Sorry for not uploading, Im tryna do my best to get an internship at Samsung, so that's that.
Also, due to the recent controversies about OpenAI, I'm no longer going to use ChatGPT to proofread and correct my stuff. I think I'll use Gemini.
Don't worry, I'll still be using Grammarly to correct my basic spelling mistakes. Some might argue that it's still AI I'm using, but it can't be helped because I suck at spelling, and if I don't use Grammarly, this fic would be pretty much unreadable.
Anyways, enjoy.
~~~~~
[3rd Person POV]
'Why is it like this?'
"Destructive Death: Compass Needle!"
Humans are fragile compared to demons. Compared to humans who only lived for a measly 80 years, demons lived for hundreds of years. Not to mention, with the biological difference between them, even the weakest of demons are significantly more powerful than the strongest Strength that can destroy boulders, speed that can outrun a Cheetah, durable enough to ignore firearms, a near infinite amount of stamina and endurance, and ridiculously advanced regeneration capable of healing their body even if only their head remained. Not to mention, their mystical Blood Demon Arts that defied all logic.
In this case, humans only have one advantage, and that is speed. Speed fast enough to kill a demon before it can unleash its Blood Demon Art, speed fast enough to kill a demon before it can regenerate, and most importantly, speed fast enough to dodge a demon's attack.
So logically, Aoyama should have dodged.
"Martial Union Sun Breathing: Sunflower Thrust!"
But he didn't.
*BOOM*
Two arms, one belonging to an upper Moon, the highest ranking and the strongest group of demons, and the other to a fragile human, one who hadn't even earned the title of a Hashira, clashed against each other.
*Squelch*
Yet somehow, it was the demon's hand that exploded into a blood mist.
"HAHAHAHA, FANTASTIC!"
*swish*
Jumping back, Akaza looked at his missing arm with glee. His regeneration, capable enough to regenerate half his body in just milliseconds, struggled to heal a singular limb.
Fleshy tendrils extended from his shoulder, along with a small bone growth that slowly extended down his body. For some reason, it looked as if his flesh and bones struggled and burned each time they tried to extend and regenerate, making his regeneration not only slower than even a Lower Moon's but also extremely painful.
However, Akaza didn't seem to mind kuch.
"Fascinating!" Akaza said, licking small drops of blood from his hand, before spitting them out with a face of disgust as his tongue burned from the blood. "Your body's sorta like a mini-sun! It's stopping me from regenerating! Are you supposed to be some form of divine retribution or whatever humans believe nowadays?"
Aoyama, however, didn't reply, silently clutching his glowing red arm.
'Damn, that hurt.'
Doing his best not to wince in pain, he looked around him.
'This place has gone to hell.'
It was a simple mission. Infiltrate the Red Light District, find Upper Moon 6, and kill them both. With the help of multiple Hashira, this was supposed to be a breeze.
'So why…'
A haze of ice produced by small icy lotus flowers covered the area, making his lungs hurt every breath for a brief moment before his lungs burned away the ice. Occasional sparks of lightning and streams of fish passed through the haze every so often.
*swoosh*
Ducking down, a stream of pink, vibrant cloth passed over his head, before swirling around and trying to attack him, only for it to instantly stop and flail off into the wind after being cut off from the source.
'Upper Moon 6, Upper Moon 5, and Upper Moon 4. I've confirmed their presence. Not to mention, it appears Upper Moon 2 isn't here physically, but acting as a form of support with his Blood Demon Art.'
"Oh? Got something on your mind?"
"Fake Rainbow"
Dissolving in a mist of colours, Aoyama narrowly dodged Akaza's swing aimed at his temple before appearing behind him, cocking his hand back for a punch. Yet, as if possessing eyes on his back, Akaza's hand moved towards Aoyama in an instant, forcing him to jump backwards.
'Tch, he's right!' Aoyama gritted his teeth in frustration. 'As much as this sucks, right now I have no choice but to trust the other Hashira for now. Right now, the survival of everyone here depends on whether either me or Gyomei can break out of their deadlock to help the others.'
Taking a deep breath, Aoyama readied his stance.
'So, I have to end this now.'
~~~
[Some time earlier]
"That's the last of them sir!"
A group of Kinoe-ranked Slayers saluted, reporting the situation to the Sound pillar. Their uniforms were torn and stained, but their eyes burned with resolve.
