Almost 6 years ago, a mysterious being appeared in front of Tanjuro, someone who literally fell from the sky when he was bringing back some wood to feed his family (and the new member that came a few weeks ago).
"AHHHH--ACK-"
On their first meeting, the mysterious person had choked on his spit while Tanjuro cringed at the sight of the man.
His red hair had been longer, far more than in the present. If he could remember it right, it had passed his shoulder even if he wore it in a ponytail. That very same hair was the only memory he had left on said day.
"Tanjiro! Are you right!?!? I didn't- Yes it should be you! We just need to find Ne-Your sister! She is out here somewhere, maybe with him! Or or.." The voice dropped, halted. Tanjuro didn't know what this guy was talking about, but sensing the panic and sadness in his voice, he decided to speak, to help him in some way. However, he needed to clarify some things first.
"Um, I'm not- Well, My name is Tanjūro." He said, pronouncing every syllable in his name slowly. "And I don't have a sister." At least not anymore. Last words left unclear and quiet.
The mysterious person spoke. "You aren't Tanjiro? but you... you look so much like him!" The voice broke as he bobbed his head up and down to check the man's identity.
"I have a son named Tanjiro, though I don't think that is who you are looking for right?"
The strange person did not laugh with him. He stared back at him, unmoved by the wind, frozen on a spot, and for a second Tanjuro almost wanted to ask if the sudden presence had fallen cold to the weather.
"What year is this?"
Tanjuro blinked. "Meiji 34."
"...1901." The demon replied back, his eyes emitting a golden light.
—---------------------------------
In the present.
The sparks of a blade against a cold punch can be heard farther than an echo and louder than a firework.
He does not know when to stop or give in, the other doesn't as well. One laughs and taunts the other who remains standing against all odds, prolonging the life of his family above his own.
"A long time ago there was a mark that appeared over the skin of demon slayers..."
The demon laughs again, his hands stop down the blade at just the right point before the hashira can pierce his skin. Pressure against pressure, the blade cant keep prolonging its fight anymore. It shakes, it will break. The hashira pushes the blade back instead and changes the skill midway through the fight, from a ruthless display of power to a more dispersed dance amongst the flames, amongst the burning essences, and amongst the fireworks of dazzling punches that the other makes. In a small environment such as the shallow forest around them, it is hard for a hunter to win, much less a human hunter, but the slayer does fine for himself, dodging the attacks at an impossible range, slicing down the upper moon like it was a slice of butter.
"First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Akaza's head is almost sliced off by the sudden attack as Shinjuro dashes up at him with a speed that could rival his. He dodged away only milliseconds after the sword cleaved through him, and even then- when he touched his neck, a trail of blood spilled on his hand and floor.
"Demon." The man called out with a fiery breath, his lungs still capable of producing as many attacks as they needed in order to protect what was behind him.
'He is not stronger than you. Remember that Akaza. Kill him.' Those words ran through the demons' connection, gaining far more confidence in his attacks, and letting out a laugh to bite back at the hashira. The demon from the future tells him that he will never die from such a measly human like the one in front of him, but it still doesn't deter him away from fighting with everything that he has at his disposal.
Such a proud laughter ends up stirring up more of the emotions inside Shijuro's heart, a hatred burned all his life through the generations and ancestors, and yet this demon dares to laugh back at him. It makes all the more reason to clench into the sword even more as it burns a bright red on a gloomy night such as this.
"What a nice blade you have over there." The wounds in his neck started to regenerate. "And with a good set of skills to add it up. Tell me, what kind of ranked slayer are you."
"Why should I?" The movement of the blade is heard as rocks move when he dashes forward and elevates his sword to the demon's face again. Akaza dodges again, his attack only leaves him with another scar that frustrates him as much as it entertains him. Leg Type: Explosive Furry!
Left defenseless, the demon strikes back at him with his leg to the side and kicks the slayer over the curve. A distance created by a single shockwave. Akaza can't help but still whisper as he notices just how quickly the man had seen his attack and deflected it with his sword.
