-3rd POV-
Rengoku bowed, before turning to leave, as he was in Oyakata's garden.
"Are you heading into battle?" A familiar voice said, making the male turn and see Shinobu.
"Is that you, Kocho? We got new information about a demon, and the Slayers who confronted him got taken out. We're losing rank and filers, too, now. We can't stand by and do nothing!"
"Could it be the Twleve Kizuki?"
"Most likely, yes. It might be a member of the Upper Ranks."
"It sounds like a difficult mission, but as long as you're going, Rengoku-san, there's nothing to worry about." She smiled.
The male turned to her fully, "Kocho, what's your plan taking in that head-butting kid? You said you were going to add more Tsuguko, but I'm sure that's not the reason."
"Don't worry, it's not as if I'll gobble him up, all right? Plus, I have Gojo-sama as a guest, while she takes on small missions here and there, but she has said that she will work with them with their rehabilitation training."
"Well, of course you wouldn't!" He then gave her something, "Give this to (N/n), from me." He then turned around, walking off with a small laugh.
"Be careful." She said, before looking down at her hand, seeing a small gift wrapped.
-----
(Y/n) spun her blade, getting the blade off as she finished cutting the demon's head.
Sukuna was beside her with his arms crossed, "Is it necessary to take me?"
The girl looked at him and grinned, "Of course, Suku-chan! Plus, it's lonely if I'm on my own! I won't have anyone to annoy." She pouted, before sensing someone appear behind us.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the traitor that betrayed us." A voice said, making them turn and see a demon, with pink hair that was slightly darker than Sukuna's, a pink vest, lines surrounding his body. But what caught the girl's attention was his eyes, the kanji etched into them.
Upper Moon Three
Sukuna stared at the male with a frown, "I grew tired of him and all of you." He stated, grabbing the girl by the back of her collar and dragging her.
"Eh? Suku-chan! Who's your buddy? I wanna meet them! Maybe they have some embarrassing on you!" The girl whined.
"Sukuna! Fight me! If I defeat you, I will take your place as Upper Moon Zero!" The other demon grinned, disappearing and reappearing in front of the other male, throwing a punch, but his eyes widen when he saw that it didn't reach him. It was blocked by an invisible barrier.
"Ara? You know demon-chan, you're being quite mean to my bestie!" The white haired girl exclaimed, making the male's eyes widen and jump back, seeing the girl, which made her confused.
"Didn't know you traveled with a girl, Sukuna."
Sukuna grumbled, "An annoying one at that."
"Wha-! Hey!" The girl exclaimed, but was ignored.
"She's strong. Stronger than me. And possibly stronger than him. That is, if she keep training. Which she is."
"Demon-chan! What's your name?"
"Akaza." He simply said, seeing the powerful aura oozing our of her, 'She's a very powerful human. If she was a man, I would've defiantly asked them to fight...' He thought.
"Akaza..." She mumbled, before grinning, "Aka-chan! I like it!"
The said demon's eyes widen, before his brow twitched, "It's Akaza! Don't give me a nickname!"
"But I like it. And you shall be known as Aka-chan! Deal with it!"
Sukuna grumbled, "She's takes no for an answer. Trust me, I've tried." He said, as the girl peeked over the male grinning with sparkles around her.
(A/n: Best drawing I have done yet.)
Akaza stared at the girl, then at the male, "So, you betrayed us for this girl?"
"She's a good opponent."
His eyes then widen when the girl was suddenly in front of him, patting his head, which made him instantly jump away, 'I didn't even see her move? How the hell...' He thought, before glaring at them, "I'll be back. And I'll come back to defeat you, Sukuna."
The said male smirked, "I'd like to see you try."
"Tch." He said, before disappearing into the night.
(Y/n) pouted slightly, "I didn't ask Aka-chan if he had embarrassing stories about you..."
The pink haired male brow twitched, "Will you shut up about that?!"
"No! Not until I hear everything embarrassing about you!"
"I'm this close to punching you." He said, showing the girl his hand.
"Eh? But your fingers are touching."
"Exactly." He said, before running towards her, which made her also run while laughing.
