Where Kokushibou is put in time out
A/N: This is an immediate aftermath of the battle against the stormtroopers. Credits to one of my readers for the scarf's name.
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It's crazy how a lie could lead to this.
The day before, Kokushibou was having a good time chatting with his close human friend. One night later, he had been separated from her and back in his homeland after many years overseas.
The demon was lying on the ground in a forest, his breath shaky as he exhaled. It had been so long since he stepped foot in Japan. He had officially left in autumn and returned in autumn so it came full circle. However, a certain female was not there with him.
He had not moved from the spot where he got ingloriously airdropped back on his native land. His eyes stared blankly up at the moonless sky, the stars less visible than before. The red and brown leaves falling from the weird branches that looked more like a wooden labyrinth set a haunting atmosphere.
To him, the environment was a direct representation of his distraught thoughts.
𝚃𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚘...
Kokushibou had began to regain his senses as his body adapted to the scent of the marechi. His body felt rejuvenated from human blood since he had not drank the life-giving liquid for years, the taste lingering on his fangs which were promptly licked clean.
The amount he ingested had played a vital role in giving him some kind of resistance which made him withstand the rare blood's effects. While he still felt hungry,he could get it under control. Though the blood was very scrumptious, he had no idea where it came from.
A breeze of the early morning hit his skin and he looked down, realising that he didn't have his kimono on and his hakama were charred. This made the Uppermoon sober up as he remembered where he was and the fight against the elite stormtroopers.
Looking up from his seiza* position, he glared at the German soldiers who were on guard with their weapons ready. His hand gripped his katana handle as a precaution. Using his upper and middle pairs he saw how the area seemed more brighter, a sign that the sun was to rise soon.
His scarf was damp with blood. He was still confused, wondering what was happening. It was when he heard a baby's cry when the missing memory came flooding back. The demon remembered how he almost attacked an expectant woman in labour. How he threw [Name] aside in his greed. How he struggled against her on the ground. How he drank her blood.
His body froze in shock. 'No...I couldn't have...' The Uppermoon tried to deny but it was clear. The evidence was there in his stomach and on the scarf, the soldiers were the witnesses and she was his unfortunate victim.
Kokushibou stood up as he wobbled on the heels of his sandals. The soldiers aimed their weapons at him, ready to shoot despite seeing so many times how he was unaffected by their efforts. Wordlessly,he slid the blade back in its scabbard and they relaxed. Unlike him whose nerves were haywire.
He had broken his promise. Kokushibou had broken the one rule he had sworn not to break. He tried to attack a mother and unborn baby. He could have devoured them if she wasn't there to stop him. Even worse, he had hurt his companion when he didn't mean to. To add insult to injury, he drank her blood.
It did not help that he actually liked the taste. For many months he had grown to like its scent during her periods but having the liquid on his tongue was on another level. It had a bitter taste at first, but the more he took the better it got. And that disgusted him.
All the progress he had made, and he threw it away all for a lie. He had lied that he was fine for a very long time. The demon was getting sick of not tasting blood. His sanity was strong to let him stand strong, but his body worked with its natural demonic urges. The marechi was just the catalyst that tipped him over the edge when he least expected it.
It was common sense to think that the curse influenced him, but could he really blame the curse for losing control over marechi? Could he blame the curse for hurting [Name]?
When they left the camp they nearly destroyed after the safe delivery, Kokushibou was ready for it all. He expected her to be upset and scold him, maybe a few punches and stabs here and there. The black and red haired demon was anticipating something. Anything. Yet, all he got...was silence.
[Name] did not spare a single glance at him, acting as if she was walking alone. Her left arm was not bleeding as much, but the bite mark had not healed. At first, Kokushibou thought that she had exhausted her energy and would heal it later on. After some time, the Uppermoon realised she was choosing not to heal.
'Don't you feel pain?' He wanted to ask, but he thought better of it. Who was he to ask if she was alright when he was the cause of that? What right would he have?
Ultimately, Kokushibou had to trail behind [Name] who acted like he was not there. They went back to their orphanage in England, a tense silence between them. It became more awkward since she kept his spare kimono and pants with her but he felt embarrassed to ask for them in order to clothe his body.
Luckily for the demon, he had left the broken flute he usually carried under his kimono since she hinted that his clothes might get ruined by the time they were done with the ambush on the Germans. Kokushibou never even told the story behind the instrument, but she trusted him enough not to ask. Or maybe she already knew; he never really asked much about the future.
She had been a better friend in one night than he had been for the past few months; adding more fuel to his growing guilt and remorse.