He is strong, and he fought against that in his other life? Or was it the child? He didn't care to think about what that demon had said anymore, either way leaving this hashira to die would be a waste.
"The Demon Slayer quarters are secretly guarded, as well as the residences of the other hashiras and even some minor estates where other slayers live." The demon didn't need to speak first, instead it was Rengoku who opened up the conversation. "As of now I hardly remember ever telling someone about my location, far less someone that could closely be related to a demon. So speak up, who told you were the hashiras are located?"
"Mn, I can't say~'' It was to be expected, but Shinjuro wasn't thinking of uncovering everything today, at least not while this enemy still stood with both his legs. Instead he brought on time for him and his family to get away as fast as possible from here. The demon extended his hand instead and with a wide smile offered up a deal. "But you could find out if you became a demon. You are the level of a Hashira are you not?"
The blade was pointed back to Akaza, not that he found it threatening enough so he continued on. " Your skill has truly been polished, and that battle spirit of yours, " His fist clenched, "It's only a few steps away from being perfected into the supreme territory! Come on now! If you become a demon then there would be no one else to stop you!" Both hands were raised up, "We could fight for an eternity!" A devil's grin stood on his face.
On the other hand, Shinjuro remained stoic, a deep breath was the only response he needed to say.
"Third Form: Blazing Universe!"
Akaza scoffed. "So that's how it is then."
Compass Needle! Destructive Skill, void style!
One shockwave managed to pass through Rengoku's guards, the rest were defeated in the stance, his stance changed yet again from offense to defense, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!, the punches enveloped in his flames, no matter how hard each punch still struck, it was like a gentle breeze compared to the swift attacks that Shinjuro accurately maneuvered against him.
Disorder!
The hashira purged them of any meaning.
Eight-Layered Demon Core!
The flames rivaled him again, the ground was struck harder as the hashira jumped to the trees and hid.
Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow! An effortless endeavor to drag out the hashira that was already set on cutting away his head from the back.
One slice to the neck-- Akaza dodged again, but the wound had cut even deeper this time around. His eyes widened as his blood was spilled again, and then. Another slice-
"My leg." How many centuries have passed since a slayer cut off a part of his body?
There was no time to answer that, no time at all, Shinjuro swung the sword again. Akaza sprained his power to regenerate his leg as quickly as possible.
Third Form: Blazing Universe!
Annihilation Type!
----------------------------------------------------
First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!
The ground was not made for a fight as powerful as this.
A rock was split in two, right where Douma was supposed to be attacked had he not effortlessly dodged away at the spiked ball and axe that swung on different sides. Yet another ice was shattered in front of him, the cold breath coming out of Himejima's mouth made it look like he was in the middle of winter, in reality spring had just started to come.
"My~ my~, so you can still handle cold weathers and be able to fight me with all your might~"
The demon was mocking him, he knew that very well, and there was no reason to be swept away by those measly comments of his.
Another strike.
Another rock smashed against the walls of the cliffs.
Frozen Lotus.
Himejima backed away, swinging his chained ball from left to right to cut away all the snow attacks that were falling to him. Then, he swung the ax another way, nearly catching up to the face of the demon, his colorful eyes widening as he got to see his jaw reflected by the mirroring steel coming for his neck.
"...Kill you..."
Douma laughed a bit as he catched the ax with his bare hands, the steel not burning away his fingers but instead sparks of ice began to cover the weapon as the demon watched the Hashira's intent to pull it back.
" ... I need to kill you..."
"My death won't be enough for that little girl of yours to come back from the dead." He said, his head tilting to the side as he caught the view of the bloodied girl right in behind the stone hashira.
One of her legs was pierced by an ice shard, her other was shakingly trying to stand upright but didn't have the strength to do so, especially when another ice spike was rightfully embedded into her left arm. Just like last time huh? She wished to curse right back at Douma, if only the freezing atmosphere did not get in her way.
Two more princess statues were created so Himejima swung his spike against them again. Left and right all of the demon's blood art was surrounding them, caving them inside the top of the mountain as if it were trapping its prey before they could escape.