-----
Two Weeks Later
'Tanjiro and Inosuke were taken away by the Hashira, Lady Kocho, and started something called "Rehabilitation Training." Lady Shinobu's voice is totally unique. I don't think I've ever heard anything like it. It lacks regularity, and it scares me a little. But when she was treating the people who got turned into spiders, she sure seemed like a goddess. No wonder everyone ran to Lady Shinobu in tears. Not only that, but she's unbelievably cute! I bet she could make a living on her looks alone.' Zenitsu thought, as Chuntaro was on sitting on his head.
"So, this cute lady has taken Tanjiro and Inosuke to Rehabilitation Training to rebuild their stamina. And any minute now..." He trailed off, before looking at the doors that slid open, revealing the two boys looking pale and looking dead, '...they'll be back in this kind kind of state.' He watched them walk in, "Welcome back, Tanjiro, Inosuke! How did it go today?"
Tanjiro went into his bed, covering himself with the blanket.
"What happened? What's the matter? Hey..."
"Sorry..." The burgundy haired male mumbled.
"Don't mind us." The masked male said, having the blanket up to his head, where the ears of his headpiece was peeking out.
"You gotta tell me about it! Because I'll be joining you a little late starting tomorrow!" The yellow haired boy cried out.
-----
The Next Day
Tanjiro and Inouske walked with depressive auras surrounding them, while Zenitsu held on to Tanjiro's shirt, shaking.
"Scary! Scary! Scary! I don't wanna go!" He cried.
-----
"All right, since you'll be joining us from today, Zenitsu, I'll explain the process again now. You'll start over there. Those girls will make your bodies limber again after having been bed-ridden for so long."
Soon, Inoskue was crying through his mask, as his limbs were being stretched, before he was let go, making him flop to the floor.
"Next, reflex training."
Sitting by a table with cups filled with water was Kanao.
"These cups contain medicated water. The objective is to throw that medicated water onto each other, but if your opponent blocks your cup before you can pick it up, you can't move that cup."
Tanjiro stared at the cups in front of him.
"Now!"
And within seconds, he was soaked in water before he could even lift a finger.
"Again! Now!"
The burgundy haired male grabbed a cup, but was soon covered by the girl, who soon grabbed a cup and splash him.
"That's it! Last up, full-body training. In simpler terms, you'll be playing tag. You'll be up against Gojo-sama and Kanao over there." Aoi stated.
"Ohayo~!" (Y/n) waved happily.
Tanjiro and Inosuke heads hung down in sadness.
Zenitsu raised his hand, "Excuse me. May I ask you something?"
"Is there something that's not clear to you?" The girl with blue butterfly clips said.
He got up and started walking away, "No, it's just..." He paused, "Come on, both of you." He said to the two males.
"Not going." The masked male said, as the other male stared at him with dotted eyes.
"Just shut up and come with me like I said!" He yelled out, shocked the two and Aoi, "Come on!" He then dragged them by the back of their shirts, "Come on, dammit! You lowlifes! You dirtbags!"
The burgundy haired male struggled before letting out a yell.
"What the hell are you doing?" The masked male said.
-----
"Sit up straight! I said sit up straight! You miserable bastards!" The male exclaimed, as he dragged the two outside.
"What did you say?" Inosuke angrily said, before he was punched, making him spin and hit the wall.
"Inosuke!" Tanjiro exclaimed.
Zenitsu let out a breath, clearly using his breathing technique.
"What were you thinking, Zenitsu? Tell Inosuke you're sorry!" He said, holding the masked male, who was angry.
He looked at them with a terrifying face, pointing at them, "You guys say you're sorry! Apologize to me! How dare you act like you'd come back from hell when you were in heaven! All you did was frolic with girls all day, so why did you look so haggard? Get down on your hands and knees and apologize! Commit seppuku!"
"How can you say such a thing?"
"Shut up, you goody-goody, talking forehead! Just shut up and listen, got that?" He then grabbed the male's hair, tugging it, "You're allowed to touch girls! You get to have your bodies massaged! When you play that cup game, you get to touch their hands! When you play tag, you get to touch their whole freakin' bodies! Each girl has two boobs, one behind and two thighs! They smell so nice when they pass by, and it's mad fun just to look at them!" He then snapped some of the male's hair, twisting in the air with a full blush on his face, "Heaven! Sheer heaven!"
"Cut the crap! You're not making any sense! When you lose to someone smaller than you, it destroys your soul!" Inosuke exclaimed.
