I'm publishing this on my birthday, so happy birthday to me!
This chapter's fanart is by iridescentxmist and it's a short comic posted in their artbook, so check it out! It's very cute (am I biased because Muichiro is in it? ... maybe).
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In any other circumstance, you thought you'd be pretty happy with your situation. Kokushibo was definitely one of your favorite demons and spending time with him in this universe — by itself — is great! Vibey, in fact! Only immediate death most certainly awaited you at the end of this.
See, you were, in all aspects, still a rookie slayer. Kokushibo was an old boy. He'd met and probably killed at least fifty times more slayers than you have demons, and this was you low-balling the estimate. It would take multiple miracles for you to even survive a fight against him. He knew exactly who you were. So now you were role-playing as a good-natured demon slayer doing her Samaritan duty of helping a civilian to his destination.
Never thought I'd be role-playing like this.
You glanced at Kokushibo, who was staring straight ahead. Initially, you weren't sure if taking him to crowded streets was a good idea because if he decided to fight, he could kill a lot of people and that would not be good. However, it seemed like he was trying to stay undercover because even when people stumbled into him, he didn't flinch, just brushing them aside and waiting for you while you helped them up. You figured that he was prioritizing looking for Tamayo, so he didn't care about these humans.
What do I do later? Should I try stalling until sunrise? What if he comes to Asakusa when I'm not here?
"We're here." His voice cut through your thoughts. Before you'd realized, the two of you had reached the area where you'd told him Tamayo used to stay. Luckily, nothing here looked familiar, so you were sure you led him somewhere away from her current residence.
"Yeah . . . " You examined all the buildings around you. You weren't sure what to do now. Fighting was out of the question. All the people around you would get caught in the crossfire and you'd most likely be one-shotted.
"Where was she?"
"Give me a second, I'm trying to remember."
This was far from the places your friends were meant to patrol, so hopefully they don't come here. When you glanced at Kokushibo, he was already looking at you, his previously passive face slightly changing with his eyebrows discretely furrowing.
You looked down the road and noticed that after another block, the street opened up and the number of buildings decreased. You could take him there and then try to isolate him. Then look around, see that Tamayo wasn't there, and send him on his way.
"It was a little way down that street." You pointed in the direction, "I think it might've been one of the buildings or a tent or something."
He looked at you in confusion. "A . . . what?"
You blinked and then remembered that he was not used to you speaking English and that you don't know the Japanese word for tent. "Um . . . like a . . . thing . . . " The good ol' charades tactic came in clutch as you used your arms to make a triangle over your head. "You put it outside and sleep in it, you know?"
He stared at you and you felt very self-conscious. "Hmm." was his only response. You sighed and just started walking. The sooner this guy left the city, the sooner you'd relax.
You and Kokushibo walked and you carefully noted that the number of people here also reduced since there weren't as many buildings. When you were approaching the end of the road, you spotted a building that stood slightly away from others, had no lights on, and looked just run down enough that it would be hard for people to live there, but not so run down that it could have been decades since someone set foot inside. Of course, you could never be sure, but your gut was telling you that going to that house would be a safer bet. You peeked through one of the windows and saw the inside was empty before gesturing for Kokushibo to come inside.
"She was in this building, but like I said, she hasn't been here for a while so it looks kinda bad now."
He didn't reply, only walking through the house. Every footstep made the entire house creak and you were silently hoping that there was nothing else in there so you could peacefully leave right after. The longer he was silent, the more you worried he'd find something that you wouldn't be able to explain away, and then boom, you were dead.
At long last, Kokushibo had walked through the entire house and hadn't said a thing. When he came out of the last room and started making his way back downstairs, you bit back a sigh of relief.
Now he just has to leave. He's already close to the city's edge. It's just a few blocks away, and then we're done.
You took a step forward and everything felt like it was going to go wrong. Your instincts were screaming for you to get out of the house.
Damn it, I jinxed it.
You spotted a window and leaped out just in time for the entire thing to explode into wooden splinters and dust. It was only the second story, so you smoothly rolled to a stop. Just before you got up, you felt something seize your body and force you down.
"Stay down!"
You widened your eyes as you saw multiple inhumanely large slashes pass over you and slice into the houses across the street. You heard crashes and screams and thuds and bangs and it still took two more seconds for that force on your body to relax. The second it did, you scrambled to your feet only to halt in place.
Despite all the panicked shrieks and cries of pain surrounding you, they were growing more muted by the second. You stared at Kokushibo, who had now transformed into his demon form. Six, blood-red eyes flickered from the light of the fire, golden pupils glowing as they pierced through you. You gulped as your racing heart thundered in your chest. His shadow stretched out to you like claws, dancing back and forth in the lamplight, inching closer and closer to you. No matter how much you wanted to put distance between the two of you, your legs were rooted to the spot.
