All three of us were thrown into the air and I reached for the conductor but I couldn't reach him. What about the passengers? There were children and elderly on this train, if they were to be thrown around like this they would be killed. No, I wouldn't let anyone die here. The train scraped across the ground throwing pebbles everywhere, sparks were flying up and I was slammed into the ground making me roll across it getting covered in scrapes and bruises. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tanjiro being thrown across the ground as well but I could only focus on myself at the moment. Hearing a yell I managed to peel open my eyes realizing that I had stopped rolling now.
"Ah! Are you okay, Santaro? Kiruha?" Inosuke yelled running over to Tanjiro and me, we had landed mere feet apart.
"Hang in there, I was lucky I could bounce off the demon's flesh, cool huh? Is your belly okay?" Inosuke asked while lifting me up.
"You're belly that got stabbed" Inosuke said as if to remind me while shaking me with one arm and shaking Tanjiro with the other.
"I'm all right," Tanjiro groaned.
"Been in better shape but I'm okay" I whispered, getting up and looking to see that my box was thankfully in one piece. Before I had hit the ground I had managed to get it off my back and clung to it so that it wouldn't get damaged.
"What about you Inosuke?" Tanjiro asked.
"Never felt better, I didn't even catch a cold," Inosuke said.
"I won't be able to move for a while, help the others will you?" Tanjiro requested.
"Was anyone injured? What about the conductor that was near us?" I questioned as I sat up hissing. My muscles were crying out from whatever that move I had done but I forced them to move as I opened up my box and assessed the damage. My pictures were all scattered and some of them had been bent but other than that there was nothing damaged. Grabbing a roll of bandages out I started to bandage my stomach.
"It's okay if that bastard dies!" Inosuke yelled after a second of silence.
"It's not okay at all," I said.
"He's the one who stabbed you in the belly, remember? He's got his leg stuck and can't move, he's leg's shattered and he can't walk anymore. Just leave him there and he will die" Inosuke demanded.
"If that's the case then he has already atoned for his sin, Hikaru would never let someone die not if he could save them. So help him please? If not, I just know that Hikaru will strain himself to help" Tanjiro said. He knew me well enough to know that I would not let someone die even if they had hurt me. That may be hypocritical of me since I hunted demons for a living and killed them but it was different. With demons I felt like I was saving lives by killing them and not just human lives but their own lives as well.
"Hmph, I'll go for you two then because I'm the boss! Because my minions asked me to! After I rescue him I'm going to pluck out all of that guy's hair" Inosuke huffed.
"That's really not necessary" Tanjiro whispered.
"Slow your breathing down and control it to ease the pain back" I said while I tried to do the same. If I could manage to do that the blood that was sluggishly coating the bandages I had applied would stop. There were bound to be people that were injured on the train, I had to get up and help them before it was too late. I wasn't sure about Rengoku but out of Zenitsu, Inosuke, Nezuko and Tanjiro I was the only one with any idea on how to handle wounds. If I couldn't get to them if their injuries were too severe they were going to die. I could see all of their aura's filled with pain, fear and panic, I had to get up. As I was pushing myself up to try and stand I turned and saw a different aura. This one was sad, angry, hurt, disappointed and on the verge of disappearing. It was Enmu's aura.
"My body is disintegrating, I can't regenerate. Did I lose? Am I going to die? Me? Ridiculous. Ridiculous! I haven't been able to go all out! I couldn't devour a single human, my plan was to fuse with the train and devour humans en masse just went up in smoke! And now look at what I've been reduced to" I heard Enmu saying to himself. All that was left of him was a small bit of flesh with eyes and a mouth.
"After all the time and trouble I've taken, it was him! It's all his fault, even though I'd taken 200 humans hostage I still struggled. I was held at bay, is this the power of a Hashira?" Enmu question thinking about Rengoku.
"And him...He was fast too. Even though he never broke the spell completely" He said thinking of Zenitsu.
"Not to mention that girl, she's a demon! What about that? A demon joining forces with demon slayers, why hasn't Master Muzan killed the traitor" He demanded while thinking of Nezuko.
"Damnnit, dammit! In the first place it started going downhill once that brat broke my spell, it's all this brats fault! I wish I could at least kill that brat somehow" He said, pulling himself towards us.
"That's right and that boar too! I could've at least killed that brat but that boar thwarted me, his intuition is extraordinary, he could sense my gaze" Enmu continued but then he noticed that I was looking at him, watching.
"Wait....That's right it's all this brats fault, he made me go mad with desire for his blood and even spread wisteria around so I couldn't touch the passengers, he had a plan in place without me even realizing it. Am I going to lose? Am I going to die? Oh what a nightmare, what a nightmare" He whimpered.
