THE SMELL OF IRON LINGERED, filling the still atmosphere with its scent— a stench so strong that it left a metallic taste in the mouth of its beholders. There were three present in the room, if one counted the pink-eyed demon who sat silently in passive waiting.
The Progenitor, Muzan Kibutsuji, stood furiously before another crouched figure. Her limbs were sliced, her hair a disheveled mess, and her eyes void of emotion. Blood seeped from her wounds, staining the wooden planks crimson.
"Asuna," he growled angrily, eyeing her figure with his dilating, piercing scarlet eyes.
Said woman did not flinch under his glare, nor did she cave to his commands. She stayed silent, her mind absolutely blank as she allowed her father to abuse her as he wished.
How did the demoness get herself into this situation in the first place?
It was simple. Perhaps another human managed to tug at a heartstring from her blackened and seemingly nonexistent heart.
So she took the fall for it.
━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━
A few hours earlier...
"Rengoku-san!" the burgundy haired boy shouted, "I believe there's another demon on board!!"
"I'm afraid I must agree with you," the flame hashira shouted loudly, "You figured out who it is, haven't you, young Kamado?"
Tanjiro looked at him with a surprised gaze, "So you knew all along!?"
"Yes!" Kyojuro smiled at him, feeling a bitterness coat his tongue as he said these words, "Her name is Asuna! She is said to be the Princess of the Demons!"
"P-princess?!"
"We must capture her— alive," the male explained, emphasizing the last bit, "Can you do that?"
"I-I'll try my best!" the boy affirmed hastily, quickly running back to save the other passengers.
"That's a good kid," Kyojuro laughed to himself as he too ran in the opposite direction to save the passengers.
All the while, the white-haired woman listened to their conversation in the trailer cart that was swinging vehemently from the derailed train. As commotion ensued around her, she sat very still and contemplated some.
Babysitting Enmu, as she viewed the situation, was nay more than child's play. He was making quite the ruckus— attracting a Hashira, playing with his food, and controlling humans. Nothing particularly spectacular in that.
Though, it did help reveal the appearance of a certain sun breathing boy and his sister once again. That, she inwardly smiled, made it worth watching.
Her smile diminished quickly as she noticed that the train had begun to veer off its path completely, meaning that Enmu was soon to be defeated.
And he talked so strongly about his plan.
She let out a deep sigh and proceeded to jump out of the train, landing softly onto the patch of dirt below as she watched the train eventually come to a screeching stop.
"Ah," she sighed to herself, "They defeated him."
She walked towards the scene, the sight of the flame hashira standing beside the wounded yet alive trio came into view.
This was her chance to...
She suddenly paused, feeling a presence appear behind her. The waves of power that radiated across the battlefield startled the demon slayers into alarm.
Asuna straightened herself from the initial surprise, not needing to turn around in order to know who it was.
Without warning, she jumps forward, intercepting the attack that otherwise would have pierced right through Tanjiro's head. Then, her hand, which held his fist, sent the male flying, the dust following behind him.
"Akaza," she stated, annoyance creeping into her voice.
The red-haired boy let out an audible gasp while the flame hashira simply tensed with his sword already in hand.
S-So fast!
U-Uppermoon 3? What is he doing here..?
"Asuna-hime," the uppermoon answered seriously, "I apologize for interrupting, but I am shocked you prevented me from at least plundering the boy. I didn't take you for someone that protected humans. Let alone, weak ones."
The demoness's lip twitched as she felt the stares of both the demon slayers on the floor. They were dumbfounded as well, why had she protected them?
Well, maybe only one of the demon slayers was surprised, for he had already deduced that she was not entirely their enemy.
For what purpose? Kyojuro had no clue.
"This is my matter to deal with," Asuna uttered irritatedly, "Do not stand in my way."
Akaza seemed to pause for a moment, as if unsure if he should proceed. However, what he heard next made his teeth grind.
"I can't understand why you'd go after a wounded person first," Kyojuro stated aloud, "It seems that Asuna is much more noble than you."
"I thought he would prove insufficient for Princess Asuna's tastes," the uppermoon grinned bitterly, "and perhaps he would try to interrupt our chitchat. You and I."
Akaza inwardly grimaced at the demon slayer's familiar way of calling his princess. Almost as though he had a close relationship with her— something that irked him.
"What would you and I have to talk about?" Kyojuro replied incredulously, "I'm meeting you for the first time, but I already dislike you."
"Is that right?" the uppermoon laughed, "Well, I loathe weak humans, too. The sight of a weakling makes my skin crawl."
"Then it looks like our senses of value are completely different!" the flame hashira exclaimed boisterously.
Soon enough, Akaza and Kyojuro were in fierce combat with one another, the hashira's sword clashing with the upper moon's fists. It was sending waves of power rippling across the battlefield, throwing pounds of dust into the air and igniting their stage.
"I have a brilliant proposal for you!" Akaza grinned excitedly, feeling adrenaline rush through him at the prospect of fighting such a strong human, "Why don't you become a demon, too?"
Ah, that caught her attention.
"I will not!"
"I can tell your strength at a glance! You're a Hashira, aren't you?!"
Asuna watched the scene with a calculating stare, a feeling of dread pooling in her otherwise placid body. She could already see the vision of where this battle was headed. She could see their hearts beating and their ligaments traversing throughout the fight.
There was already a clear victor — even though the flame in one was brighter than the other. The demoness watched the battle wane on as the demon slayer collected more and more wounds.
"Become a demon, Kyojuro!"
"I'll pass on your offer!" The Hashira shouted loudly, almost making Asuna laugh at the honorable tone of his voice, "Let me repeat it! I don't like you!"
She then noticed that there was the kid with the boar head standing right beside Tanjiro. Inosuke was it?
He was obviously looking for a moment to jump into the battle, but it was clear both he and his companion were far from capable of doing so without hindering the hashira.
"You still don't get it?! If you continue attacking, you'll just be getting closer to death, Kyojuro!"
This was it, the final push. Asuna watched the scene with a clear scowl on her face.
"Fifth Form... Flame Tiger!"
"Destructive Death... Disorder!!"
Tanjiro strained his eyes to see the outcome of the fight as the dust from their impact began to settle. As it did, his heart dropped and he let out a gasp in disbelief.
"Let's fight some more! Don't die on me, Kyojuro!!"