"Slayer . . . how long did you think . . . you could lie . . . to me?"
You couldn't move. You were frozen under the pressure of his stare, of the bloodlust you felt prickling and crawling all over your skin. This was something beyond what you could handle, beyond what anyone could handle at this point in time.
I can't let him hurt anyone here. I have to do something . . . something . . .
What can I do? I'm not even a Pillar yet. I'm not the best person to do anything, but I'm the only one here, so I have to at least try.
"Tamayo has never been to this building. . . but your presence here tells me . . . that she is nearby. That is . . . enough. Your life is . . . forfeit."
Your arms shook as you tried to move them to the hilt of your swords.
Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, dontpanicdontpanicdontpanic.
Kokushibo was watching your every move and you accidentally met his eyes again. You stiffened again, dread pooling in your core and you knew something bad was going to happen. But despite everything, the more you thought about moving, the more you planned to try and stop him, the less you were able to move. Something was clutching at your heart and lungs, something was seizing up all your muscles.
Fear.
You hadn't felt such an intense fear in so long. No matter how hard you tried, in front of someone like Kokushibo, every bit of training and determination you had evaporated.
Is this it?
In the corner of your eye, you saw the faintest glimpse of red cloth and although you couldn't see, you knew something had appeared behind you.
"He will draw his blade in three seconds," A deep, male voice spoke softly in your ear. "You have two seconds to clear the area or two seconds to stop his blade."
And you were moving before you could even think, before your mind caught up to your body. You were already drawing your swords, your mouth opening as you took in a deep breath to scream as loud as you could.
"EVERYONE, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"
Within the next second, you were an arm's distance from Kokushibo, your swords were crossed in front of you, and you met his eyes. The briefest moment you met his eyes, you saw the remnants of the person you knew in the manga, the shadow of Yorichii clinging to him, and his own insecurities plaguing his mind. He seemed almost surprised to see you, his eyes narrowing as he straightened the arm with his sword.
You didn't even see his blade touch yours. All you heard was the most horrible, ear-piercing shriek of metal on metal before you were blown away. The wind howled in your ears and you crashed through multiple walls. Each blow had your back and shoulders throbbing in pain and when you finally stopped, you lay there, dazed.
I don't think I can do this.
Your arms had lost all feeling and were trembling. Your legs twitched and you knew you were bleeding in multiple parts of your body.
How do I stop him?
You carefully rose from the rubble, dust swirling as pieces of wood and stone fell. Using your swords as support, you shakingly got to your feet. One step almost had you tumbling to the ground again, another had you leaning over in pain.
"It's okay. It's okay. Just breathe. Breathe, (Y/N). Breathe."
Where the thought came from, you wouldn't know. Your mind was scrambled and you were barely keeping it together. It was probably the other soul inside of you, the one who calmed you down and helped you think more rationally. The one who had a loving family for her somewhere in this world. The one whose secrets you wanted to unravel.
"But there's a time and place for it. We need to focus, (Y/N). You need to figure out how to defeat the demon in front of you. You need to overcome the obstacle in front of you."
I know. Thank you.
You closed your eyes, keeping your ears peeled for any signs of fighting. You forced air into your lungs, your heart beat faster, and the blood rushed through your body.
"Now go fight your best."
You opened your eyes, immediately focusing on the figure in the shadows ahead of you. It was easier to move your body and maybe it was the adrenaline, but you couldn't feel any of the pain in your shoulders and back.
The second you stepped into the main road, you saw what was left of it. The entire area had been cleared of buildings. You couldn't see any people climbing out of the rubble, so either there were people trapped inside, or they had gotten clear of the area when you told them.
I can't be too optimistic. It was only a few seconds.
Kokushibo's eyes fixed on you again and you instinctively tensed up again. His blade was back in its sheath but he kept a hand on it.
"You . . . lived?"
Gulping, you replied, "H-hell yeah, I lived. I'm a-a cockroach! I don't die easy."
He hummed. "Cockroach. Fitting . . . for you."
Wow, he's pissing off sometimes.
His six eyes roamed all over you, scrutinizing every part of your body. "You haven't unlocked . . . it."
"Unlocked what?"
"The mark. The Transparent World. Nor are you . . . a Pillar. I . . . have no need of my blade when fighting you."
"I see." You stood in position, raising your swords despite the shaking in your limbs. "You're going to change your mind soon."
Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance.
Within three steps of the form, you were close enough to land a strike on him. Of course, he easily dodged and your sword cut through the air in front of his face. However, you immediately followed the attack with your second sword.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash.
Your fourth step landed and you pivoted, bringing both swords together and dashing forward faster than you could blink. Dust kicked up from your feet as you moved, obscuring your sight for the briefest moments but when it cleared, your swords were inches away from his neck, effortlessly blocked by the hilt of his sword, the blade still unsheathed.
"You use two swords . . . to create surprise attacks where . . . they did not previously exist. Interesting."
You huffed, already pulling yourself together. You expected this. You just need to pay attention.
"Attack consecutively. Tie your forms together." The voice came back and you listened to him.
Focus. Focus. Focus.
Fourth Form: Striking Tide.
You slashed at Kokushibo's figure, who danced out of range of your slashes each time.
Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust.
Sixth Form: Whirpool.
Second Form: Water Wheel.
Move after move after move, you chased after Kokushibo. Your swords glinted in the light and his clothes rustled, the blades inching closer and closer only for him to appear feet away from you within the next split second. The consecutive uses of your forms were draining your stamina astronomically, but you couldn't let up. You had to get him to draw his blade. You needed The more of his attention you grabbed, the more chances you'd get to draw blood. Hopefully, your blood would throw him just a little off pace and you'd be able to extract some of his blood to get to Tamayo.
For a moment, one of your swords knocked his arm, creating the smallest tear in his clothing. Your eyes widened and Kokushibo immediately moved away from you. He stared at the tear with something unreadable in his eyes.
"For you to put in this much effort . . . " Kokushibo started, "It's only fair . . . if I show you my blade . . . dual wielder."
You stopped, watching in fascination. He drew his twisted, flesh-and-eye-covered blade. It emerged from its sheath slowly and you knew he was playing with you.
Both of you knew you wouldn't last long after his blade was drawn. Both of you knew that this would probably be your last night alive. Everything had become irrelevant in front of that blade.
Calm down. Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm the only one who can do this right now.
Once drawn, the blade was pointed squarely at you, unmoving in the wind.
"I give my gratitude for your aid . . . in finding Tamayo. Show me more, dual wielder. Show me . . . your strength."
Silence fell upon the area. Your heartbeat rang in your ears and you were hyperaware of every cell in your body.
"He will wait for you to move, so make a decisive strike. Use your strongest form."
Tenth Form: Constant Flux!
You charged at Kokushibo, your blades held so tightly that your nails were digging into the hilts. He had raised his blade and you could tell that you wouldn't even get close to landing your attack.
"Defend now." You slowed down your charge and changed the grip on your swords so you could block the worst of his strike.
Kokushibo let out a singular slash that clashed against your blades and because your momentum changed so suddenly, your center of balance wasn't rooted like it normally was and you were thrown back again. You immediately flipped to your feet just in time to feel the smaller slashes unleashed by his blade cut into your body.
"Ugh!" You grunted. You managed to block very few of the crescent blades, but the rest had dug into you, spraying your blood into the air.
Fuck, that hurts.
You clutched your swords even tighter if it was possible. Anything to stop yourself from losing the adrenaline and focus you maintained. You knew that it would only take a few moments for your marechi blood to take effect, but you needed to make sure you were in the position to extract his blood.
Watching his figure, you noticed the faintest sway of his body and the rapid blinking of his eyes.
"You are . . . marechi?" He muttered in confusion. "You have . . . very potent blood."
"He's becoming distracted."
When he closed his eyes again, you leaped at him again. They opened just in time for him to block the swing of your swords and with his free hand, he pushed his palm into your abdomen.
You definitely felt quite a few ribs break and all the air left your lungs. You might as well have been stabbed clean through. His strength was enough for you to feel like there was now a hand-shaped hole in you. You stumbled backward, coughing and heaving as black spots danced in your sight.
No . . . I'm not passing out.
You blearily focused on Kokushibo's figure as he slowly approached you.
"How is your blood . . . this strong?"
Every step he took was off center and he seemed like he could barely focus his eyes on you. You felt a wetness in the back of your throat and knew it was blood even before it splattered on the ground in front of you. At the sound of it hitting the ground, Kokushibo let out an animalistic growl. You could see him losing more of his composure. Every second he spent smelling your blood was bringing out more of his demonic qualities.
You wiped at the blood around your mouth. "I — "
A cold blade pierced your abdomen before you could bring yourself to say anything. You couldn't see anything, heard no indication from his footsteps that he was so close to you. More blood poured from your mouth landing on his blade. A fiery pain spread from the point of the blade's entrance and its exit through your back. You felt your arms grow numb and your swords fell with a clatter. More blood filled your mouth and airway and every breath caused excruciating pain.
