted during my training."
Shinobu smiled. "That's great to hear." She said "But for now, you should probably rest for a while. Your arm still needs some time to heal before you can start training again."
Tanjiro nodded at Shinobu's statement. "I understand." He said. "Thank you for the support!"
"Oh don't mention it." Said Shinobu. "Now, I have another mission to attend to. I hope you three demon slayers do great work!"
Zenitsu smiled at Shinobu's statement. "Oh Ms. Shinobu! I promise I will do good! anything for you!"
"Heh!" Inosuke smirked. "I'm gonna get so strong that I can take all of you on! No one is a match for the god of the mountains!"
Zenitsu groaned in annoyance from Inosuke's eagerness. "When will you ever learn to stop being so obnoxious…" he muttered.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Inosuke exclaimed as he overheard Zenitsu's muttering.
"Alright settle down you two." Said Tanjiro. "We should save our energy for when we start training today."
"Hold on Mr. Tanjiro!" Said Sumi. "Your arm still needs some time to heal after that horrible battle!"
"We wouldn't want you to become more injured than you already are!" Said Naho.
"Oh, right." Tanjiro replied, and then turned to Zenitsu and Inosuke. "Well then, you two go on ahead without me. I still need some time to heal after my battle."
Zenitsu nodded while Inosuke crossed his arms.
"Oh, and while we're at it, we'll prepare you some nice treats for you to eat while you rest, Mr. Tanjiro!" Said Kiyo.
"Thank you girls. I appreciate it." Said Tanjiro.
"Alright then! Time to start getting stronger than before!" Shouted Inosuke as he rushed down to the training area while laughing.
"H-hey!" Stuttered Zenitsu "Slow down and wait up!"
Tanjiro then let out a sigh and began to rest so his arm could heal while also waiting for the girls to prepare his meal for him.
MEANWHILE BACK IN HELL…
The sinner demon finished explaining to Blitzø and his crew about what happened to him back on earth. "And that's why I want you to destroy this bastard! I must take my revenge for what he did to me!"
"Uh-huh." Blitzø nodded. "So let me get this straight. You want us to kill this kid who is also a goddamn swordsman?"
"Correct." Replied the demon. "He and those other swordsmen always get in us other demons' way when we're just minding our own business."
The four hellborn demons were confused when hearing that statement. "Now hold on just a moment there." Said Millie. "What do you mean by 'other demons?'. You just got down here!"
"Maybe he already started bonding with his new fellow sinners." Replied Loona.
"Look, what matters to us now is killing this piece of shit for our brand new client!" Said Blitzø, as he was eager to earn some more money.
"Right." Said the sinner. "Now, how much is this going to cost?"
"Well, normally we kill children for free." Said Blitzo. "But since this fuckhead you described to us is a swordsman, we're gonna have to charge you for this kill."
The sinner then gave a look of disappointment. "Oh, alright then." He didn't have a lot of money as when he was alive, the demon king Muzan Kibutsuji didn't pay the lower ranked demons that much in comparison to the 12 demon moons, but thankfully, he managed to swipe some money from his victims that he killed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out all the money that he had. "Well um…I don't really have a lot." He said. Blitzø then gave a small glare. "But, will four bucks suffice?" He asked, pulling out his money.
Blitzø then looked at the money and then gave a shrug. "Eh, good enough." He said.
Moxxie looked a little bit worried about this mission. "Oh man, I hate going on missions like these." He said nervously. "It's just a child! Chances are he couldn't have done anything wrong!"
This got the sinner very offended. "Excuse me?" He exclaimed while glaring at Moxxie. "That child was a bastard who didn't know how to mind his own business! I want him DEAD as soon as possible!"
"Yeah Mox, don't be such a pusshole!" agreed Blitzø. "This kid is a swordsman! So there's a pretty good chance this little shit isn't innocent!" He then turned to the demon. "Now, would you mind telling us what this little shit looked like?"
"Well, he's a teenager with brown hair, wears a green and black checkered haori, and has a scar on his forehead." Explained the sinner.
Hearing this got Moxxie relieved. "Oh this makes me feel so much better." He sighed. "If it's some piece of shit teenager, then I'll be happy to take him down!"
