[name] sat on a branch with a sigh escaping her lips. She had witnessed Gyokko losing in the battle against the Mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro. She was now currently watching as Tanjiro had managed to slice off the head of the body that Hantengu had hidden in.
"Night is ending, this is an open field. What are you going to do, Kamado Tanjiro? Are you going to save your sister and let Hantengu escape, or are you going to sacrifice her?" [name] whispered to herself as she watched as the body which Hantengu hid in, fell to the ground.
"Nezuko! Run! Go hide in the shade!" and [name] watched as Nezuko struggled to go past her older brother, only for him to notice then that the head he sliced off, wasn't Hantengu himself.
"Run! Run! He ain't dead! Even though his head got cut off!" the swordsmiths yelled out and [name] watched with a smile on her face as she placed her elbows against her knees, with her head resting on the palm of her hands.
"[name]-sama! Please! Save me!" and [name] hummed in response as she shook her head, and Hantengu could only mentally cry as he quickly tries to run away, grabbing hold of the villagers.
"We messed up! We... We have to stop him!" Tanjiro yelled out as Nezuko was about to run with him, only to have the sun rising up. [name] then hissed slightly as her toes started to burn and she quickly disappeared into flower petals and went under the shade, hiding away from the sun with ease.
She was surprised, as she could watch as Nezuko got burned off, causing Tanjiro to stop in his pursuit for Hantengu.
"Nezuko! Shrink! Make your body smaller! Shrink!" he yelled out and quickly covered Nezuko. Only to have himself getting kicked off and [name] was rather surprised at the act of the demon girl. She watched as Nezuko continued to burn away, and soon Tanjiro landed perfectly on his feet.
"It's over for you, coward. Evil demon!" Tanjiro yelled out as he lunged forward, detecting where Hantengu was hiding, in the heart of the body.
"Atone for this, with your life!" and [name] watched as Hantengu was soon killed off, only to have her gradient eyes widened as she noticed, Nezuko standing under the sunlight.
"How..." she whispered out, and soon stood out, only to have herself screaming in agony as she realized she had stepped into the sun. Her face started to burn off, and she cried out as pain went through her body.
"[name]! [name]!" and [name]'s eyes widened as she realized she was in Nakime's arm, she then noticed the heat that was radiating on her body, realizing that what she had felt was indeed true.
"[name]..." she whispered out as she looked at [name]'s burnt body and face, only to watch as it slowly regenerates. She felt her body trembling in fear as she continued to hold her in her arms, not even bothering with the fact that she was still burning up from the sunlight.
"Nakime... Nakime..." she cried out, clearly afraid, and Nakime could only gently hold her close to her body as she had discarded her biwa the moment she transported [name] back to the Infinity Fortress.
"It's okay, you can rest now," Nakime spoke out as she gently caressed [name] on the back as she continued to hold her in her arms.
--
"What's wrong Toshikuni? You've made a huge mess," the old lady spoke out as she watched Muzan, who was in his child-like form, throwing a tantrum and pushing books off the shelves in the library of the humble home he stayed in, portrayed as a kid.
"Someone who can withstand the sun has finally... Amazing job, Hantengu!" Muzan spoke out as the veins on his arms started to bulge, excitement running through his veins.
"Well, you seem to be having fun. What was the story in that book abou-," the lady spoke out once more, only to have her head exploding, with blood splattering everywhere.
"Eh? Eh? Madam? What happened to your head?" the maid spoke out with a shocked look.
"There's no need to search for the Blue Spider Lily anymore. It's been so long... But this, this is why for a thousand years, why I've continued spreading my kind even though I didn't want to. This is something, not even the Twelve Demon Moons have in them. The chosen demon," and the lady started to tremble as she watched Muzan transform his body.
"If I eat that girl and absorb her, I can actually defeat the sun!" revealing his true form.
"Murderer! Monster! Monster! Master!" the maid yelled out, only to have her body splattering with blood as Muzan had decided to kill her off in one swift motion.