"All the civilians have been successfully evacuated!" they replied, holding up their lanterns."Upon exposure to the lantern, the obi slash demon, along with the obi slashes containing the trapped civilians, immediately melted, and everyone was set free!"
"Good job." Tengen replied, nodding his head, "Get some rest for now, you need to be in peak condition for the fight in the night."
"We haven't been able to figure out how to recreate these lanterns yet." Rengoku added, "So, make sure you handle these carefully. We only have about a couple of dozen of these. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
A bit further away, Tanjiro watched the situation with attention as he sat beside Giyu who was trying to have his lunch alone.
"The Demon Slayer Corps is really intense." Tanjiro muttered, "Everyone here is so serious! It gives off such a professional vibe!"
"Mm." Giyu gave a small nod, swallowing his mouthful of rice. "This is normal. Before a battle, everyone is like this."
The two of them stood there in a small pocket of stillness amid the distant shouts of Demon Slayers preparing for nightfall and the creak of wood from nearby buildings. The scent of food stalls, damp stone, and lamp oil drifted faintly on the breeze.
Giyu glanced at the rice ball in his hand. He remembered, vaguely, what Urokodaki had told him long ago.
'If you have enough to share, then share. You don't talk much anyway, not that you're any good at it in the first place. Let the food do it for you.'
Silently, he turned and held the rice ball out to Tanjiro.
"Here," he said.
Tanjiro's eyes widened. "Ah, Giyu-san," he waved his hands frantically, "I-it's best if you eat them instead! I won't be fighting anyway, so it's best that you fill your stomach for the fight instead!"
Sheen.
A bright white aura of earnestness seemed to radiate off Tanjiro as he gave a sheepish but dazzling smile, as if refusing food was some grand act of kindness on his part. For a moment, his smile reminded Giyu of a late friend of his.
Giyu faltered, the outstretched hand awkwardly hovering in the air for a moment too long.
"…I see," he said, expression not changing, but his ears faintly reddening. "You're… considerate."
In the end, unable to muster up a reply, Giyu silently retracted his hand before taking a bite of his riceball. After all, it had been a long time since someone had sincerely worried about him instead of the other way around.
"Why did they call in a newbie for this?"
Tanjiro's ears twitched as he heard a small commotion.
"Seriously, we can't even handle Lower Moons, and they think bringing in a guy who's barely been a Demon Slayer for a month against an Upper Moon is a good idea?"
Tanjiro flinched slightly. His shoulders tensed as he cast an uncertain glance at Giyu.
"Uh," Tanjiro hesitated as he turned towards Giyu, "Are they talking about me?"
"No" Giyu replied "You haven't even passed the Final Selection, so you're not an official Demon Slayer. They're most probably talking about the previous Rumble Hashira's student, Itsuki Kaede."
"Itsuki Kaede?" Tanjiro asked, tilting his head "I haven't met him yet, so I don't know much about him, but if he's here, then he must be strong, right?"
"And experienced." Giyu added "Before being a Demon Slayer, he had already spent a few years hunting demons. Not to mention, he's mastered Total Concentration Constant as well. To be honest, even though he only joined a few months ago, he's already better than most Kinoe-ranked swordsmen."
"Woahh!" Tanjiro exclaimed, eyes sparkling as he leaned forward, practically bouncing on his heels. "So cool!"
His excitement was so pure that for a moment, the noisy bustle of the Red Light District seemed to fade into the background. Lantern light reflected in his wide eyes, turning them into tiny twin suns of admiration as he imagined Itsuki going from Hashira to Hashira, bravely asking them all for a spar.
Giyu chewed slowly, watching Tanjiro out of the corner of his eye. The rice ball in his hand was already half gone, but he'd long since stopped tasting it. Tanjiro's expression, that unguarded wonder, tugged at something buried under years of blood, rain, and cold nights.
"…Hn," Giyu murmured, averting his gaze. "Is that so."
He wasn't sure what else to say. Praise felt clumsy coming from his mouth, and he had never been good at mirroring other people's enthusiasm. Still, he found himself continuing, almost against his own nature.
"Itsuki is reckless," he added after a moment, as if clarifying something important. "But he's not weak. He survived things most people wouldn't. That's why he's like that."
Tanjiro blinked, then smiled softly.
"So he's the kind of person who kept getting back up no matter how many times he was knocked down, huh?" he said. "That's… amazing."
Giyu paused mid-bite, fingers tightening just a little around the rice ball.
"…You admire people too easily," he muttered.
"Huh? Is that bad?" Tanjiro tilted his head.