That was the only stroke of luck left for the day because he suffered with the silent treatment you were putting him through. He knew he deserved it, but it didn't hurt any less.
A few hours later, when the sun had just set in England, [Name] silently gestured for him to follow her. Her arm was covered in a bandage which was getting stained and damp with blood. A large part of him felt so guilty,but a small intrusive part wanted to have a taste again. His eyes looked away in shame.
One portal later, they were in a Russian town which had been deserted and left in ruins by soldiers who bombed the place. If one had the courage to look closely,they would see some skulls buried under the rubble.
[Name] walked a few metres ahead then stopped, prompting him to stop as well. The silence was deafening and uncomfortable for the demon, but he did not show it, maintaining his neutral expression. Finally, the female spoke.
"Kokushibou." Her tone was unreadable, but he already knew he had messed up. "I'm sure you know why I've brought you here."
"...I do." He nodded, glancing at her arm then at the back of her head.
"You broke your promise and succumbed to your greed. Not only did you attempt to attack a pregnant woman, you attacked me as well. This," she raised the bandaged arm, "is the result of your actions."
His fist clenched tightly, wishing to fix his mistakes. He hated how he had disappointed his partner.
"Not only did you injure me but you also lied. All this time, you told me you were fine. I noticed this issue months ago and you couldn't tell me that your cravings were getting uncontrollable." Her voice had a biting edge to it when she called out his dishonesty.
Kokushibou opened his mouth to speak. Hardly had a sound left his throat when the apex of a dagger was inches from his eye with the rank kanji. One of her pupils were red, a sign she was angry. "I am not done. If you told me,I could have gone out of my way to bring you animal blood and raw meat." A bitter smirk crossed her lips. "Instead, you put the mission in jeopardy along with an innocent civilian's safety."
Her hand holding the dagger relaxed and dropped to her side. She went silent,probably waiting for a response from him. And a response she got.
"I apologise for...my behaviour. I will...not do it again."
A wry smile appears on her visage, her eyes darkening. "We both know that is a lie, and yet you go ahead and say it to my face. Did your confidence skyrocket after you got high?"
He slightly winced at her mockery, but knew she was right once again. However, he had something to say. "Animal blood and raw meat...would only delay...those compulsions. Even if I...told you anything...you would not have helped." He looked aside for a brief moment.
"I just didn't want to...let you fight alone."
She stopped for a moment,taking in his words as he revealed the real reason why he hid his cravings from her. Her fingers subconsciously flexed to relieve the itch from the bite.
"That doesn't change the fact I had to face you alone." [Name] sighed as she looked around the ruins. Her hair which she kept in a ponytail fluttered in the wind. Kokushibou couldn't help but admire how pretty she looked but immediately pushed the thought aside. It wasn't the right time.
Trying to offer some comfort, he lifted his hand in an effort to place it on her shoulder. When she made no movement to stop him, he lightly placed it on her right shoulder. Her body had a slight tremor as she finally looked at him properly. So many emotions swirled in her eyes and the demon could only hope they were at the least positive.
"Look. I'm not mad at you for losing control. It would be hypocritical coming from someone like me." [Name] frowned, her lip curling down. "What makes me upset is how you hid your pain from me for so long. Aren't we...supposed to be friends?"
His heart ached and he squeezed her shoulder in a gentle manner. She was right, he thought. Whenever he asked her about anything she would tell him almost immediately. While he was no fool to know she was omitting some information, his intuition sensed that everything she had told him so far was truth. The truth that lacked in his former boss.
"Listen. As your close friend, I understand your struggle and forgive you." The demon let out an involuntary breath of relief, but hitched soon after when she continued. "But as The Recurrence, I cannot allow any more mistakes in the missions."
Her shoulder shrugged off his hand as she turned on her heel, back facing him. Kokushibou's hand felt cold from the sudden withdrawal and he pulled it closer to his body.
"In your current state, I cannot allow you to join me in my missions. The chances of meeting another marechi is slim but it's still a possibility. A possibility that makes you unreliable and a threat when saving civilians." Her voice was nonchalant, yet those words hurt him in more ways than one.
Unreliable? A threat? Not going for missions with [Name]? It was too much to bear, and his throat forced out a question he dreaded the answer to.
"Does that mean...I will be detained in the orphanage?"
The female turned to face him, her eyes no longer red but the standard electric blue. The next words seemed to struggle to leave her lips and when they did, he wished they didn't.