"Oh, poor you! Inosuke, you've never been chummy with a girl before, right? Right, you were raised in the mountains! No wonder you're a late bloomer! I feel so sorry for you!" He exclaimed.
"Snap!" He said, walking up to him, "Oh please, I've stomped on female kids before!"
"That's the worst thing you could do! Not good, no good! That's not gonna get you any girls!"
From inside the building, all the girls could hear their yelling.
"I can get as many girls as I want!"
(Y/n) laughed, "Ah, Zen-chan is one of a kind."
-----
(Y/n) walked out of Sukuna's room after annoying him for a few hours, but was met with Shinobu, who was walking by.
"Oh, Shi-chan!"
The said Hashira looked at her and smiled, "Ohayo, Gojo-sama." She said, before remembering something, "Oh, Rengoku-san wanted me to give you this." She got the gift from her haori and gave it to her.
"It's fine to call me by my first name. I'm not that into honorifics." She grinned, as she grabbed the gift, unwrapping it, revealing to be a flame charm, "Ah, Kyo-chan and his flame gifts."
"You must be close to him."
"Hai! He trained me to use the Flame Breathing!"
"Hm? But don't you do Water Breathing?"
The white haired girl nodded, "Yep! Giyu-chan taught me a bit, before showing me the way to Urokodaki-san!"
"I see..." She said, before her eyes widen, seeing the girl's face close to hers, making her blush slightly.
"Shi-chan. Why are you angry?" She said, noticing that her energy was slightly red and blue.
Shinobu averted her eyes, 'First Kamado and now her...They have keen senses.' She thought, and nodded, "It might be true that I'm in a constant state of anger. Ever since my beloved big sister was slaughtered by a demon. Every time I see the tears of those who've lost their loved ones to a demon, every time I hear those cries of despair, the anger keeps building up inside me and continues to swell."
"Deep down in the innermost depths of my body, there's a revulsion that I can't fight. I'm sure the other Hashira feel something similar, as well. Well, this time, they saw Nezuko and Sukuna, who's never devoured a human and the strongest Upper Moon, with their own eyes, and they've memorized their presence. Out of respect for Oyakata-sama's wishes, I don't think anyone will raise a hand to them."
She stayed quiet for a bit, before speaking again, "My big sister was a kind-hearted person like Kamado-kun. She had sympathy for demons. Even when she was on the brink of death, she still felt pity for them. I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. How can you feel sorry for something that's killed humans? I never heard of anything so absurd. But if that was how my sister truly felt, then I must carry it on. If there's a way not to kill these pitiful demons, I have to keep trying to come up with it. Without ever extinguishing the smile that my sister said she loved..."
"Nee-san! Nee-san! Nee-san!"
"But now, I'm a bit exhausted. Demons do nothing but lie. Losing all reason out of self-preservation, they murder humans with their instincts laid totally bare." She finished.
(Y/n) pushed up her glasses to the top, revealing her bright blue eyes, "Shinobu..." She began, as the female's eyes widen, noticing that she used her full name instead of a nickname, "I'm sorry about your sister. We live in an era of demons and we may come across some demons that had a tragic pass or just plain idiot that became a demon for no reason." She smiled softly.
"I'm glad you had a sister, because I grew up with no one. The only one I had by my side was my mother. No one in my clan would speak to me because I was either seen as a monster or a god for having these abilities. Then, as I trained in secret to become a swordswoman...Sukuna came to me, but it was to eat me. But once we fought each other for a good two hours. He declared me a worthy opponent. He became like an annoying older brother. Oyakata...He became a father figure to me. In my head, I have disowned my own clan. So, don't think you're the only one angry, because I am too. Even Tanjiro could tell." She let out a small laugh, "So, I guess, let's be angry together, Shi-chan."
Shinobu's eyes widen slightly, before smiling at her, "Yeah."
"Now, enough with the depressing talk! Tell me embarrassing stories of Giyu-chan!"
The girl laughed, "Well..."
-----
Days passed, and Zenitsu and Inosuke gave up with the training, spending their time in their beds instead of following Tanjiro.
