𝓔𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝓜𝔂𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝔂

𝟎𝟏𝟒

Pesky

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He grinned and, in the blink of an eye, jumped up and aimed a punch right at Tanjiro's head. It was so fast that Y/N almost couldn't see it, but Kyojuro quickly sensed his presence behind him and sliced his arm in half. The arm regenerated at a speed faster than Y/N had ever seen, and the demon licked up the blood.

"Nice katana," he said, "I thought he might interrupt the conversation we're about to have."

His gaze fell on Y/N, who shuddered nervously. She'd never felt so scared, but then again, she'd never met an Uppermoon before, especially one so high up in the hierarchy.

He grinned at her too, though he made no move to attack her. He also took notice of the small bloody wounds on her body, but he didn't seem to be affected by their intoxicating smell. Or was he and he was just hiding it? Either way, Kyojuro took notice and stood tall in front of Y/N to block the demon's view of her.

"What are we going to talk about?" Kyojuro asked, his eyes narrowing. He wasn't smiling, meaning that he meant business. "This is our first meeting, but I already hate you."

The demon introduced himself as Akaza, and he went on to try and convince Kyojuro to become a demon since he could live for hundreds of years and only get stronger. Kyojuro refused, saying that growing old and dying was what gave beauty to the short human lifespan, that it gave human life value and nobility. Akaza didn't take his words well, which made him decide to attack. And so, they engaged in a battle that Y/N couldn't keep up with no matter how hard she tried.

The battle went on for a while, and Y/N could only hope and pray that Kyojuro would somehow win. However, odds weren't looking good for him. One of his eyes was messed up, he had a wound on one corner of his abdomen, and his mouth was dripping blood.

Y/N wanted to do something, because at this rate, Kyojuro would die. But what?

...

She knew it was stupid... She knew she shouldn't do it... But among the others, besides Kyojuro, she was the highest ranking Slayer there, and she couldn't just sit and watch the Flame Hashira die! So, against her better judgment, Y/N ran into the fight.

'Wisteria Breathing, Second Form... Shades of Lilac!'

Y/N stood in front of Kyojuro, forcing her shaky legs to stand straight. Kyojuro looked down at her in surprise, but she was looking at Akaza, her eyes narrowed. Akaza glared right back at her.

"The Flame Hashira may die an honorable death in battle sooner or later..." she murmured, "But today is not that day!"

"Tsk! Get out of the way, little girl," Akaza said, pushing her to the side, "I don't fight women, and even if I did, Muzan-sama wants you unharmed."

Y/N didn't need to fight. She knew that she could stall until the sun rose, before Akaza landed the killing blow on Kyojuro so he would have to leave.

'Wisteria Breathing, Third Form, Demon Repellant!'

Akaza cringed at the strong Wisteria smell. He growled at her angrily but held himself back from hitting her, which he so desperately wanted to do.

"Y/N, stand back!" Kyojuro said, but she didn't listen.

"Believe it or not, I can't just watch you die!" she yelled back.

"You pesky brat," Akaza spat, "I can't understand why Muzan-sama wants you so bad. Sure, you're pretty, but you're so goddamn annoying! Get out of my way."

Akaza striked one of the pressure points on Y/N's neck. She stumbled, fighting to stay conscious before ultimately going out cold.

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✿Taisho-Era Secrets✿

❥ That was the first time Y/N's ever felt so passionate about something.
❥ Y/N getting knocked out gave Kyojuro more motivation than ever before.

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