"It's always the bottom-feeder demons who get killed by the demon slayers, in the upper ranks the same demons have remained for the last few centuries. They're strong enough to defeat Hashira who have killed an untold number of demons. Do they have otherworldly powers? Even after receiving so much of his blood I couldn't reach the upper ranks. I want to do it over, I want to do it over" Enmu pleaded.
"Don't worry, you may die but you will live on forever. I will never forget you and I will tell your story to those around me so that it may be passed on so you may rest easy knowing that you will never be forgotten" I whispered. I knew it would not help but it was the only thing I could do.
With that I managed to get over to Tanjiro and lay back down again to concentrate on my breathing. I could have done this before but I wanted to know what Enmu's last words were.
"I see you have both master total concentration, constant. Impressive" I heard making me peel my eyes back open.
"Rengoku-san," Tanjiro said.
"After all, constant is the first step toward becoming a Hashira. Although there might be 10,000 steps before you can become a Hashira" He praised.
"I'll do my best" Both of us said before turning and smiling at each other.
"You're bleeding from the abdomen. You have to concentrate harder and improve the precision of your breathing. Make your nerves reach every corner of your body. There's a blood vessel. A torn blood vessel" Rengoku instructed as he noticed my wound. I concentrated and tried to find the blood vessel but it was a little harder than I thought. Normally I would have used one of my own remedies with my blood mixed into it but I was saving them for if I needed them for the passengers.
"Concentrate harder," Rengoku said. Right there. I found the torn blood vessel and got to work.
"That's it, stanch it, stop the bleeding" He said. I put all my energy into trying to stop the blood but a tiny piece of me was worried.
"Focus," Rengoku said, putting a finger on my forehead. He was right. I couldn't help anyone with the way I was. It took a bit but finally I stopped the bleeding.
"Great, looks like you stopped it, you'll be able to do all kinds of things when you master breathing. Not that you'll be able to do everything but you'll become a stronger version of yourself than yesterday for sure" Rengoku said.
"Yeah, I hope you were paying attention Tanjiro cause I'm going to make you do this later though maybe with a smaller wound" I warned after all it would be a good thing to know.
"I was," Tanjiro said.
"Everyones safe. There are hordes of injured people but no one's life is in danger" Rengoku smiled and I felt my heart skip a beat. He looked so good when he was smiling.
"Don't strain yourselves, take it easy and rest up" He instructed.
"Thank you very much," Tanjiro said but I froze before making myself sit up and look behind Rengoku as a large boom was heard and Rengoku turned as well. That aura, it hadn't been there a few seconds ago. He was definitely a demon and his aura was making my stomach queasy. His aura was so close to Muzan's that I couldn't help but think back to that day. Hearing a click sound I snapped out of it and saw that Rengoku had his hand on his sword. That's right I wasn't useless anymore and I wasn't alone. The man in front of us or demon in front of us had redish-pink hair, yellow and blue eyes that had upper three on them, gray skin, tattoos all over his body and he wore a vest and pants that showed off his muscular body. Upper three. What was he doing here? We were in way ready to verse one of the upper levels especially since we were injured.
Without warning the demon jumped towards us heading straight for Tanjiro. Not even pausing, I threw myself over him, my golden eyes glaring up at the demon. No one was going to hurt Tanjiro in front of me even if it meant getting hurt in their place.
'Flame breathing, second form, rising scorching sun,' Rengoku said as he swung his sword and cut the demon's arm, splitting the elbow down the middle, making the demon jump back. He didn't look worried though since he was smiling. Watching he moved his arm and the two halves came back together and healed instantly.
"That's a fine sword" He complimented while licking his own blood off his hand. I wasn't going to lie, that was sexy as hell but no that wasn't what I should be thinking. He was a demon and he was trying to kill Tanjiro. This wasn't the time or the place for those thoughts. The demon had a heavy and oppressive aura second only to Muzan from what I had seen so far and his regeneration was even faster the Enmu's had been. I wasn't sure how this would end but I had to be ready for anything. Grabbing my two swords I got ready to draw them but Rengoku shot me a look before turning to the demon.
"I can't understand why you'd go after a wounded person first," Rengoku said.
"They could get in the way of the chitchat, of you and me" The demon said and I saw Tanjiro trying to force himself up.
"What would you and I have to talk about? I'm meeting you for the first time and I already dislike you" Rengoku bluntly stated.
"Is that right? Well, I loathe weak humans too. The sight of a weakling makes my skin crawl," He said.
"Then it seems like our senses of value are completely different," Rengoku replied.
"All right, then I have a brilliant proposal for you. Why don't you become a demon too?" The demon offered.
