As Things Should Be

-19- Kyojuro

Kyojuro Rengoku was many things. A demon slayer, a lover of good food, a mentor, a friend, a brother; he was not an all-knowing being. 

He couldn't tell if it was better to kill the Upper Moon (or ex-Upper Moon as he - it - insisted to be called) or if it was better to wait and get more information. There were more demons apparently, perhaps stronger, perhaps weaker. Either way they were not of the same breed that the Kamado boy's sister was. This demon was a murderer, of that Kyojuro was certain.

And yet they followed him. They followed like lambs, or perhaps they were better labeled as foxes, lured into a trap because of their own damn curiosity; smart enough to know what danger looked like, but too damn curious to avoid it. 

They'd been walking for the better part of an hour and in all that time Kyojuro had been given a chance to observe.

The boar-boy (Inosuke Hashibira, if he remembered what Kanae had told him...) had sworn that this monster wouldn't hurt them and if Kyojuro hadn't seen that demon tear apart one of his own kind without giving a second glance to an innocent bystander then Kyojuro wouldn't have believed it. But the pale, striped demon had struck out at its own kind - better yet it had chosen to attack another demon over Kyojuro. Sure, demons cannibalized each other but it wasn't by choice. It was always either a last-ditch effort at satiating their hunger or a feast to gain power.

This was obviously neither. 

Then... there was a conversation between the two demons. The pale demon leading the way was a traitor... a traitor to Muzan? Was there such a thing, could that even exist - in the form of an Upper Moon?

No. No, Kyojuro was certain it was a trap. He was certain...

"I'm telling you, Tanboku here has a demon sister," boar-boy (Hashibira, right?) swore as he gestured to Kamado. The boy held the straps on his shoulders and eyed the blue-striped demon warily. Good to know that the boy wasn't falling for this either.

But what was the play here... and why such a long haul? Was Hashibira working with the demons or did he truly believe this one was peaceful? Was the demon lying through his, no its, teeth? Were they being led to a nest with even more dangers!? Was it better to take him down now - 

"No way. The Demon Corps wouldn't let a fucking demon live peacefully among humans," the demon denied as he - it - slapped a tree branch away, cracking it off of its trunk and sending it flying. It then looked back, smirking at Kyojuro of all people. "Isn't that right, Kyojuro?"

And then there was the fact that he (it) kept using Kyojuro's name. When was the last time a demon had asked for his name? Probably back when he was a mere boy fighting a demon way out of his league. This pale-skinned, pink-haired, yellow-eyed abomination seeped with pride, arrogance... and strength. Kyojuro didn't just suspect this demon had the bite to his bark, he'd felt it - he knew. This demon was powerful, far more powerful than anything Kyojuro had ever faced...

Maybe that was why he hadn't struck yet.

Did that make him a coward? Was he leading these poor children to their deaths because he feared he couldn't win? Or was it the curiosity in Kanae's words - the idea that there were strong demons that had rebelled against Muzan... 

The demon scoffed and turned to face him. Kyojuro froze and gripped the hilt of his sword. Was it now? Did the demon show his true colors now?

"You're probably still waiting for me to start tearing you apart," the demon laughed, crossing his arms. "Right? While it's tempting, if I wanted a fight, Kyojuro I would've simply continued what we started down by the tracks. I appreciate that strength of yours though... that confidence in your beliefs. I almost wish we'd met years ago when I was a different - "