"Kan...zan...buro.." She breathed in and out, trying to find her crow in order to give out a message to oyakata-sama, warning him of the upper moon's sudden appearance. This wasn't supposed to happen, nothing like this was ever supposed to happen, so fast so soon, so early.
Dammit, it's my fault.
It always was, Tsutako died to protect Giyuu in both timelines, Sabito died to protect Giyuu at the final selection, Nezuko turned into a demon because Giyuu wasn't there to stop it, Tanjiro became a demon because Giyuu let Muzan take over his body, All of the hashiras died because Giyuu was always a step too late.
"W... Why is ... always like this..."
A flurry of air suddenly swept around them as Giyuu's shaky arms tried to pull out the ice shards. All of that breeze coming from somewhere else that Douma had not sent towards.
Third Form: Stone Skin!
A new gale formed as the chained spikes attacked the demon's luxurious hair, platinum blonde, that regenerated a few seconds later as though even the smallest slices were futile for him. He would still congratulate the human every now and then as the demon had to helplessly move around in order to not get touched by the stone hashira or be entrapped in its chains.
And all of the sudden, the gale picked up again. When Douma had been ready to strike down, at pinpoint accuracy, the leg of the slayer, all of his shards had missed. When Douma evaded the on the left, another impossible movement appeared as the breeze changed its course and put some effort into moving that grandiose ax right to his neck.
He had been often bad with luck in the past. The Kami don't take well to their temples being destroyed so he could replace them with himself, and the bodhisattvas all know his demonic body will never find eternal peace among the heavens. So he often chuckled to himself that all those gods and bodhisattvas were mad at him whenever something went in the way he didn't expect. After all, they never existed, and if they did with those petty little tricks of his, then why wouldn't he laugh about it and just how effortless their endeavors were.
This was definitely something else. Not a skill that could be duplicated by human hand nor a slayer's skill. He knew this feeling very well.
Once more, the demon dodged two more strikes, but the wind had pulled him back to earth so as to freeze him in the spot. How ironic.
His fans pushed away the metal spike and grabbed on to the ax once more. Now it was a beetle of pure wits, pure strength. The demon never lost to this kind of fight.
And yet.
Himejima's grip wasn't enough to break away the pressure. Douma moved back his hand to apply certain pressure on a part where it could break, but the wind also wasn't having it. No fingers could move, no arm could go against it. He looked back at the demon slayer. Huh. Hahaha. So Douma really wasn't the only one who noticed it anymore.
Each of his fingers ceased to control the weapon. Another sudden attack appeared as the sentient ball and spikes come towards him, he dodged it away and—
Blood.
"Oh my..."
He didn't expect for the little girl's sword to suddenly stab him through the throat. Douma's eyes peered to the south, to the north, east, west, behind the pillar. His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, upper moon two engraved where the pupils are supposed to be. That little girl was nowhere to be seen anymore.
But she also couldn't have been the one to hit him.
She will die in a matter of seconds once the ice reaches her heart.
"You might as well come out right now." Douma's cheerful voice and appearance suddenly took a turn. He no longer paid attention to just the stone hashira. All that sudden bloodlust however was turned directly to the enemy in the shadows.
The wind got stronger as he opened up the fans, and all the ice that had surrounded them before now attached itself to a bodhisattva statue, materializing from the thinnest of air and snow to the water of the cold rivers gathered on the waterfalls. Himejima gathered his weapons again, the stimulus from everything around him moving in a tornado almost made him lose sight of the demon.
It dawned on him.
An upper moon's strength.
This truly was an upper moon's strength.
"...Well if you don't want to come out. I'll make you."
The bodhisattva moved.
Rime — Water Lily Bodhisattva
----------------------------------------------------
"Now." The tip of the blade was directly pointed at his neck, his breaths shaken with the same ones as the demon, but Akza was worse than him. A cold sweat that ran through his body, all of his attacks had been used to kill this man, yet he still stood strong, he still managed to bring upper moon three to its defeat without any major injuries.