--
That day, in the Ubushiyaki Estate, an emergency Hashira meeting was held when Mitsuri and Muichiro had achieved their marks.
"Argh, I envy you guys damn it. Why can't I bump into Upper Moons?" Sanemi muttered to himself as he sat with one leg up, placing his elbow on it.
"It's not like people bump into them all the time. But how are you two doing, Kanorji, Tokito?" Obanai asked as he turned to look at the Love Hashira and Mist Hashira.
"Oh! Yeah! Yes, I'm feeling a lot better!"
"I... am not at full strength yet,"
"If we lose any Hashiras, the Demon Hunters will be in trouble. But defeating two Upper Moons without a casualty is very noble indeed," Himejima spoke out as tears rolled down his face as always.
"You to recovered surprisingly quickly from this, did anything happen?" Shinobu asked.
"Oyakata-sama probably wants to talk to us about everything, including this," Giyuu spoke out and soon the Hashiras heard shouts and running footsteps. They turned to look and their eyes could only remain wide opened as the door was slammed open.
"Rengoku-san! Please explain! I'm not under any orders of being allowed to leave the Butterfly Estate! Kocho-san will get angry!" Tanjiro yelled out and they watch as Tengen placed him down onto the tatami floor
"WE WERE TOLD TO BRING KAMADO AS WELL TO THE MEETING! IT WAS STATED THAT HE MIGHT KNOW KIBUTSUJI MUZAN'S WEAKNESS!" Kyojuro yelled out with a beaming smile and Shinobu along with Sanemi and the others except for Mitsuri, covered their ears at the loudness of the Flame Hashira.
"I'm very sorry for the wait. For our Hashira meeting today, I, Ubuyashiki Amane will be attending in place of Ubushiyaki Kagaya. Right now, the disease affecting our Master Kagaya has gotten worse. And he sends his apologies for being unable to attend this meeting in front of you all," Amane spoke out and watched as Tanjiro quickly took his position which was right at the back given how he wasn't a Hashira.
"Understood, I will pray for Oyakata-sama's flickering flame of life to last a bit longer even for just a day and for you to stay strong, Amane-sama,"
"He would like to give his thanks to all the Hashiras. I'm sure you all have heard this, but now we have a demon who has conquered the sun and she is here. Kibutsuji Muzan has most likely altered his goals to go after her so that he can conquer the sun himself. The time for an all-out battle is approaching," Amane spoke out and noticed how Tanjiro was fidgeting as well.
"Also, we have reports of strange marks appearing on Kanroji-sama and Tokito-sama during their battles against Upper Moons Four and Five. So I would like to ask you two about how you got those marks and what the conditions are to obtain them," Amane added on and she looked at Tanjiro once more.
"Marks?" Mitsuri whispered out unknown that she had received a mark together with Muichiro.
"During the Sengoku Era, there were some swordsmen of the first breath who was one step away from ending Kibutsuji Muzan. They all had marks that resembled demon crests. This knowledge has been passed down though, so some people should know about this," Amane explained.
"But I haven't heard of it. So why are we hiding this?" Sanemi asked.
"Because a lot of people were brooding over the marks never appearing, and that's why. A lot of information about the marks became hazy with time, maybe because it was never laid out in stone back then. The demon hunters were on the verge of annihilation countless times, so perhaps the succession died out at some points," Amane spoke out.
"But we do have one piece of consistent knowledge about them. Once one person has that mark on them, it starts spreading to others as if they're resonating. That was how one of the swordsmen of the first breath put it," Kiriya spoke out as he held the book.
"And as of now, the person who first had this mark was not any of the Hashiras here. But Kamado Tanjiro, he was the first one with the mark. But when we asked him he had a hard time explaining how he received those marks. We could have left it off there, but then when we were informed about two of the Hashiras receiving their marks as well," Amane spoke out and soon turned to look at Mitsuri and Muichiro.