"No,that's not it. Kokushibou, I am suspending you indefinitely. You will return to Japan until further notice."
Taking a step back, the Uppermoon One could not think straight for a split second. He was going back to Japan...alone? Leaving a lone [Name] with the risk of getting hurt or worse? As her unspoken subordinate, he understood her mindset. As her concerned companion, the punishment was too harsh.
"I am sorry...but this is something...I cannot accept to do. If I leave...you will have to deal with...the burden of the war alone."
"This is something I already decided and you cannot coerce me otherwise." She crossed her arms, her left on top of the right. "It would not make sense to detain you in the orphanage. I already plan to move to a new base."
"What about the episodes...where you blank out...on the battlefield?"
"That has not happened since last year." Her eyes darkened slightly at the reminder.
"Then what if you...get hurt and I am...not there to protect you?"
"Protect me? Look at this!" She gestured at her arm. "I had to protect others from you! And this was hours ago."
Kokushibou was grasping on straws like a drowned man at sea. The thought that [Name] didn't want him anymore made his throat bitter with bile. He knew she could handle herself. Hell,she defeated him many times while being unserious. This was the only human he grew attached to in centuries, and she was abandoning him.
"And before you ask why it's not healing, it's because I choose not to heal it." The edge of her lips curled up in a small smirk. "I want this to serve as a reminder to us both. A reminder of the time you broke the rule," she hesitated before continuing, "and when I put too much trust in you concerning my safety."
That was the final straw that finally broke Kokushibou. His companion...no longer felt safe around him. Because of his lie, his greed which he willing succumbed to...he failed to be a person she could depend on.
The scarf around his neck felt constricting, or maybe he was losing his breath. He couldn't tell. What pained him more was the almost neutral look on her face. Like this was a simple task she had to accomplish.
Too deep in thought, he failed to notice that a portal had opened behind him. All he could look at was [Name]'s glowing eyes, where he saw saw no shred of mercy or hesitation. No, that was not [Name] but The Recurrence who was passing down his judgement.
"In my time as a teacher, I've had to punish many unruly students." She faced him again, her leg tensing up as it went slightly behind her, ready for action. "And right now,I see you as one."
His lower pair looked behind and saw the aerial view of the landscape of a forest, seeing trees which he had seen plenty times in his human and demon life. His middle pair focused on [Name], who smiled softly at him. "And bad students..."
A kick to the chest sent him backwards, his eyes contracting in shock as her form became smaller and smaller. His hand extended outwards in an effort to grab on to her, a silent plea leaving his lips.
"...get a timeout."
◇●●●●◇
'Why am I still lying on the ground like an idiot?'
Kokushibou's body sat up stiffly with much effort, brushing the dirt from his back. His katana was a few feet away from him. Picking it up,he stood and looked at the spot he had landed on. An outline of his body was on the ground, almost in a comical manner.
He was down in the dumps, bittersweet from the current situation. He was back in Japan, and back on Muzan's radar. If he delayed any further, his former master would find him and definitely punish him. Not that he cared; being separated from [Name] was enough torture.
How the human had managed to get under his skin and affect him still puzzled and slightly scared him. Still, a little hope lingered in his chest. She had said he was on timeout, meaning it would not last long. In that time,he had to make up for it. And he had an idea how to earn back her trust.
Suddenly, Kokushibou felt a movement on his bare back. His scarf was unravelling itself from his hair –which he had no memory of ever covering– and relaxed on his shoulders. It then slithered around his right arm like a snake and stayed there.
The demon watched this unfold, blinking his eyes to take in the oddity. Curiously, he tugged on the scarf which extended its edge like a tail and latched onto his other arm.
Eyes narrowing, he swung his sword so fast it unsheathed itself. Lifting it up in the air, he tried to cut the scarf off. To his surprise, it got no damage. The cloth latched onto his leg and he swung at it again, with the same results.
'Is this scarf possessed by a spirit?' He grunted as he swung around while it moved around his chest and arms. A hiss left his mouth as his katana dug into the flesh of his leg in an attempt to cut the 'possessed' item. In turn, it trembled and moved from side to side. The demon grit his teeth in annoyance, understanding that it was laughing at him.
Five minutes passed before the six eyed demon managed to grab it and pinned it to a tree with his hand. "I don't know what you...may be but get out...of my scarf." It twisted around, the corners of its 'head' shaking as it tried to explain. The odd thing is that Kokushibou understood what it meant, and he was far from amused.
"What do you mean...you are alive? You're just...a piece of clothing."