"I will not" Rengoku rejected without even pausing.
"I can tell your strength at a glance, you're a Hashira aren't you? Your fighting spirit has been honed to the hilt, it's close to the realm of the highest" He said.
"I'm the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro" Rengoku introduced.
"I'm Akaza," The demon said. Finally a name to call him.
"Kyojuro, let me tell you why you can't enter the realm of the highest. Because you're a human. Because you're going to grow old. Because you're going to die. Become a demon, Kyojuro," Akaza once again offered with his hand stretched out.
"Do that and you can go on training for a hundred, for two hundred years. You can become stronger" Akaza said. I had to bring my hands up and rub my eyes with the back of them. This demon's aura was the strongest I have seen since Muzan and it was starting to hurt my eyes because of how bright his aura was. A normal person's aura was regular lighting but this was like I was looking straight into an oil lamp of color. Something deep in my guts told me that Rengoku wouldn't be able to handle this, that I should get up and help even if I was to die but I couldn't stamp on Rengoku's pride like that. Not only that but I am pretty sure that I would be in the way.
"Both growing old and dying are part of the beauty of being an ephemeral creature like a human. The fact that we grow old and die is what makes human life so unbearably precious and noble. "Strength' isn't a word used to describe just the body" Rengoku said.
"These boys aren't weak! Don't insult them. I'll repeat it as many times as it takes, you and I have different sense of value. No matter what the reason I will not become a demon!" Rengoku declared. I felt tears wanting to gather in my eyes but I pushed them away, I had to be ready at a moment's notice. Sitting myself up fully I grabbed onto my box and pulled it close just in case before putting both my hands on my swords.
"I see. Technique development, destructive death, compass needle" Akaza said before slamming his foot into the ground and making it light up from what I guess was his blood art. He got into a stance of martial arts and Rengoku also gripped his sword ready for the battle to come.
"If you refuse to become a demon, I'll kill you" Akaza grinned and with that the battle began.
Akaza moved fast towards Rengoku who dodged before taking a swipe at Akaza's stomach. Akaza quickly jumped back before rushing forward again and Rengoku stopped his fist with his sword. I knew that they were going fast, faster than most people could see but I could see them perfectly because of their aura's.
"There were never any Flames among all the Hashira I've killed until now" Akaza said, throwing several punches towards Rengoku only for the flame Hashira to either dodge them or use his sword to deflect them.
"And no one ever took me up on my offer either" Akaza said before once again through a series of punches and even added a kick in. Without flinching Rengoku blocked and dodged before slicing his sword into Akaza's arm.
"Why do you think that is? As a fellow martial artist, I just don't get it. Not when only the chosen ones can become demons" Akaza grinned. He then used his hand that wasn't being cut by Rengoku to attack Rengoku but the Flame Hashira was a move ahead and used his sword to slice that arm off. Of course it grew right back and Rengoku used his sword to stop another attack.
"Watching the hideous decline of someone blessed with extraordinary powers, it pains me. I can't bear it. Die, Kyojuro while you're still young and strong" Akaza said, getting very close to Rengoku. Rengoku used a flame breathing technique but Akaza jumped up dodging the attack.
"Destruction death, air type" Akaza said and I watched as air gathered around Akaza's fist before he punched out. An attack that was long distance, powerful and basically invisible, Rengoku almost didn't manage to stop the blow with his sword. Akaza then continued to throw punches that would get to Rengoku who was using his sword to stop the attacks but he was getting pushed back.
"Flame breathing, fourth form, Blooming Flame Undulation!" Rengoku said using the flames as a shield to stop all of the attacks that Akaza was sending his way. It must be hard to predict where all those hits were coming from since Akaza was so fast so the easiest way to counter them was to have something large to block the blows like Rengoku's flames at the moment. Rengoku had to get closer to him, the closer he was to Akaza the harder it would be to use that technique, not only that but I don't think that Rengoku had a long range attack that could take off Akaza's head. Seems like Rengoku was thinking the same since in a dash of flames he was right in front of Akaza but the demon managed to dodge the first swing.
"This superb reaction speed of yours," Akaza started. Rengoku didn't give him time to finish as he continued to attack and Akaza counted with his own hits.
"And these breathtaking sword skills will be lost too, Kyojuro! Doesn't that make you sad?" Akaza demanded, not caring if he got hurt while blocking Rengoku's blows since they healed right away.
"It happens to everyone! It's a fact of life for any human" Rengoku yelled.
Seeing Inosuke arrive and watching as Tanjiro tried to pull himself up I unsheathed my swords as well as took my hair out of it's normal pony tail.
