ADORATION { Kny / Demon Slayer }

{¥} 29 - Rage {¥}

"You're so fiery now kitten, what changed?~" Enmu's arm regrew instantaneously, his previous one that you tore off flying from your hand and into the darkness.

"We don't appreciate your stupid pet names!" You dodged under his fast swing and smashed your fist upwards into his face, his blood flying out and splattering against your body.

You quickly jumped away from his swinging foot, landing in a crouch and sliding back a couple feet. With a hum, you lifted your hand and slid your tongue over your fingers, gathering his blood into your mouth and eagerly swallowing it.

"Hah...not half bad..." you grinned, standing back up. You prepared to engage the demon again but paused when a familiar voice echoed from behind you.

"(Y/n)!" Tanjiro stopped on your left side, shoulders heaving as he caught his breath. Relief swept through your veins all at once, a more genuine smile overtaking your features.

"Tanjiro! You're here!" You breathed out, holding back the urge to cry. You were so sure that he was going to die if you didn't find a way to kill this demon.

And the fact that he was beside you now meant that the others also had the ability to awaken as well.

"Oh, you're awake?" Your happiness quickly dispersed and you once again focused your glare onto lower moon 1 who gave a nonchalant wave towards the boy next to you. "Good morning. You should have stayed asleep."

Tanjiro grit his teeth as he got into a defensive stance, the boy coming to the realization that this demon was the cause of it all.

"I was showing you such a good dream. You should thank me—I could have shown you your family being slaughtered." Enmu brought his hand under his chin, tilting his head with an innocent smile. "Next time, shall I show you your father coming back to life?"

You glanced at the boy next to you, Tanjiro's expression darkening into something murderous.

The male unsheathed his blade, veins bulging from his forehead as anger flared through his body like lava.

"You can't go stomping around inside people's hearts! You won't get away with this."

Tanjiro leaned forward, maroon eyes sending a glance towards you that you caught immediately.

With a matching expression of rage, you sent him a nod.

You were with him.

You both simultaneously launched yourselves forwards, Enmu raising his hand and pointing the back of it towards the both of you where a mouth was situated in the skin.

"Go to sleeeeeeep."

The voice rang in your ears, but you were quick to shake off the fatigue and continue running forward with Tanjiro at your side. The boy had stumbled for a brief moment but was back up in the next second, and you suspected that voice was the cause of it.

Right before the two of you reached Enmu, Tanjiro blanked one last time before just as quickly snapping out of it, rage exuding from every pore in his body.

"MY FAMILY WOULD NEVER SAY!" He leaped into the air, swinging his sword back, "DO NOT INSULT...MY FAMILY!!"

'Tanjiro...'

With a powerful swing fuelled by his emotions, Enmu's head came flying off and landed on the roof of the train behind you.

Your brows furrowed in confusion, and Tanjiro was the same.

'There's no way that guy was that weak...'

"I truly understand how the master felt when he ordered me to kill you in addition to a Hashira." Enmu's head began to move, long bulging flesh crawling out from his neck and attaching to the roof of the train. "Your very existence grates on my nerves!"

Tanjiro's expression morphed into one of shock, disgust, and fear all tied into one, Enmu smiling sadistically with a pleased hum.

"There it is! That's the expression I wanted to see!" A chill ran down your spine at the unnerving sight of his head wriggling around on a mound of flesh, suddenly not feeling as hungry anymore. "You want me to tell you why I didn't die even though you cut off my head, right? Very well, I'm in high spirits right now! It's so simple even a baby could understand!"

'Ne Ne, look at the way he's pulsing! That's so gross!'

'Shut up! Now isn't the time Conscience!'

"Because that was not my body!" You tuned back in, Enmu's head leaning to the side as he spoke. "The same goes for what's talking to you right now. It looks like my head, but it isn't! While you were deep asleep...I fused with this steam train!"

Your heart felt like it stopped altogether, horror chilling you to the bone at what exactly that meant.

"This entire train has become my blood, flesh and bones! Heh heh heh! Your faces! Good good! Are you starting to understand? In other words...the 200 passengers on this train are all food for strengthening me further! They're my hostages!"

You began to tremble in place, fear and anguish constricting around your throat and rendering you speechless.

"Can you two protect them by yourselves? All of the humans squirming from end to end on this train...won't you just leave them for me to eat later?"

Tanjiro rushed forward and swung his sword towards Enmu's head only for the demon to sink back into the train with a laugh. You sprinted back towards the car holding the others beside Tanjiro, heart thumping wildly in your chest.

"RENGOKU! ZENITSU! INOSUKE! THIS IS NO TIME TO SLEEP!! WAKE UP! PLEASE!!" Tanjiro called out as we drew near, your ear twitching as you began to pick up a faint sound from up ahead. "NEZUKO!! PROTECT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ASLEEP!!"

The sound continued to become clearer the closer you got, and a surge of happiness lit up inside you when you were able to make it out to be Inosuke's voice. With a crash, the masked alpha burst through the top of the train car, swords already gripped in each of his hands.

"FOLLOW ME MINIONS! UNGAAH!!" You let out a relieved laugh, Conscience also chuckling fondly within your head.

"HEADLONG RUSH! LORD INOSUKE'S COMIN' THROUGH!!"