Millie giggled at her husband's enthusiasm. "Oh Mox, I love it when you get all eager and serious!"
"You said it Mills!" Said Blitzø. "I always get excited whenever I get to kill teenagers! Lastly, mind telling us where this fucker lives? We can't kill him if we don't know where he is of course."
"He lives in Japan." The sinner replied. "I'm not sure he lives though as where those swordsmen hide is currently unknown, and they seem to be wandering all over the country looking for other demons."
Blitzø was then flabbergasted when he mentioned the demon part again. "Again with the fucking demon mention! Why do you-" Blitzø then let out a sigh. "Nevermind, well you didn't give us much information for where he lives, but you're in luck! You see, we've been going on a SHIT ton of missions to Japan as of late so we practically know the place inside and out at this point! In fact we just got another client earlier giving us a new target which happens to be in, surprise surprise, Japan!" He then got up in the sinner's face. "So the chances are, we could end up spotting that little shit that you just described to us." He then booped the sinner on the nose. "Boop."
"Don't touch me." The sinner said coldly.
Moxxie then gave a look of confusion. "Hold on sir. We got another target not too long ago?' He asked.
Blitzø turned to Moxxie and then gave him a look of innocence. "Yes we did Moxxie! And I could've told you about it sooner if you weren't…" he then grabbed Moxxie angrily and started shouting in his face. "OUT HERE CAUSING A SHITSTORM!"
Moxxie then let out a loud groan. "For the last fucking time, it was Loona who started it!"
"Stop trying to shift the blame on me, Fatty." Retorted Loona.
"Um guys." Millie butted in. "We shouldn't get off topic. Remember, we've got some nasty pieces of shit to kill!"
Blitzø then dropped Moxxie and cleared his throat. "Right. Like I said, if we find that little fucker out on this mission, then we'll be sure to take care of him for you. Now, Loonie?" He then gestured to his adoptive daughter.
She then let out a sigh and put down her phone. "Yeah, yeah. I got you." She said as she pulled out some sort of magic book and opened it while Millie drew a pentagram on the wall with a piece of chalk. Just then, the portal started glowing red and turned into some sort of magic portal, which was a portal from hell to the living world.
"Alright M&M, are you two ready for this?" Blitzø asked his two employees.
The married couple looked ready to go as they grabbed their weapons. Moxxie grabbed his sniper rifle while Millie grabbed her large battle axe. "Ready as ever B!" Replied Millie happily.
Blitzø then turned to the sinner. "And remember, if we don't find that fucker during our mission, then…your money is ours and you're never getting it back!" He retorted. "You can write us a bad review or whatever but we'll play dumb to it! Because this is hell, and nobody fucking cares!"
The sinner then stepped forward. "Hold on a moment." He said. "Am I not allowed to come with you guys?"
"Sorry, but nope!" Replied Blitzø.
"But why? I want to help out with getting my revenge against that bastard! Since he was the one who killed me!" The sinner complained.
"Well tough fucking luck!" Said Blitzø with a smirk. "Sinners aren't allowed to travel to the living world after they have died so… sucks to be to you!"
Blitzø and his two employees then entered the portal and then it immediately closed. The sinner looked even more disappointed and frustrated than ever. He was really looking forward to a rematch with that wretched demon slayer, and now it won't happen because he's stuck down here no matter what. Loona then walked up to him.
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, they almost NEVER let me come with them on those missions." She said.
"I don't want your sympathy wolfie." The sinner replied looking annoyed.
"I-I'm not a-!" Loona then let out a loud groan and stormed off.
BACK ON EARTH…
Back at the Butterfly Mansion, Zenitsu and Inosuke were seen training as hard as they could. Inosuke was lifting some heavy weights while Zenitsu was seen doing some push ups with Kiyo sitting on his back counting while he was doing it.
"497…498…499…500!" Zenitsu then collapsed on the ground and was catching his breath.
"Oh man…" He sighed. "If I have to do anymore my arms will pop off of my body!"
"Ha!" Insouke exclaimed. "Of course someone as weak as you would say that! I'm doing just fine! I could do about a hundred more!"
Zenitsu growled angrily. "SHUT UP ALREADY!" He shouted. "I'M TRYING MY BEST HERE!"
"DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP!" Inosuke shouted back. "HOW ABOUT YOU FIGHT ME HEAD ON RIGHT NOW!"
Kiyo shuttered as things were about to get ugly. "O-oh! Please stop fighting!" She said. "Naho and Sumi are preparing some meals, so if you guys would like to stop to take breather, then now would be a great time."
Inosuke perked up when hearing the mention of food, and then he immediately began to rush to the the dining area. "One side! Coming through!" He shouted as he shoved Zenitsu out of the way. Zenitsu groaned to himself and followed him to the dining area.
In the dining area, Inosuke was quickly chowing down on his food which consisted of shrimp tempura and rice balls. He was also getting scraps and crumbs everywhere. Zenitsu sighed at Inosuke's obnoxious eating and was having trouble focusing on his meal due to it. So, he got up while carrying his food and decided to go check on Tanjiro.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Inosuke. "Are you not hungry? If so, I'll be happy to take your food!"
"No you idiot!" Zenitsu replied. "I'm just going to go check on Tanjiro. I'll be right back."
"Well if he has any leftover food, be sure to bring some to me!" Inosuke said.
Zenitsu sighed and began to make his way to Tanjiro's room. Tanjiro was seen eating a meal of his own while also enjoying himself. His arm still needed some time to heal, but he didn't really mind. Just then, he noticed Zenitsu entering the room. "Oh, hey there Zenitsu." He said. "Are you here to check up on me?"
Zenitsu then walked up to him. "Um, yes." He replied. "And also because Inosuke is being super obnoxious. I'm unable to focus on my meal because he's eating loudly and getting scraps everywhere."
Tanjiro laughed when he heard this. "Well, that's just Inosuke for you!"
Zenitsu let out a small growl. "S-Stop laughing! You probably would've done the same thing if you were in that situation!" He shouted. He then grumpily took a bite from his rice ball. "So, how is your arm feeling?" He then asked. "Is it feeling any better?"
Tanjiro looked at Zenitsu smiling at his concern. "Well, it is still hurting a little bit, but it should be feeling better in no time." He replied as he took a bite of tempura. "I do wish I could train with you guys, as I do have a lot of energy now after defeating the culprit behind the mysterious murders. I still wonder what that demon's goal was."
Zenitsu shuddered at the mention of the demon. "Oh please stop mentioning that demon already!" He frantically replied. "It's all in the past now and we should be talking about SOMETHING ELSE! Like uhhh…" Zenitsu then cleared his throat and gave Tanjiro a smirk. "How has Nezuko been doing?"
Tanjiro was taken aback from Zenitsu's response. "Oh, uh… She's been doing alright. A bit shaken up from that last battle, but she's fine."
"That's great to hear!" Zenitsu said. "May I uh…see her?"
"Uhhh…I think she needs to rest a little bit." Tanjiro said. "So it's best if she wasn't disturbed for now."
"Oh, I understand." Zenitsu pouted as he took another bite of his rice ball. "But I'm glad that your mind has been feeling a lot better after defeating that demon. Once you're all healed up, will you start training with us again?"
Tanjiro gave a big smile at Zenitsu's question. "Absolutely Zenitsu." He said. "But for now, I think we should eat for now." He then went back to eating his meal. Zenitsu gave a nod of agreement and then went back to eating his own meal.
THAT EVENING…
Later in the evening Tanjiro was seen resting in his bed as his arm was still healing. Zenitsu and Inosuke were still out there training some more and he was waiting for them to get back. He was also working on his total concentration breathing as he rested in his bed. But then, suddenly…
"SQUAWK! SQUAWK!"
Tanjiro heard the sound of a Kasugai Crow squawking as it flew over to the Butterfly Mansion.
"TWO MYSTERIOUS CIVILIAN CASUALTIES WERE SPOTTED IN ASAKUSA! THE CULPRIT WAS NOT FOUND BUT IT IS SUSPECTED THAT A DEMON IS BEHIND THIS MURDER!"
Tanjiro gasped when he heard this and immediately got out of bed and ran over to a spare room to put his demon slayer uniform on. He then grabbed Nezuko's box and strapped it on his shoulders and tied his sword belt around his waist and immediately sprinted through the Butterfly Mansion.