"Stay where you are! If that wound reopens, it'll be fatal! Stand back! That's an order!" Rengoku ordered, looking at me. Gritting my teeth I threw open my box and grabbed one of my medicines and ripped the bandages off. I was going to leave my medicines for the passengers but if it would stop Rengoku from worrying then so be it. Hissing I poured the liquid on my wound and then recovered it with bandages, it would take at least ten minutes to heal fully.
"Don't bother with that weakling, Kyojuro. Come on give me your best shot" Akaza yelled and Rengoku's sword once again cut into his arms before Akaza jumped back, his wounds already gone.
"Concentrate on me" Akaza ordered and Rengoku gave a yell before slashing at Akaza who dodged only to throw a punch. Again blows were traded and they took turns dodging or blocking even when they were fighting in the forest.
"Nice moves" Akaza complimented, surprising Rengoku but he still managed to dodge the punch coming for him. Rengoku tried to use his fire breathing but Akaza dodge and retaliated with a kick that sent Rengoku flying back into the clearing near us but Akaza also lost his arm again from Rengoku's counter slash.
"Rengoku!" Tanjiro yelled.
"Ol' Goggle-eyes!" Inosuke yelled.
"Kyojuro!" I yelled out. I hadn't meant to call him by his first name, it just kind of happened in my panic.
"Turn into a demon, Kyojuro" Akaza said and I looked helplessly at Rengoku. He was leaning on his sword and panting while Akaza wasn't even short of breath.
"Fight me forever and get stronger together with me, you have what it takes to do that!" Akaza grinned, regrowing his arm like it was nothing.
"I'll pass! Let me repeat it, I don't like you! I will not become a demon" Rengoku yelled, his aura was still burning bright making me a little relieved.
'Flame breathing, third form, Blazing universe!' Rengoku yelled jumping into the air and coming straight down at Akaza who took a step back but his chest still got cut but it was gone quicker than it was put there.
"Magnificent! That's sensational" Akaza said.
"Destruction death, air type" Akaza said, throwing a punch towards Rengoku. The Flame Hashira managed to deflect the blow but it sent him back a bit. He didn't let that stop him as he ran straight towards Akaza once again using his flame breathing. I was right earlier. If I had tried to fight Akaza I would have died and if I had tried to help Rengoku I would have gotten in the way. I might be able to keep up with their movements and words because of being able to see their aura but that was using everything that I had. They were so strong, I had to get stronger. Hit after hit, block after block, dodge after dodge. I felt pathetic watching this fight, what was all the training I was doing for? I would never be able to catch up to these two.
"Rengoku" Tanjiro whispered as we continued to watch them.
"You still don't get it? That if you continue attacking you're just getting closer to death, Kyojuro?" Akaza yelled. He only got a battle cry in return as Rengoku attempted to cut through his arm once again. The next skirmish made my heart jump in my throat as Rengoku wasn't fast enough and got a wound over his eye, if the blood ran it would cloud his vision and he couldn't afford that.
'Flame breathing, first form, unknowing fire' Rengoku said, not missing a beat when he got hurt. Akaza used both of his arms to block it and both of them were cut off but regrew seconds later.
"It would be a shame to kill you now! You haven't reached your physical peak yet" Akaza said and Rengoku blocked his punches with his sword. One of the punches got through and I knew that there had to be internal damage from it.
'Flame breathing, second form, Rising Scorching sun' Rengoku said not stopping his attacks.
"In a year or two, you'll have polished your skills even more and you'll have greater precision!" Akaza said while Rengoku stopped a punch but the strength was too much and it ended up hitting his left eye. His eye was damaged and he wouldn't be able to use it anymore, this was bad. What could I do? I had to do something!
'Third form, blazing universe' Rengoku yelled going straight towards Akaza who dodged and threw a punch.
'Fourth form, Blooming Flame Undulation!' Rengoku yelled, making Akaza jump backwards. This is bad.
"Destructive death," Akaza said.
'Fifth form, Flame Tiger' Rengoku shouted as a large lion of fire roared to life going towards Akaza.
"Disorder" Akaza said with a laugh and dozens of attacks headed for Rengoku, some of them being stopped by the lion.
"Kyojuro!" Akaza yelled. Rengoku dodged the punch and swung up with his flaming blade cutting Akaza's chest and arm off, making the demon jump backwards.
"Did he do it? Did he win?" Inosuke asked.
"No" I whispered clenching my hands watching as blood dripped down from Rengoku. The internal damage was starting to affect him and he was bleeding from the inside out.
"Let's fight more, don't die on me Kyojuro" Akaza said.
'Kyojuro, please, please hang in there' I pleaded to myself.