"So please inform us, Kanroji-sama, Tokito-sama," Amane spoke out.
"O-Okay! So, like back then, my body was like, super light and uhh uhh, IT WAS LIKE BADAAAAM! AND DUUURRR AND BUDAAH! THEN MY HEART WENT BADUM BADUM AND MY EARS WENT SCREEEE! AND TINKLE TANKLE TOO!" Mitsuri enthusiastically explained, and Tanjiro had shot his hand up.
"IT WAS LIKE GAHHH AND WHIOOO AND MY BELLY WENT RUMBLE RUMBLE!" he added on.
"I'm so sorry. I will go hide in a tiny hole now," Mitsuri spoke out as she bowed down with her forehead touching the tatami floor as she realized how everybody was just stunned with what she had just said, and noticed Tanjiro doing the same action as well.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered out.
"But looking back on the previous battle, I became aware that a number of things were different. If you fulfill these conditions, then maybe everyone can get these marks. So let me tell you how it works now," Muichiro spoke out in a quiet but strong way.
"I couldn't move during the previous battle because I got poisoned. I was using my breaths to try and delay the poison from circulating through my bloodstream. But a boy who tried to save me nearly lost his life and my old memories came back," Muichiro started to explain how he got his demon slayer mark then.
"Then I got so angry that I lost complete control of my emotions. I think my heart rate went over 200bpm, and my body became burning hot. If I'm not wrong, my body temperature went over 39 degrees," Muichiro added on.
"But you can move in that condition? That would have been life-threatening," Shinobu pointed out, given how she knew more about the body than any of them present in the room.
"Well, that's why I think it can be used as a screening test. Will you die, or will you not? That's probably the difference between those who have the mark appear and those who do not,"
"A heart rate over 200bpm... And a body temperature of around 39 degrees?" Amane asked.
"Yes. When Kocho-san was treating my wounds, I apparently had a fever. The temperature recorded on the thermometer was about 39 degrees. My guess is that I had the same body temperature when the mark appeared," Muichiro added on.
"Ah, it's that simple," Sanemi commented and Giyuu, who was sitting beside him, commented as well once they had finished listening to Muichiro's explanation.
"I admire those simpletons who can say things are simple," Giyuu added on, and Tanjiro noticed the tensed atmosphere as both Sanemi and Obanai looked towards Giyuu's direction.
"What?" Sanemi muttered out.
"Nothing,"
"So I guess getting this mark to appear will now be a high priority for the Hashiras," Shinobu spoke out quickly to ease the tension.
"Agreed. Please inform Oyakata-sama that we will do something about it, so he can be at ease," Himejima spoke out.
"Thank you very much. But I do have one thing to say regarding your mark training. Those who have manifested the mark must participate. No matter who it has appeared for, and there will be no exceptions," and soon Amane's eyes laid upon Tanjiro, who quickly sat up straight.
"Kamado Tanjiro, would you like to share with us your findings?" she asked, and Tanjiro nodded his head vigorously.
"Uh... Ah... It's about this demon, she's the Upper Moon Zero," he commented, and everybody's eyes widened except for Obanai, Tengen and Kyojuro who had encountered [name].
"I believe that she is Kibutsuji Muzan's weakness, base on what Tamayo-san had stated before. As what I know from Tamayo-san, Kibutsuji Muzan has implanted a curse in the demons, if they ever shout out his name even if it wasn't due to ill intention, a curse is activated, killing them on the spot," he spoke out and Sanemi had a scowl on his face.
"Fucking sick bastard," he muttered out.
"But, [name], who is the Upper Moon Zero, was given the privilege to do what she wants. Base on what we know, an Upper Moon Zero shouldn't exist in the first place, given how there are only Upper Moon and Lower Moon, both consisting of 6 positions," and their eyes widened at the information that was given.