He couldn't believe what he just heard from the Kasugai crow. "This can't be!" He thought. "How is this possible?!" He sprinted past Kiyo who was carrying a basket full of laundry and was shocked as she saw Tanjiro race past her.
"Mr. Tanjiro! Wait!" She shouted and immediately ran after him.
Out in the gardens, Zenitsu and Inosuke were training as hard as they could. Suddenly, the two of them spotted Tanjiro running out of the mansion.
"Huh, hey Gonpachiro!" Shouted Inosuke. "Where are you headed off to?"
Tanjiro stopped in his tracks as he heard Inosuke's question. "There's no time to explain!" He shouted. "I need to head over to-"
"Mr. Tanjiro! Where are you going?!" Kiyo ran out of the Butterfly Mansion followed by Naho and Sumi.
"You shouldn't scare us like that!" Said Naho.
"I-I'm headed over to Asakusa!" He replied. "A Kasugai Crow arrived informing me of another mysterious murder!'
"That must've been for another slayer here!" Said Sumi. "You can't go Mr. Tanjiro! Your arm isn't fully healed yet!"
"But I need to head over there now!" Tanjiro replied. "I must make sure it isn't what I think it is!"
"Tanjiro, you need to listen to them!" Shouted Zenitsu while sounding extremely worried. "If you encounter a strong demon with an injured arm, you are guaranteed to not come back!" He then ran up to Tanjiro and grabbed him by his shirt. "PLEASE DON'T GO OVER THERE TANJIRO I'M BEGGING YOU! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE AROUND HERE BESIDES NEZUKO WHO CAN PROTECT ME! IF YOU DIE THEN THERE'S NO CHANCE THAT I WILL BE SAFE AROUND HERE!"
"I-I understand what you're saying Zenitsu, but-" He was then soon interrupted by a voice.
"What is the meaning of this?" Tanjiro turned and his eyes immediately widened. It was Shinobu, as she walked over to the commotion. She also had a stern look on her face. "Tanjiro Kamado, would you mind explaining to me what is going on here?" She asked.
Tanjiro didn't know what to say next. He just stood there with a nervous expression on his face. He knew that he had to explain to Shinobu what was going on since she was a Hashira, and they can be pretty strict at times. "Well, um, you see Ms Shinobu," He began to explain. "I got word from a Kasugai Crow that another mysterious murder was spotted in Asakusa. I need to head over there now to make sure that it's not what I think it is."
Shinobu listened to Tanjiro's words and then slowly walked up to him. "Tanjiro, the demon behind those mysterious murders was defeated." She explained. "It's very doubtful that the victims at Asakusa were killed in a similar fashion. Besides, your arm still needs some time to heal. Please head back to your bed and continue to rest your arm."
Tanjiro knew he had to listen to Shinobu, as a Demon Slayer should never disobey what a Hashira tells them. But at the same time, he still wanted to make a quick investigation to see what happened to the victims in the attack. "Just listen!" He pleaded. "I just want to head over there for a quick investigation, and then I'll head back. Besides, I think my arm is starting to feel a little better." Tanjiro then took one step forward. "So please, I promise I will be okay."
Shinobu then stood there for a moment and thought to herself. She saw how desperate Tanjiro was to head over to Asakusa and investigate what happened. Then, she let out a sigh. "Alright then. But are you sure what you'll be doing there is worthwhile?"
Tanjiro nodded. "Yes Ms Shinobu."
"Alright then, I will allow you to go." She replied.
Kiyo, Sumi and Naho butted in. "Wait Ms. Shinobu!" Said Naho. "Don't you think you should examine his arm first to see how much it has healed?"
Shinobu turned to the three girls and then nodded in agreement. "You're right." She said and then turned back over to Tanjiro. "Come with me real quick Tanjiro." She then walked back inside of the Butterfly Mansion with Tanjiro following her from behind.
In the medical room, Shinobu unwrapped Tanjiro's cast from his arm and then examined it. "Hmmm…" she said. "It looks like it has healed greatly, but it's still a little bit injured." She then gave Tanjiro a stern look. "You are still able to go, but please don't stay for too long. Another encounter with a demon could injure your arm more than it already is."