The yellow haired male looked over to the male's bed, only to see that it was neatly made, 'So, Tanjiro's already gone off to train. Jeez, it's the crack of dawn. Putting in effort isn't my thing. There's nothing more draining than persevering every day.' He thought.
"Chu! Chu!" A familiar chirp was heard, making him look.
"Oh, it's you." He said, putting his arm out, to which the small sparrow landed on, "Maybe getting left behind by Tanjiro is making me panic, but I can't get the hang of anything even if he shows me for hours!" The small bird chirped, "Now I realize that we're a total lost cause." They chirped again, "Wait, did you just say, "Yes, you are"? How can you be so cruel? Would it kill you to say just once, "You're working hard, too"?"
"Chu! Chu!"
"Did you just say, "Work harder"?" He then let out a sigh, "I guess there's no way out of it." He grabbed the cup with medicine in it, then drank it, "Gross!" He said, with a disgusted taste, before turning his head when he heard a shuffle, seeing the masked male standing on his bed.
Steam came out the nostrils of his mask, "Come on, Monitsu." He said.
-----
"What Tanjiro is trying to master is a skill called "Total Concentration, Constant." By continuing to do Total Concentration Breathing every second of the day, your basic stamina level will skyrocket." Shinobu explained.
Zenitsu and Inosuke's head tilted, before looking at each other.
"Let's just go ahead and try it!"
-----
The two males dropped down panting.
"Impossible! Seriously impossible!" The yellow haired male exclaimed, thrashing around.
-----
"I still can't sustain Total Concentration Breathing all day unless I really throw myself into it, but I bet you two can do it!" Tanjiro said, before doing a pose, "You go like this to make your lungs expand! When that rattles your blood, your bones and muscles will go, "Boom! Boom!" You gotta stop it!"
The two had a depressive aura around them.
"All that's left to do it train like crazy!" He said, as the two only shook their heads.
"Yahoo~!" (Y/n) appeared behind the burgundy haired male, hugging him close to her, making him blush.
"Now, now..." Shinobu said, also appearing, "We're talking about a basic skill, or should I say a beginner's skill, so why wouldn't you be able to do it? But it's also true that one must put great effort into mastering it, right?" She then walked towards Inosuke and put a hand on his shoulder, "Well, why wouldn't you be able to do it, thought?"
The male grew a tick mark.
"I was sure it would be child's play for you, Insouke. Are you sure you can't do it? Even though there's no reason you can't do it? It can't be helped, then, if you can't do it." She pat his shoulder, "Can't be helped! Can't be helped!"
More tick marks appeared and steam came out the nostrils of the mask, before letting out a yell, "I can do it, all right! Why wouldn't I? Don't mess with me, or I swear I'll rip off your breasts!"
The Hashira wrapped her hands around Zenitsu's hand, making him blush, "Please give it your all, Zenitsu! I'm your biggest cheerleader!"
"Yes, ma'am!" He exclaimed.
The white haired girl laughed as she kept hugging Tanjiro, who then looked at her with a still blushing face.
"(Y/n)-chan? Do you know how to do the breathing technique?"
The girl looked at him and grinned, "Of course. Kyo-chan taught me. It was a bit easy for me. I guess it's because I was trained young." She said, putting her had on top of his head.
"I see..." He said.
-----
Zenitsu ran, as Inosuke lifted small boulders that were wrapped in rope and Tanjiro cheered him on.
From afar Kanao watched them train, before Shinobu walked up.
"Kanao, you're in the same class, so why don't you join them?"
The said girl looked at her, and bowed, then walked off. She walked towards a small well, then turned around to stare at the three training males. She took out a coin, then flipped it and caught it.
-Small Flashback-
A small girl was punched, before the male opened the door, and threw her out the broken down home.
"It hurts. I'm hungry. I'm sad. I feel hopeless. I'm in agony. I'm lonely. That was my life. But then, one day, I heard a sound like a snap."
She sat by the side, her eyes dull.
"And I never knew pain again."
-----
"I never knew pain again. While living in poverty, even when my parents sold me, it didn't make me feel sad."
Kanao was following a male that held a rope that was secured around the small girl's waist.
"Excuse me, do you have a minute?" A female's voice said, making the male turn.
The female had slender build. She had long, straight, black hair that reached just below her waist, worn down with two shorter clumps over her shoulders, and arched, ear-length bangs on either side of her face. Her eyes were a pale violet and slanted towards the sides of her face, bright and bug-like, with many notable white sparkles reflecting light off of them.