"Collapse . . . already," Kokushibo spoke, and for some reason, you thought he was getting annoyed with you. Your bloody fingers fumbled at the cloth of your pants, desperately searching for Tamayo's blood extraction cylinder. The moment you held the cold glass in your hands, you felt Kokushibo begin to pull his blade out of you.
No . . . he can't move . . . I need to keep him here.
You clutched the hand holding the blade, using all your strength to stop him from moving. With every muscle in your hand flexing and in Kokushibo's (basically drunk) shock, his pressure reduced only for you to push the blade deeper into yourself. You let out a loud cry, stabbing the needle into one of the tears on his clothes.
"You . . . " Your voice was hoarse and you spoke with your blood-covered tongue. "You . . . stay."
It took every bit of determination and concentration you had built to stay awake, to keep pulling him closer, to push the blade deeper and deeper no matter how much it hurt. No matter what, you would get his blood. No matter what, you'd keep Upper Moon One here. No matter what, you'd live to tell the tale.
"What is wrong . . . with you?" The briefest resistance to your strength made the blade shift in your body and you cried out again, this time tears stinging in your eyes.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much . . .
"Help is coming, young one. Hold on for a few moments longer."
The second the cylinder was filled with blood, you pulled it out of Kokushibo. Your vision was swarmed with spots of black and red and your head spun from all the blood you lost. It was a miracle that you were still standing and you had no more energy left in you.
"Dual wielder . . . "
Kokushibo never had the chance to finish his sentence. His hand left the hilt of his sword and he leaped out of the way just as a sword came swinging down in front of you. It crashed onto the ground a hair's breadth away. The ground cracked under the pressure and in your blurry vision, you saw a swirl of white and black stand in front of you as you fell to your knees.
"Who's this demon?" A harsh voice asked.
Shinazugawa?
" . . . A Pillar," Kokushibo muttered, his words sounding slurred. "Who knew . . . you'd turn up?"
"Of course, I'd fucking show up!" Shinazugawa let out a loud laugh. "But you looked so fucked up! Ha! Does this kid have marechi blood?! This is great!" You could already imagine the crazed look in his eyes and let out a tired, wet chuckle.
After a brief moment of silence, Kokushibo spoke again, "Sunrise . . . My time is up."
"Don't you dare — "
You heard a whoosh and silence, figuring that Kokushibo must have left already.
" — FUCK!" You heard another rustle as Shinazugawa knelt in front of you.
"You gonna die?"
You slowly shook your head. " . . . Nah."
You heard the grin in his voice as he said. "Damn straight."
You gritted your teeth and held the hilt of the blade, drawing upon whatever energy reserves you had left, and pulled the whole thing straight out. Blood immediately started pouring out but Shinazugawa was already moving, wrapping bandages around your abdomen.
"You were skewered straight through," He tsked as he treated your wounds. He then shoved a small vial into your hands. "Drink this. That demon doctor said you're her test subject."
Ah. The first human healing serum.
You stared at the vial for a moment, at the future you were looking to create, then downed it in one go. You felt it move down your throat and even before it hit your stomach, a burning pain spread through your body focusing around your wounds. It pulsed as it spread, throbbing more than anything you'd ever felt before. You could feel broken bones shifting into place, bleeding slowing down to a stop, and skin stitching over your wounds. The tears you'd been trying to hold back sprang forth, pouring down your dirty face as you sobbed at the pain. You had no voice left to scream, one hand clutching your midsection, feeling the hole the blade left in you closing up. The other held the vial of Kokushibo's blood tightly, clutching it to your chest.
Tamayo, Tamayo, I have to give it to her.
"Tamayo . . . " You whispered, "I have to give it to her . . . "
"Shut up and rest, kid." Shinazugawa standing above you, arms crossed. "You did good holding out."
"Don't . . . chase." He snorted at your words.
"Please. I'm not so reckless to chase after a demon like that who did all this without a plan." He turned his head, waving at someone out of your line of sight. Or maybe they were and you just couldn't see them through your tears and blurry vision. "Besides," He continued in a darker voice, "I have a feeling I'd meet that bastard soon."
His instincts are crazy. I guess he's a Pillar for a reason.
The pain began to fade and you straightened, already seeing kakushi digging through the rubble, helping people get out.
"Did anyone die?"
"Probably," Shinazugawa was blunt, "Given the scale of the damage, the elderly and children wouldn't be able to survive easily."