Tanjiro listened to Shinobu's words and nodded. "Understood Ms Shinobu. I promise that I will not be gone for too long."
"Alright. Good look out there Tanjiro." Said Shinobu.
Outside of the Butterfly Mansion, Zenitsu, Inosuke and the three butterfly girls were wishing Tanjiro good luck, as with an injured arm, things wouldn't go well. "Please stay safe out there Mr. Tanjiro!" Said Sumi.
"You know it's not too late to turn back Tanjiro!" Said Zenitsu frantically. "With that injured arm of yours there's no way you'll be able to survive and without you no one will be able to protect me!"
Tanjiro gave them a reassured smile. "Don't worry guys. I promise I will return safely."
Kiyo wiped her face with a tissue as Tanjiro was about to leave. "Good luck out there Mr. Tanjiro!"
Tanjiro then turned around and took a deep breath. "Alright, here I go." He thought in confidence. He then began to exit the Butterfly Mansion and make his way over to Asakusa. A Kasugai Crow was also guiding him to make sure that he was both safe and wouldn't lose his way.
Tanjiro remembered that he had been to Asakusa before. That was when he first encountered the demon king Muzan Kibutsuji for the first time. Granted, he got away due to him distracting him by turning another human into a demon, but he still swore that he would hunt the demon king down and defeat him. He also met another demon named Tamayo there, who is actually a demon who broke free from Muzan's grasp and doesn't eat demons. She is also a doctor who is looking for a cure to turn a demon back into a human, and Tanjiro is currently trying to help her with it by obtaining the blood of an upper rank demon. But as for now, Tanjiro has something more important to focus on, and that being to investigate what had happened here.
Soon enough, Tanjiro arrived at Asakusa and it was brighter than ever, with many of its huge buildings lit up and trolleys strolling down the street. Since Tanjiro grew up in the mountains, he never got caught up with Japan's more modern society so when he first arrived here, it was too overwhelming for him, and it's just as overwhelming now. "Oh dear." Tanjiro said. "This city is just as bright as ever! Coming back here might be too much for me." Tanjiro then got his thoughts together as his main focus was to investigate the murder that had happened.
Tanjiro walked through the city streets looking to see if anything here was off. The first thing he noticed was that there weren't that many people out tonight. But this was expected as it was night time and the people here should be in bed by now. Tanjiro then continued his search through the city. While the bright city lights were a bit distracting for him, he pressed on. But then, all of a sudden…
"AHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" Tanjiro heard the sound of a woman shouting and turned around and saw a huge crowd of people gathered around something. There were also a few police officers at the scene.
"Everyone settle down! We'll catch whatever culprit is behind this at once!" Said one of the officers.
Tanjiro then gasped and quickly rushed to the scene. When he arrived, he slowly walked up to the crowd. "U-um, Excuse me!" He said to one of the civilians. "What happened here?"
The civilian didn't respond as he was still in shock at what he was witnessing.
Tanjiro knew he had to find out what had happened. So without hesitation, he began to make his way through the crowd. He pushed his way through and also apologized to anyone he might've shoved out of the way. "I-I'm so sorry!" He said. "I need to see what has happened!"
When Tanjiro got to the front of the crowd, he gasped at what he saw. There in front of him, was a man and what looked like his girlfriend lying on the ground dead and had blood all over them. Tanjiro stood there in shock and began shaking. And when he got a look at their wound, his heart sank like it was being weighted by an anchor. All over them were bullet holes and they had severed limbs. Just like the ones from the mysterious murders that have been happening.
Tanjiro couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. "T-This can't be! This shouldn't be!" He thought to himself. "How is this possible?!"
Just then, two of the police officers walked up to him. "Hey, what do you think you're doing kid?!" One of them shouted. "Step back!"
Tanjiro heard the officer's call and turned around to face them. "I-I'm sorry!" He called. "I just needed to investigate what happened here!"
"Kid, this isn't your concern." Another officer said. "We have this all under control. So step back and let us handle this at once."
Tanjiro stood there for a moment and sighed sadly. "Understood." He replied.