He had been taken seriously from the start, and yet... "Demon, answer me, how did you know my location?"
"Like hell am I willing to give up like this!" He lied. Straight to Muzan's face. The Rengoku that he was sent to kill wasn't someone that he could ever overpower.
And for some reason, that angered Akaza even more as he used his tight and kneecaps to push away the fighter.
Akaza stood up, the last attack in his arsenal ready to be used, ready to be perfect by the death of the flame hashira.
Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow!
And the earth shakes again as Akaza unleashes his ultimate attack. Omni-directional barrage from countless of sharp and thin shockwaves dispersing the place mirroring the appearance of fireworks. Shinjuro almost can do nothing as a few enter through his ribs and destroy other parts of his skin. The blood he has yet to shed for a year finally appears, the demon, despite being in a worse state than him, only grins back as he sees more and more attacks landing on him, hundreds of blows no longer being deflected by the burning light of said mortal man.
"Die... Just as you wished to reject immortality, become even the number one among us."
"...Why, I never said that I would reject being a demon..."
Suddenly, the demon's eyes flickered in the light as he appeared over the moon and sky's purple haze. "You... what..."
"I meant to say otherwise."
The demon got closer, and closer, his smile mirroring the hashiras as he took the hand of the wounded man.
Stab!
"I meant to say," The bloodied hand sliced his hidden knife through the demons' throat, the sky rising up its hues at the beat of the morning hours, never missing its rise through the mountains and sea. "That being a demon would be too fucking awful," Akaza's arm was gripped tightly as he watched the demon's eyes widened. "For a man who wants to grow old with his wife and sons."
Slice!
Upper Moon three was defeated, his head rolling on to the ground, morning still yet to come but approaching at the horizon, and Shinjuro couldn't help but smile at the sudden revelation.
His son would no longer die.
They can all rejoice, they can all live. What a blessing it was to have known everything about upper moon three from the past (future?) water hashira that personally fought with it. What a blessing it was to no longer feel dread each time his son went out to train.
"Otou-san!"
"Kyoujurou!"
The flame hashira just left the body to rot in its ashes as soon as he heard his eldest voice ringing through the woods. No, he shouldn't be so close to the fight. He could rest his shoulders now, at least, but just how reckless was his son that he had ventured out into the wild in order to...
"Otou-san! You are! You are!--"
Ah, the boy clung tightly to the sword as soon as he found his father scattered in the woods. Both eyes instantly glowing with a sentiment of glee as he saw his father a few meters away from him, bloodied but alive. Standing proud.
"I did it." He smiled. His son also smiled back at him. "Kyoujurou your father sliced the head of an upper moon."
Stab!
One whose body never scattered into ashes, never fully went away.
Rengoku could hear every angle sound all of the sudden. His father's heart, the way it beat one last time, the breath that stopped in its surprise, the loud explosion of a cold hand. His father's words. "I'm sorry lad."
The headless demon walked up to him.
The headless demon was alive.
The headless demon carved something in his chest.
The headless demon.
The headless...
Something blue came into his view. Again.
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Author notes:
Exhausted brain cell: Finally! We can sleep after all those two working hard years in the exams!
Other brain cell: *point to the abyss of unfinished works*
Exhausted brain Cell: nuuuuuuuuu
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From one to "what the fuck" how did this chapter make you feel? I think that poster art was just perfect for today.
--
Dont worry, this murder was premeditated as soon as I started outlining Kyojuro's arc, and boy is he going to be so important from now on.
Also yes Shinjuro hadn't been described as that strong in the manga, so I changed that instead to give Kyo some new dose of aspiration since his arc will heavily revolve around this fight in particular. I'm sorry baby boi, your trauma expanded. Same with Akaza honestly because the stakes have risen far more than canon.
like this still has the most happy ending ever dont worry.
(also aww, gotta love the fact that my fic gets popular just when I start my hiatus, this has happened twice, the algorithm hates me.)