She wore a purple-tinted version of the standard uniform, as well as a piece of black fabric around her calves and zori with pale straps. She also sported a pair of green and pink butterfly hairpins that she wore adorned on either side of her head. She also wore the white butterfly-patterned haori that fades to mint green then pink toward the cuff and hem.
Beside her was a younger Shinobu, who had shorter hair and an angered look.
"Could you tell us why that child is all tied up? Is she a criminal, perhaps?" She asked.
"Isn't it obvious? She's flea-ridden, and her face is dirty. Not to mention, she might try to escape." The male said, as the female walked up to the small girl.
"Hello, there. Nice to meet you. My name is Kocho Kanae. What's your name?" She said, to which she only stared at her with dull eyes.
"She's got no name, all right? Her parents never gave her one. Happy now? Get away from her!" He said, about to move her, before his hand was slapped away, shocking him.
"Please don't touch my sister." Shinobu said.
"What's your problem, you two? If you wanna talk to this kid, pay up!"
She looked at her sister, then closed her eyes, turning her body, "All right, then, we'll purchase her. Would this be enough?" She then threw money in the air, before it landed around the bridge, as the other female grabbed the rope, then ran.
"Hey! Come back here, dammit!"
"I'd pick it up right now if I were you! After all, there's a crowd here, and the wind is strong!"
"Are you sure about this?" Kanae said.
"It's fine!"
She then turned her head, "Please excuse us!"
"Hands off! It's my property!" The male yelled as people surrounded where the money is dropped.
"Ara ara."
Kanao stared at them, light returning to her eyes.
-----
Shinbou washed the small girl as she just sat, staring into nothing.
-----
"Nee-san! Nee-san! Nee-san, this child is hopeless!" The female's sister exclaimed, as behind her was Kanao, now all cleaned and had her hair up in a side ponytail with a pink butterfly clip.
Kanae was sitting outside, cleaning her blade, before turning her head, hearing her sister's distressed voice.
"She can't do anything without being told! That goes for meals, as well! She won't touch her food unless I tell her to eat! Even as her stomach growls and growls!"
"Ara ara."
"What exactly are we going to do with her?"
She stood up and smiled, "Now, now, don't be like that, okay? I just love that smile of yours, Shinobu." She said, as the other girl had a tick mark.
"But we can't do anything with a kid who can't even think for herself! It's dangerous!"
"Well, you do have a point, but..." She trailed off, walking towards the small girl.
"She can't do anything on her own! She can't decide for herself!"
She knelt down in front of Kanao, holding a coin, "All right, when you're on your own, you can decide by flipping this coin. Right, Kanao?"
"Nee-san!"
"You don't have to take this so seriously, you know...since Kanao is adorable!" Kanae said, a flowery aura appearing around her.
Shinobu had two tick marks appear, "That's not a good reason!"
She grabbed Kanao's hand and put the coin in her hand, "As long as it's given a chance, a person's soul will open up, so don't worry. When you fall in love with some boy someday, you'll change, too, Kanao."
-End of Flashback-
Kanao stared down at the coin in her hand.
"You're doing great! Keep it up!" Tanjiro could be heard, cheering the two on with their training, "Right now! Harder! Bam! That's it! You can do it, Zenitsu!"
"Boys, eh?" Another voice said, beside her, making her quickly turn and see (Y/n), who looked back at her with a grin, "We never introduced ourselves, since ya know that whole thing happened at Mt. Natagumo. But, I'm Gojo (Y/n)! Nice to meet you!"
The black haired girl blinked at her, before softly smiling, before walking off.
"Eh? Pretty-chan! Don't walk off! I wanna know your name from you! Even though the nickname isn't bad but still! Wah! Curse you Giyu-chan for rubbing your loneliness on me!"
-----
"Mr. Haganezuka!" Tanjiro said, raising his hand, seeing the familiar male, as he walked with another masked male, "Hey! Hey! Mr. Haganezuka! Long time no see!"
The said male took off his hat and the wrapped blade and gave it to the other male. He then began to run towards the teen, a knife in his hands.