A few moments later, some blankets were placed over the dead couple and the two were taken away. Everyone stood there as they watched as the bodies were removed from the scene and were confused and scared at what just happened. "Mommy?" said a little girl to her mother. "Are those sleeping people going to be okay?"
The mother looked down at her child and comforted her. "I-I'm afraid not sweetie." she said. "This is just how life is. At some points due to unfortunate situations, people will fall asleep and never wake up…"
Tears started to form in the child's eye when she heard this and her mother soothed her. The sight of this made Tanjiro both sad and angry. The sight of a horrible demon's doing making a child cry was truly unacceptable. He hoped one day all this demon nonsense would be put to an end, but at the same time, he also couldn't believe that the two were killed in the similar fashion.
"Alright everyone, the situation has been taken care of." Said one of the policemen. "You all may resume what you were doing before."
Everyone began to walk away sadly and frightened. They thought that this city wasn't safe anymore due to what just happened. Tanjiro then sighed sadly and began to walk away. He then came to the conclusion that the demon he slayed last night was not the true culprit behind the mysterious murders. But how? Even with all the evidence, that demon wasn't the one? Nevertheless, he began to walk back to the Butterfly Mansion in defeat.
As he was walking back, he passed by a familiar face when he last visited Asakusa. "Oh, it's you again! Didn't think I would see you back here!" It was the udon shop owner Toyo, and he was preparing a bowl of udon for another customer who was there.
"Oh, hello again." Said Tanjiro sadly.
The shop owner noticed Tanjiro was feeling down. "Hey why the glum face kid?" He asked. "Would a nice bowl of udon cheer you up?"
Tanjiro looked up at him and thought to himself for a moment. He still needed to take in what he had seen back there, but a nice meal would help ease him down a little. "Yes, that would be nice." He whispered. "One bowl of udon please, and with yam."
"Coming right up." Said Toyo, as he began to prepare Tanjiro's udon. Tanjiro then sat down on a bench and thought about the dead couple. He wanted to deny that the demon he had slain was the wrong demon he was after, but then again, judging by the wounds of the couple, it was more than likely that this was true.
Eventually, Toyo was finished with making Tanjiro's udon and handed it to him. "Here's your udon with yam. Let me know how you like it." He said.
Tanjiro then took the bowl from him. "T-Thank you." He responded, and began to slowly eat with a sad look on his face.
The shop owner looked at Tanjiro slowly eating. He was surprised as the last time Tanjiro was here, he finished his bowl in a matter of seconds, and he even ordered two bowls! "Something isn't right here." He thought. "He finished my udon very quickly last time he was here! Unless…" He then got up to him. "Hey kid! Are you not enjoying my udon?! You loved it the last time you were here!"
Tanjiro then heard him and turned around. "O-oh, n-no sir! The udon is delicious. It's just, I have something on my mind right now."
Toyo listened to Tanjiro's words and understood what he was saying. "Oh, I understand." He said. "Hopefully my udon will cheer you right back up!"
Tanjiro nodded. "Yeah, maybe it will. I promise to savor every bite." He then went back to eating his udon. Ater he was finished eating, he handed the bowl back to Toyo. "Thank you for the great meal." He said sadly.
Toyo then took the bowl from Tanjiro. He was happy that he enjoyed the udon, but he knew it wasn't enough to cheer him up. "Anytime kid. Anytime." He said.
Then, Tanjiro got up and began to continue making his way back to the Butterfly Mansion. As he was walking, he still couldn't get his mind off of what happened and began thinking to himself. "I don't understand." He thought to himself sadly. "If that demon wasn't the one behind the murders, then who was?"
MEANWHILE…
Out in a dark forest, Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie were walking through a pathway after their mission and were feeling a great sense of accomplishment. "Woo-hoo! Fuck yeah!" Exclaimed Blitzø. "Those two fuckers didn't stand a chance against us!"
Millie giggled to herself. "I just loved the looks on their faces when I sliced them all up!" She said cheerfully.
Moxxie laughed at his wife's energetic attitude. "Oh Millie, I just love it when you're full of energy after a good kill!" He said.
Millie then playfully pulled his husband in for a hug. "Ya know Mox, when we get back I think I should… reward you for being so nice to me!" She said in a kinky tone.