Giyu almost said yes. Admiration led to attachment. Attachment led to grief. But when he glanced at Tanjiro, the boy was simply looking at the sky above the rooftops, face bright with a quiet, stubborn hope that hadn't yet been stained by the kind of despair Giyu knew too well.
"…No," he said instead. "It's just how you are."
Giyu finished the last bite of his rice ball. He dusted his fingers off with a quiet, almost imperceptible motion.
"Alright," Giyu said, turning away as the sounds of preparation swelled around them. "I'm going now."
"E–eh? Wait, you're leaving already?" Tanjiro blurted out, leaning forward as if his body could somehow catch Giyu's presence before it slipped away.
Their eyes met for a fleeting heartbeat. Tanjiro opened his mouth, unsure what he even wanted to say. Thank you? Good luck? Please come back alive? The words tangled on his tongue.
Giyu, however, had already made up his mind. Staying here, lingering in this small, strangely warm moment, would only make it harder to walk into the night.
*thwip*
And so, before any words could be exchanged, he vanished.
"...Ah."
He stared at the spot where Giyu had been just moments ago, the ghost of his presence lingering in the air.
'He's amazing too,' Tanjiro thought, a small, determined fire lighting up in his chest. 'Everyone here is so incredible. If I don't get stronger… I'll never be able to stand beside them.'
"So you're Tanjiro Kamado, huh?"
The voice came from directly behind him.
Tanjiro stiffened. Before he could turn around, a large hand clamped down on his shoulders.
"Uwah—!"
He screamed in alarm, nearly dropping the empty bento box he'd been holding. His heart leapt into his throat as he twisted, eyes wide.
"Wh-who are you?"
The grip didn't budge. It was like being held by a metal vise. Tanjiro instinctively tried to pull away, muscles straining, but he couldn't even make the hand shift.
'What strength!'
The fingers dug in just enough to let him feel the power coiled beneath the skin, but not enough to hurt him. Whoever it was, they were choosing to hold back.
"Oh, you don't know who I am?" the man behind him said, voice loud and rolling with confidence. "Figures! You're not even part of the Slayer Corps yet."
The hand finally released him. Tanjiro stumbled forward a half-step, catching his balance as he whirled around, eyes already searching for the owner of that overwhelming presence.
"Then allow me," the man declared, "to introduce myself properly!"
*whoosh*
Dust puffed up around his sandals as he slid one foot back and struck an exaggerated pose. One arm rose high above his head, fingers splayed dramatically; the other bent behind his back. His hair shone under the afternoon light, ornaments glinting with each movement.
His flamboyant smile gleamed in the sunlight as he tilted his head, teeth flashing as if there were literal fireworks exploding behind him.
"I am Tengen Uzui!" he announced, voice booming across the courtyard. "The god of flashiness, the Sound Hashira, master of explosions, and the ultimate showman! Remember that name, Tanjiro Kamado, because you're looking at a REAL man."
Tanjiro just stared.
The man's presence was overwhelming in a completely different way from Giyu or the others. His clothes were bold and eye-catching, his jewelry clinked and jingled, and even the way he breathed felt loud.
"Creep"
The single, flat word cut through the air like a thrown stone.
"Hah?" Tengen exclaimed in anger before pointing towards Tanjiro, "The hell did you just call me?"
"No no!" Tanjiro exclaimed shaking his hands "That wasn't me! I swear I didn't say that!"
"Yeah, I said it."
"Huh?"
Both of them turned.
A short distance away, leaning casually against the trunk of a tree, stood a boy with sharp eyes and an unbothered expression. His haori shifted slightly in the breeze, and faint crackles of residual static clung to him, like lightning that hadn't quite faded.
"The hell are you supposed to be, twerp?"
"I'm Itsuki Kaede," Itsuki introduced himself, "And I'm here to make sure you don't perv on that kid over there."
"P-perv?"
"A real saint, huh?" Tengen sneered "You're new to the Demon Slayer Corps so I'll let this remark slide. The next time you insult your superior, much less a Hashira, don't expect to go unpunished."
"You-"
"Listen kid."
In an instant, Tengen's eyes sharpened as killing intent flooded the area, before focusing entirely on Itsuki to prevent it from reaching Tanjiro. Itsuki's eyes widened in fear, as his body trembled uncontrollably.
'Wh-what killing intent!'