A piece of paper landed on his head, startling him. Looking up, he saw a familiar light disappear. With his free hand, he read the note.
*Forgot to tell you,but your scarf is sentient. Just like my cloak though I never told you. You have the responsibility to name it properly and care for it. You better wash my blood off of it . Have fun ;) (Written in English)
-[Name]
"..." He had a deadpan expression as he looked up at the scarf, which he assumed to have a smug expression. At this point, the demon had already seen you break all known laws of physics that having sentient clothes was not a shock. That didn't make it less of a surprise.
In a way, he was glad that he wasn't completely alone. Even though the scarf was a massive pain in the gluteus maximus, he would tolerate it for the sake of getting back on [Name]'s good book.
"I would name you...Mendou (面倒) to mean annoying...but [Name] would not like that. So I'll name you...Erimaki (襟巻き) for scarf." He sighed,loosening the grip on the scarf.
The scarf did not move for a moment before it fluttered happily. It liked the name and quickly wrapped itself around the demon who resigned to his fate. He was the new owner of a sentient piece of cloth, also his only connection to his human companion.
Adjusting Erimaki around his neck, he began to plan ahead. The Uppermoon had to avoid Muzan at all costs in order to accomplish his new task; breaking the curse. For that, he would have to find the only demon to have broken from Muzan's influence and survived.
But first, he had to get some new clothes.
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⟣𝕌ℕ𝕀𝔾𝕌𝕀𝔻𝔼⟢
ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ: Demon Slayer/(鬼滅の刃)Kimetsu no Yaiba
ʟᴀsᴛ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ: Countryhumans
ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ɪɴғᴏ: A popular anime and manga series which follows the story of Kamado Tanjirou and his friends in a world where man-eating demons exist. His main goal is to turn his sister back into a human and kill the demon progenitor, Kibutsuji Muzan.
ʏᴇᴀʀ: 1917
ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛs: Battle of Mărăşeşti between the Romanian and German armies begins(Aug 6);China declares war on Germany & Austria(Aug 14); Italy declares war on Turkey(Aug 17); A German newsletter reveals new information about The Recurrence and becomes famous(Sept 24); Leon Trotsky named chairman of the Petrograd Soviet as Bolsheviks gain control(Oct 8);Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for Germany during WWI(Oct 15)...more
ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ: Kamado Tanjiro is challenged to cut the boulder. Kamado Nezuko is yet to wake up. Kibutsuji Muzan finds out The Recurrence's gender from foreign newsletters and immediately knows it is the 'lover' Kokushibou 'eloped with'. Kokushibou searches for Tamayo and Yushiro.
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: Russia ([Name]); Japan (Kokushibou)
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Taishō Secrets
※[Name] intentionally sent Kokushibou back to Japan to meet Tamayo and Yushiro
※Kokushibou was in unbearable pain from not eating humans but hid it well to not worry [Name]
※Cover is upset that its scarf sibling went with Kokushibou
※Kokushibou contemplated to visit Yoriichi's grave but decided otherwise
※The person following [Name] liked seeing her kick Kokushibou
※The people watching [Name] are glad that they split up, knowing that the demon was holding her back
※[Name] opened a portal secretly to film Kokushibou getting harassed by Erimaki because she expected it would happen
※[Name] sees herself as a hypocrite for not being completely honest with Kokushibou yet punishing him for his dishonesty
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MEME TIME
♧
Kokushibou: *knowing he is ripped and expecting a compliment*
[Name]: I identify as legally blind.
♧
*Kokushibou fighting shirtless*
Stormtroopers: I'm not gay but...
♧
Kokushibou: Is it hot in here or is it just me?
[Name]: It's you.
Kokushibou: What?
[Name]: What?
♧
Kokushibou: Name a more iconic duo than my crippling fear of abandonment and my anxiety. I'll wait.
[Name]: You and me!!
Kokushibou, tearing up: Okay.
♧
*Michael Klaus when he grows up*
Michael: Mama, how did you choose my name?
Michael's Mum: You see, there was this shirtless man...
♧
*How the interview went like*
Journalist: Are you female?
[Name]: Yes.
Journalist: What is your real name?
[Name]: Yes.
Journalist: Where do you come from?
[Name]: Yes.
Journalist:*grinning* Are you and your partner lovers?
[Name]: Ye-- Absolutely not!
Journalist: Understood. *writes down 'Yes'*
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*Seiza — Japanese sitting posture.
Thank you so much for reading. Next up, Lady Tamayo and Kokushibou meet at last. And Yushiro too.
Hope you enjoyed as much as I did.