Moxxie let out a lustful chuckle. "Oh Millie, you naughty naughty girl…" But then he turned around and saw Blitzø standing behind him with a mischievous grin on his face. The sight of this instantly made him groan and facepalm. "Millie, why did you have to say that with HIM in front of us?!" He complained. "Now he's guaranteed to follow us home and try to watch us!"
Millie realized this and felt quite sheepish. "Oh. My bad."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Mox!" Said Blitzø innocently. "I promise I'm not gonna do anything…"
"I can't tell by the tone of your voice that you're lying sir." Moxxie replied with a deadpan look on his face.
"What? Me? Lie? I would never!" Said Blitzø.
Moxxie rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Yeah…sure you wouldn't." He said sarcastically.
Blitzø then stretched his back as he was ready to head back to hell. "Welp, I guess that's another pair of shit-stained fucks down." He said in confidence. "Guess it's time to head back now." He then began to pull out his phone to call Loona and tell her they're ready to head back.
"Wait hold on sir!" Moxxie said as he stopped his boss in his tracks. "What about that other target that our client today told us about?"
"Eh, fuck em." He said as he continued to call Loona. "We did tell him that if we didn't spot him then he could go fuck himself."
Moxxie just stared at him for a moment. "Okay then." he said.
"Awww…" Millie sighed. "But this kinda leaves us with an unsatisfying ending."
"Well tough fucking luck Mills." Said Blitzø. "Besides, I'm sure we'll find him the next time, and if we don't, then that client's money is still as good as our's."
As Blitzø was about to call his adoptive daughter, Millie then heard the sound of footsteps in the distance and gasped. "Shit! Quick! Hide!" She shouted. "Someone's coming!"
"Oh, fuck me!" Said Blitzø as he and his two employees quickly jumped into a nearby bush. The three of them took a peek behind the bush to see what was coming. They then saw Tanjiro walking down the pathways that they were just on. He still had a glum look on his face due to what he saw earlier.
"Tch. It's just some kid." Blitzø scoffed. "He'll probably think we're some weirdos in costumes."
Moxxie then took out a pair of binoculars from his pocket and looked through them to get a closer look at him. "Hold on a moment…" He said suspiciously. "Redish hair, green checkered jacket, what looks to be some sort of scar on his forehead…" Soon enough, he then came to a conclusion as he put the binoculars down. "That must be the kid our client was talking about!" He exclaimed.
Hearing this made Blitzø's eyes widen as he didn't want to miss an opportunity for another good kill. "Well what the fuck are you waiting for Mox?! Shoot him already!" He said.
"Uh, r-right on it sir!" he said as he pulled out his sniper rifle and aimed it at Tanjiro's head.
Meanwhile, as Tanjiro was walking through the forest, he immediately stopped as he felt something was off. He then sniffed the air. "That scent…" he whispered. "Something isn't right here. I have never felt this scent before. And I'm picking up three of each, but with their own difference between them." Tanjiro then examined his surroundings to see if anything was nearby.
"Hold on…I'm also picking up the scent of…" Moxxie then fired his rifle at Tanjiro. "A gun!" Tanjiro then saw the bullet coming towards him. He immediately then drew his sword and quickly blocked the bullet with it. This confirmed to him that something was definitely nearby, but based on the scent he was picking up, it definitely wasn't a human.
Meanwhile, the three hellborn demons were taken aback at what they just saw. "Woah, I did NOT see that coming." Blitzø said in shock.
"Yep, that's DEFINITELY our target." Said Moxxie.
"Huh, what makes you say that Mox?" Millie asked in confusion.
"Well, our client did mention that our target was a swordsman." Explained Moxxie. "So this pretty much confirms that this is the right one."
Tanjiro gripped his sword tightly and began to slowly walk around the area to search for what had shot at him. "Whoever it was that did that, come out this instant!" He shouted.
"Shit! He knows we're onto him now." Said Blitzø looking worried now.
"Got any bright ideas sir?" Asked Millie.
Blitzø then thought of a plan for a moment. Then, on a whim, he came up with one. "Well, looks like our only option now is to jump the little shit. So when he gets into a close enough range, and I say go, we jump him." He said as he explained his plan.