"I've killed hundreds of demons, most of whom would kill you before you could even see them." Tengen continued on "I've almost died multiple times, and seen many of my juniors die in front of me. My entire life I have done nothing but killing, so if you think I'm just going to take your insults, or if you think I'm above taking human lives, then you better think again, I didn't come this far to be insulted by some newbie."
Tanjiro watched, frozen. His hands had curled into fists without him realizing it.
'His scent changed!' Tanjiro thought, heart racing. 'It's completely different from before. Heavy, sharp, like a blade that's cut too many times.'
"And you!" Tengen remarked pointing a finger to Tanjiro
"M-me?!"
Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the killing intent vanished. The crushing weight evaporated, leaving an eerie, dizzying lightness in its wake.
Itsuki's legs gave out. He dropped to one knee, bracing himself with a trembling hand against the ground as he sucked in ragged breaths.
'M-monster!' Itsuki thought while looking at Tengen with fear 'Someone like this…I can't tell if he's a human or a demon in human skin.'
"Don't flatter yourself, kid, I already have three wives." He replied, clearing Tanjiro's misunderstanding, "I was a bit interested because Aoyama recommended you, so I wanted to check out how you were. Though I didn't expect to find both of you here."
*jingle*
"First off!" Tengen shifted his gaze towards Itsuki, making the bells on his forehead jingle. "You! You're not half-bad. If you don't die in the future, maybe you'll actually become someone worthy of having their name remembered by me, but don't think you're gonna become a Hashira or something, especially with that attitude."
Itsuki's fingers curled tighter at his sides. His jaw worked, but he swallowed his retort.
"As for you." Tengen said, shifting his gaze to Tanjiro.
Tanjiro flinched, but he met Tengen's gaze head-on.
"You're even worse off than him. I can tell you haven't been in the field for long either. Not to mention, it's clear as hell by the way you're standing that you've barely ever fought a demon before.
I still don't understand why Aoyama bothered to recommend you two for this operation. Forget the fight, you're going to be a liability even for the rescue team with how you are right now. Do us all a favor and stay out of the professional's way, understand?"
Tanjiro stayed quiet, biting his lips, while Itsuki silently clenched his fist. However, neither of them talked back, because they knew he was right. Right now, they truly were nothing more than liabilities.
'Still.' Tengen thought 'They really are monsters.'
'That Itsuki kid's pretty strong, and he's experienced as well. Despite that attitude of his, he's this generation's only competent Thunder Breather, and we are short of a Rumble Hashira. Still, he's got a long way to go. It's just…the reports said he was some shy, meek kid, did they report it wrong?'
'But' Tengen's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as his gaze moved towards Tanjiro 'That guy's the real monster.'
In Tengen's gaze, Itsuki looked like a polished, calm storm, already on its way to becoming a raging thunderstorm that could sweep demons away in a flash. Tanjiro, however, looked like a wild, raging hot sun.
'That Itsuki guy's powerful because he's been a Slayer for three years, but what the hell is up with this kid? I've been told he's still a trainee, but there's no way a trainee could be this strong! Not to mention, this guy's reached this level of strength without facing a single demon. In the future, when he achieves Total Concentration Constant and gains experience fighting a demon…'
Tengen shuddered as his thoughts reached a terrifying scenario.
'And the same breathing style as Aoyama too…'
"Tsk"
Clicking his tongue, Tengen gave the two a final glance before turning around and leaving the area.
'That strength, could it be because of the Breathing Technique?' Tengen thought 'Sun Breathing, was it called? I thought all breathing techniques are equal, but maybe there's an exception…Ah, whatever, it doesn't bother me, I'm leaving after this mission anyway.'
…
'The future is in good hands.'
As Tengen left, Tanjiro and Itsuki finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if a monumental burden had been relieved of their shoulders.
Though the suffocating pressure was gone, a different kind of weight remained between them, awkwardness.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Tanjiro stole a glance at Itsuki.
'He was trembling too,' Tanjiro thought, 'but he still talked back to someone like that.'
"Um" Tanjiro said, breaking the ice "My name is Tanjiro Kamado. Nice to meet you Kaede-San."
"Hm? Yeah I know" Itsuki said nodding "Aoyama told me about you."
"Ah!" Tanjiro exclaimed as if figuring something out "Is that why you helped me back there?"
"No, that's not it." Itsuki replied, shaking his head "Don't get me wrong, but I've only heard of you in passing; we're barely acquaintances, it's just that I've been going from Hashira to Hashira trying to get them to spar with me, but they all ignored me or told me to buzz off. So when I saw the sound Hashira, the most impulsive one, talking to you, I had to try fighting him."