"But, that doesn't mean she isn't powerful. When I could finally smell her demon scent, the scent was so different from Akaza who was an Upper Moon Three, and Gyutaro who was an Upper Moon Six," he spoke out, and Obanai was getting a little irritated then.
Remembering how [name] had exposed his family background.
"So, if we can get rid of [name] first, it will push Kibustuji Muzan over the edge, hence rendering him going berserk, which will allow us to have an easier chance in getting rid of him," Tanjiro pointed out, and soon a slap was felt on the back of his head.
"And what if Kibutsuji Muzan gets much more enraged and powerful over the death of that Upper Moon Zero? Did you think about it?" Giyuu asked, and Tanjiro's eyes widened at what he had just said.
"I hate to fucking admit, but the kid is right. If this Upper Moon Zero or whatsoever is that important to that fucking bastard, then attacking her should be one of our priorities," Sanemi muttered out and the rest of the Hashiras agreed.
"Tanjiro, do you know what Blood Demon Art this Upper Moon Zero have? And how does she look like?" Shinobu asked, and Tengen let out a frustrated sigh.
"I reported to Oyakata-sama before. This [name], she is able to hide her demon scent and sound, she is able to portray fully as a human being," Tengen muttered out, and that's when they knew, it was going to be difficult to get to [name] as well.
"Yes, Uzui-san is right. She can portray herself perfectly as a human, somehow similar to Daki... Her Blood Demon Art, I think it revolves around flower vines. And she looked really like a human, with gradient dark blue ocean eyes and long brown hair," Tanjiro tried his best to remember [name]'s features then.
"Her flower vines can rumble from the ground and explode, creating fire. We got caught in the mess back then," Obanai muttered out and Muichiro's eyes widened.
"Which means, she was the demon who set the entire town on fire back then, Shinazugawa-san, Himejima-san," he spoke out and noticed how Sanemi had a scowl on his face and Himejima just had his two large hands placed together as he mumbled soft prayers.
The meeting soon came to an end, and Tanjiro quickly took his leave. He soon walked past the hallway where picture frames were hung up, and his eyes widened as he looked at one particular one.
An old and torn photograph that was so tattered, it was as if it had gone through washing multiple times and had somehow survived. There were also holes in the photograph, causing some of the people's faces in the photograph to be missing. His dark red eyes could only remain wide opened as he continued to hear footsteps coming towards him.
"Kamado? What's wrong?" Kyojuro spoke out and Tanjiro slowly raised his finger up and pointed to the picture frame, causing the Hashiras to crowd around and looked at what he was pointing at. Obanai, Tengen, and Kyojuro's eyes widened at who he was pointing to.
"Isn't that... [name]...?"
--
Kibutsuji Muzan watched as [name] laid in bed. He had heard of what had happened from Nakime, and he could only quickly enter the room to check upon his lover who was curled up in bed, shaken from the fact that she nearly ended her life due to her carelessness.
"Muzan-sama," she whispered out and Muzan quickly went to her side as she turned to look at him. He had on a soft smile then as he gently placed a hand against her cheek and caressed it gently.
"The goal is going to be reached. I'll ensure you will walk under the sun with me, you will no longer have to be afraid," he said with a soft smile, and [name] nodded as she watched him climbing into bed together with her.
He eventually wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head against his chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
"I apologize for not being there to save you, only to have Nakime transporting you back in time. I must thank her, if not I will end up losing you to that useless fireball," he whispered out and noticed how [name] had continued to remain quiet instead.
"I love you, [name]," he whispered out and felt [name]'s arms tightened around him. He felt guilty, a feeling he never wanted to feel. But in the end, he felt it, given how he was deeply in love with the Upper Moon Zero.
Worried for her safety.
"Muzan-sama, we'll be together, forever, right?" she whispered out.
"Yes, we will be. I promise you that," he whispered out as he gently turned and pulled [name] closer against his body. Using his hand to slowly caress her back, and he soon felt her steady breathing.
And this time, it wasn't Muzan who felt serenity.
It was [name] instead.