"Got it Blitzø." Said Millie.
The three of them waited for Tanjiro to get into a good enough position as the young demon slayer walked around the forest. He was secretly in shock due to the bullet that tried to hit him, but he knew he had to focus on finding the demons that were hiding in this very forest. As the three hellborns continued to wait, Moxxie felt something crawling up against him. "M-Millie, are your fingers against my arm?" He whispered.
Millie tuned to her husband. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Moxxie's eyes widened and looked down. He then saw a big spider crawling up his arm. He then let out a gasp and was just about to scream, but Blitzø immediately covered his mouth.
"DON'T! FUCKING! THINK ABOUT IT!" He loudly whispered. "If you act like a little pusshole then you're gonna ruin our chance!"
Blitzø then took his hand off Moxxie's mouth, who inhaled and sighed. "Sorry sir." The three of them continued to wait while Moxxie shuddered at the feeling of the spider crawling up his arm. He then crossed his fingers and began to beg quietly. "Please don't bite…please don't bite…please don't bite…please for the ever loving fuck please don't bite…" Unfortunately, the spider obviously didn't listen and bit down on Moxxie's arm.
"YEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWW!" Moxxie shouted! "GET IT OFF ME GET IF OFF ME GET IT OFF ME!"
Blitzø let out a loud groan of annoyance. "God fucking dammit Moxxie! Do you ever do ANYTHING right for once?!"
Tanjiro heard Moxxie's loud yell and immediately began to look around. "What was that?!" He then sniffed the air to pick up the scent of whatever it was that shouted. The scent led him to the bush that the three demons were hiding in. 'It came from that bush." He then slowly began to approach the bush.
Meanwhile in the bush, Millie grabbed her husband and quickly took the spider off his arm and flicked it away. "There you go Mox. All taken care of."
Moxxie let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Millie." He said.
"Yeah, I'm glad that you got your little piss-baby pansy attack out of your system Moxxie." Said Blitzø sternly. "Because thanks to you, you ruined my perfect plan to jump the kid!"
Moxxie let out a groan. "Sorry for not being able to control myself sir." Said Moxxie. "But can't we just still jump him anyways?"
Blitzø sighed. "It's not gonna be as cool as the way I was intending to do it, but yeah, sure."
Tanjiro continued to walk up to the bush and was curious to see what was hiding behind it. Just when he was about to get close to it… "NOW!" Shouted Blitzø, as the three I.M.P employees jumped out of the bush and drew their weapons. Tanjiro jumped back in shock and slid across the ground. He then stopped and went to get a closer look at what just jumped out. He saw the three assassins and was in shock at what he was seeing. He had never seen anything like them before. "What are those creatures?" He thought to himself. "Are they demons? No…it can't be…their scent isn't that of one. It's a completely new scent that I have never caught before."
"What's up fucker?" Said Blitzø in a cocky tone. He then began to walk up to him. "I know it hasn't been much of a long life for you, but I'm gonna have to put an end to it right now."
Tanjiro was shocked at what he heard. They want him dead? But why? What did they want from him? "What are you three creatures?!" He asked nervously. "And what do you want from me?!"
"What we are doesn't matter to you." Said Moxxie. "Just know that we promise to make your final moments as painful as possible."
Millie laughed at Moxxie's enthusiasm. "Oh Moxxie, you're making my excitement go higher than ever!"
"Now then," Said Blitzø "Be a good little kid and let us make this quick." He then proceeded to aim his flintlock pistol at Tanjiro's head.
Tanjiro didn't know what was going on, as this was a lot for him to take in. He stood there gripping his sword tightly as he knew he had to do something against these creatures. But at the same time, millions of questions began flooding his mind. "Why do these creatures want me dead?" He thought to himself looking quite scared. "Are they the ones responsible for the mysterious murders? Where did they come from? And most importantly…what are they?"
Tanjiro knew that he was in deep trouble now.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Uh-oh! Looks like Tanjiro has gotten himself in a pickle! How will he fair against the three hellborn assassins? We'll just have to wait and see in the next chapter!
I think this is the point in the story where things are going to get a lot more interesting. I hope you all are excited as I am to see what happens next in this wonderful crossover.