'Isn't he a bit too obsessed with getting stronger?'
"Eh?" Tanjiro replied, not taking offense to Itsuki's words. "Why do you want to fight the Hashira just before they're going to go on a mission. Wouldn't it be bad if they got hurt?"
"Heh" Itsuki chuckled, before devolving into full-blown laughter, "HehahaHAHAHA. Them getting hurt? Nonsense. The Hashira are the peak of humanity. I thought after mastering Total Concentration Constant I would be on their level, but…forget it."
For a brief moment, there was something like frustration in his voice. Not envy, not despair, just the bitter realization of how wide the gap still was.
*thwip*
Before Tanjiro could speak, Itsuki left in a blur of lightning.
'That man' Tanjiro internally thought 'He emitted such a strong scent of anger.'
"There you are Kamado!"
Before Tanjiro could ponder on his scent, a booming voice suddenly called out to him.
'This scent! It's-'
"Ah!" Tanjiro spoke, "Rengoku-San!"
Rengoku walked down the street with a smile on his face, waving at every Demon Slayer who saluted him. His flame-patterned haori caught the afternoon sunlight, fluttering from the blowing wind as he radiated a warm, flame-like feeling.
"I'm here too, Tanjiro!"
Beside him, Mitsuri bounded along cheerfully, her pink and green hair swaying with every step.
"Ah, Kanroji-San!" Tanjiro replied, waving, "You're here too!"
"Yeeppp~~~" Mitsuri cheerfully answered. "I was surprised, too, but it looks like Aoyama wanted me here for some reason."
"Oh my~ looks like we're having a little Hashira reunion, aren't we?"
"Ah, Kocho," Tengen replied, raising his hand, "We were just here talking to the newbies."
"Ah, the ones Aoyama called?" Shinobu mentioned, looking over at the gathered group, "How interesting! It's so nice to meet all of you! I am the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho."
'Uwaahh, the Insect Hashira? Kocho-San sounds so cool!!' Mitsuri thought, 'She looks younger than me, but is already so mature. And look at her petite, cute self and that lean waist! If only I could be more like her!'
"Insect Breathing?" Tanjiro asked, "I don't think I have ever heard of that breathing before."
"That's only natural, Kamado-San," Shinobu replied. "It's a breathing technique I created for myself, though it is a derivative of Water Breathing."
"Ohh," Tanjiro nodded, "Insect Breathing huh? I wonder what that's like."
"Unfortunately, it's not that great," Shinobu replied, shaking her head. "Since I am not very tall, it is quite hard for me to exert enough strength to behead a demon."
*clink*
She drew her sword, the metal ringing softly as light glinted along its thin, needle-like edge.
"As you can see, my sword makes an unusual sound whenever I sheathe and unsheathe my blade. That's because my blade is loaded with Wisteria Poison, which I inject into demons by stabbing them. That's why I even customized my sword for stabbing."
"Wahh, so cool!" Mitsuri squealed, "Stabbing demons with poison sounds so cool! I wonder if the demons scream in pain and agony while they slowly dissolve inside out from the poison! Can you show me your breathing technique once?"
"...Sure."
"Let's see" Shinobu muttered, placing her finger under his lips, "We're only missing Tomioka-San and Gyomei-San, along with Aoyama-San now."
"Speaking of Aoyama." Mitsuri asked, "Um, where is he? I don't think I saw him anywhere coming here, so I thought he would be with the Hashira, but he isn't here either."
"Unfortunately, we don't know." Shinobu replied, shaking her head "I did not hear anything about him, nor did I see him in the Hashira training. He just told us he was going somewhere three days ago, and we haven't seen him since."
"Yeah, that was a bit weird of him." Rengoku replied, "I only knew that he had a private meeting with Tengen, Gyomei-San, and Oyakata-Sama. Other than that, I don't know anything."
"Someone c-called m-me?"
Everyone talking froze as a familiar voice spoke to them. Instantly, they all turned towards the source, as if thinking a single thought.
'It's Aoyama!'
However, the excitement instantly died the moment they laid eyes on him.
"Y–yo…" Aoyama muttered through chattering teeth.
He stood there completely covered in snow, with his hair frosted white, his haori stiff with ice, and steam faintly rising from his breath. He shivered violently, looking less like a hero's return and more like a man who had just survived a blizzard.
"N-nice weather, huh?"