"How have you been?" He then paused, seeing the male with a knife, before dodging him, "M-Mr. Haganezuka?" He stuttered, frightened.
"How dare you snap my sword in two? You've got a lot of nerve!" Haganezuka exclaimed, looking at him.
"I'm sorry! B-But to be honest, I came this close to being killed! My opponent was insanely strong!" He sweated profusely, before being poked multiple times by the male.
"Not true! That has nothing to do with it! You're the one to blame! It's all your fault! You're pitifully weak! That's why it broke! Otherwise, my sword would never snap like that!" He exclaimed, poking him at a fast pace.
"But..."
"I'm going to kill you!" The masked male said, raising the knife and began to chase the teen, who yelled.
"Is that a new training regimen?" Shinobu said, as she watched.
"Probably not." Aoi said.
(Y/n) tackled Haganezuka, "Haga-chan! I need help with my blade!" She exclaimed, as Tanjiro escaped, thanking the girl by the second in his mind.
The male instantly snapped to her, a flowery aura around him, "Of course! Anything for my favorite swordwoman!"
The girl grinned and handed it to him, "I think it got duller. Is it okay if you can sharpen it?"
"Hai hai." He said.
"Yay! I'll give you dango for your services!"
The male had a flowery aura around him, already savoring the dango.
-----
"Well, Mr. Haganezuka is a very passionate man." The other masked male, that came with the male, said.
"Yes." Tanjiro said.
"He loves his swords more than anyone. Well, other than the Gojo clan. There's no one like him even in the sword-forgers' homeland."
"You're probably right." He said, looking back at the male, who laid and was angrily looking at him.
"My name is Kanamori. I was the one who forged Master Inosuke's swords." He said, as the two looked at Inosuke, who held the blades in his hands and was sitting outside, "I would be thrilled if they prove useful in battle." Then the blades changed color, "Beautiful, aren't they?"
As he spoke, Tanjiro was being hit repeatedly by Haganezuka, but was unfased.
"The dull sheen of that indigo-gray is so cool. It's a fine color for a sword."
"I'm happy for you, Inosuke, since your swords was chipped all over." The burgundy haired male said, as the said male let out a noise.
"How do you like the grips? The thing it, this is the first time I've ever forged swords for a dual-wielder." Kanamori said, as the other swordsmith tugged Tanjiro's cheek.
Insouke walked off.
"Master Inosuke?"
He picked up a rock, confusing the three, before raising it and smashing it against the blade, shocking them. He raised his now chipped blade, "Better."
Kanamori tried to attack the male but was held back by the burgundy haired male, "I'll kill you, you miserable brat! You bastard! Are you flaunting it?"
"We're sorry! We're sorry!" The teen apologized for the boar masked male.
Inosuke looked at them, before proceeding to chip the other blade.
"Bastard! That's it! You're a dead man!"
-----
"Unbelievable! He's unbelievable!""
"We're sorry!"
"Taking a stone to those swords? Unbelievable!"
"We're sorry! We're sorry!" Tanjiro apologized for the male, as Inosuke held the back of the male's shirt as he bowed.
-----
(Y/n) sighed as she defeated another demon.
"All these demons are weak. I wanna fight someone stronger!"
"That's because you're the strongest person dumbass." Sukuna said.
The girl pouted, "But Suku-chan! It's not my fault I'm strong! Be lucky Oyakatamin let you stay by my side or else you would've been dead."
The male grumbled, before throwing a rock at her, but she stood unfazed as the rock hit her barrier.
"We really need to work on your anger and throwing stuff at me. But throwing Sane-chan was funny to see."
The male smirked, "Next time I won't miss your head."
"The day when that comes, I'll be proud, but it will never." She laughed, which made the male scowl at her, "Ya know. I miss Aka-chan! I wanna see him again and make him join our group! Then you will have another friend with you!"
The pink haired male grew a tick mark, "I don't want them to tag along. All the Upper Moons are dumb."
"Oh, come on, Suku-chan!"
"No!"
"But you will have a buddy to have tea with."
"We don't even have tea parties!"
"Oh, that's because you're asleep."
The male stared at her with dotted eyes, before growling angrily.
"Run? Run." She said, running while laughing.
"Get back here!" He exclaimed, running after her.
-----
A woman screamed, before blood splattered across the window of the train, the demon eating her.