"Oh."
Why couldn't I be faster? I had Kokushibo in my sights the entire time, I should have been more careful. There didn't need to be this much carnage. It was all because of my decisions.
You felt a flick on your head and flinched, looking up at Shinazugawa in annoyance. "What was that for?"
He clicked his tongue. "You remind me too much of someone I know. It pissed me off."
Who's he talking about?
"Don't let something so insignificant bother you. This is our reality as demon slayers. Just deal with it. You're still young and unskilled, so there's only so much you can do. You don't have the power to save everyone."
"But I want it," You whispered, "That power. I want to save everyone, no matter who they are."
"Then get stronger, you baby. Only the strong can protect what they want."
You nodded.
Your gaze fell to the empty vial of healing serum and the cylinder full of Kokushibo's blood. The story was already progressing, and you were on your way to the beginning of the true story. Your work so far was only the beginning. The healing serum, collecting all the blood Tamayo could need, getting the collaboration started before planned so they had more time to prepare, all of it was just the tip of the iceberg. You now had to grow even stronger. That had always been your plan, but now you knew exactly what you had to do. You knew who you'd have to beat. You knew who your enemies were.
It all begins now.
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Bonus Scene:
Kokushibo after escaping: Kokushibo sprinted through the trees, slower than he normally would have been. His head was still spinning from the effect of her marechi blood and it was hard for him to think cohesively. When he was in a thicker part of the woods where the sun wouldn't shine through, he paused, examining the trees. Usually, whenever he passed through forests, every animal's instinct warned them to stay away. As a result, they were always dead quiet. However, every now and then, he could hear the flutter of a bird's wings.
Kasugai.
He briefly reached for his sword before recalling that he had left it stabbed in that dual wielder. Instead, he stretched out his arm and swiftly made another one. Using the sounds of their wings, he pinpointed the three crows that were surrounding him as well as the two that were watching from afar. It took him not even a second to kill them all, sheathing his blade before their bodies even fell to the floor.
Once he confirmed that no living creature was watching him, he began his journey once more. His mission was almost a complete failure because of that dual wielder. That town would be suspicious of any outsiders which would make his master's plan more difficult to accomplish. However, it was also rewarding in that he narrowed down Tamayo's location to the other half of the city and that he got rid of a troublesome slayer. It was a shame he didn't have time to kill that Pillar, but with the sun approaching and Kokushibo still under the effects of the girl's marechi blood, it would be dangerous for him to continue. He knew when to cut his losses.
There was no way that the dual wielder would survive after being pierced by his blade. It had gone through many vital organs and on top of her previous injuries and blood loss, no matter what treatment she received, she won't be able to survive. It would take the ability to control her own vessels to even have a chance at living, and he knew she couldn't do it.
But there was something about that slayer, something about the way that she was fighting. She used Water Breathing, which he'd seen countless times. Her being a dual-wielder was slightly interesting, but he had run into some back in the day. No, it was more of the way she fought. For the briefest of moments, she'd lose her concentration before changing her attack, shifting from offense to defense almost like she was listening to instructions. Unfortunately, the effect of the marechi didn't allow him to take full advantage of that opening, so the fight dragged on for much longer than he'd desired.
Who was she listening to?
There was no human around her, so how peculiar it was.
Now, I won't get the answer with her dead. I should give my report to Nakime and Lord Muzan.
Taisho Secrets
— The author initially thought that this chapter would be the one where (Y/N) fights Kokushibo and wins with her own power to show how much she's grown, but then in the middle of the night, they sat up in cold sweat because no, (Y/N) would immediately die if she fought Kokushibo as she was with no external help and that would not be ideal (the author doesn't want to do the Akutami Gege method of characters just choosing their deaths)
— When (Y/N) showed that abandoned house, he was tipped off that something was wrong because based on what Kibutsuji told him about Tamayo and how he knew it's been hundreds of years since Kibutsuji started looking for her, Kokushibo knew that she would never stay at a place that was so obviously in public. Then (Y/N)'s body's reaction to her overthinking solidified his theory and he figured that confirming that Tamayo was in Asakusa was good enough so he could kill (Y/N) before she became a problem
— Right before Shinazugawa arrived, Kokushibo was going to ask you to become a demon
— Shinazugawa stopped by the city because he knew Sayuri was in the area and wanted to give her some ohagi (anonymously, of course, but the thought was there nonetheless)
— Past Life Shenanigans: Kalindi was adopted into the family she lived with in Japan
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Oh, how I've missed writing fight scenes.
Question of the day: What are your stances on having roommates (excluding living with your sibling when you were younger)?