Chapter Text
Kyoujurou couldn't feel the cool breeze of the night air.
But he could see it clear as day within his mind's eye, the memory flashing within his mind. He could hear Tanjirou's worried gasps and cries for Kyoujurou, desperate and pleading.
Kyoujurou flinched, It wasn't possible, after all this was a memory, that much he knew, yet the air was pushed out his lungs as a hand burst through his stomach, tearing his organs and forcing its way Through him until it tore free from his back. A scream was lodged in his throat, his body frozen yet somehow his heart beat faster and faster as though he were running and even that his body couldn't do. Pinned in place with the only thing keeping him alive being that demon's arm.
There was a moment of silence as even Mother Nature came to a halt, perhaps it shared the same shock as Kyoujurou. Not so much that he had been so foolish as to leave himself open, but shock and shame that his father had been right.
He was weak.
Hazel's eyes were stained with the Kenji marking the demon as an upper moon widened. And wasn't that odd, a demon looking panicked as though it cared- as though any emotion it had was anything other than what it had seen and mimicked from actual humans.
"Kyoujurou, you have to know this will kill you. Become a demon."
The pink-haired demon stepped closer, other arm reaching up as though to touch and with a wave of disgust, Kyoujurou took hold of that hand, using the remainder of his strength to swing his sword up into an arch - tighten his grip just before the sword fell from his slackened grip. With the willpower of his pride and duty, Kyoujurou drove the katana into the demon's neck, pushing with all his might to cleave that head straight off. His hold never faltered. Either he would decapitate this creature or he would make it to burn in the sun. The demon tensed, gasping as blood ran from its mouth. Trying and failing to pull away from Kyoujurou. Panic and fear in its eyes and Kyoujurou relished in the sight. Relished in the facade of strength crumbled as the demon began to beg.
"Kyoujurou, you don't have to die here. Please become a demon. Please Kyoujurou."
"Kyoujurou~"
"Kyoujurou."
The familiar voice had Kyoujurou sitting up, eyes scanning his surroundings as he shot up from the bed. Hand goes to his side only to find his sword missing. But no matter, he was a Demon Slayer, a Hashira, the Flame Pillar, with or without his sword he would fulfill his duties and slay demons.
"Akaza." the name was hissed, dripped in venom as Kyoujurou's finger wrapped around a pale throat. Akaza- the demon disguised as a human - eyes widened, blue with pupils of gold. A pale hand curled around Kyoujurou's wrist as the creature was shoved into the wall.
Kyoujurou had a style that looked around the room for any sort of weapon to use.
He felt a small ease of relief as he noticed the white walls and hospital cots, calmed by the fact that the demon hadn't found its way to his home and had no way of harming his brother or father. But even so his anger was hardly abated as he realized they were in the butterfly estate.
"You dare show your face here."
The demon gasped, kicking its legs, a look of hurt and fear in its eyes. "Kyoujurou please-"
"I've told you not to refer to me so familiar, demon," Kyoujurou said, tightening his hold. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a scalpel, and grasping it he brought it down toward the demon's eyes. The creature screamed, at the last second turning its head so that the blade only cut across his upper cheek and up toward his ear. Just shy of his eye. Fist rained against his arm pinning the creature.
"Kyo- Kyo-"
"Reveal yourself demon, and fight me!" Kyoujurou bellowed,
rearing his hand back to stab at the demon's throat. His wrist were caught last minute, pushing the hand aside. Akaza braced himself against the wall, using what little space he had to headbutt Kyojurou. It wasn't hard enough to do damage but just enough to have the Flame Pillar rearing back a step, his hold falling from Akaza's throat to his shoulders. Using his momentum to throw the demon across the room. It slammed into the wall with a cry, pink hair tinted black at the ends fell over its face as blood ran from its nose. Kyoujurou was on it immediately, throwing punches as he called out for Shinobu and any other slayer in the vicinity.
Akaza blocked most of the hits, rolling over his shoulder into a handstand to kick Kyoujurou. He was unsteady on his feet as he shuffled back, shaking his head as though to fight off dizziness- still so determined to play human.
"Kyoujurou please, just give me a moment to explain-"
"It's Rengoku to you!"
Akaza pivoted on his heels, his movements were graceful, Kyoujurou had to give him that as the creature bobbed and weaved. His fighting style was a sort of dance similar to that of Tessenjutsu and Bagua. Kyoujurou had trouble tracking his movements before grabbing an ankle, twisting to push the demon to the ground, grabbing a tray and bringing it down toward the demon's neck. "Kyou!"
A floral scent of cloves and sakura filled the air, making Kyojurou's nostrils flare, his mind. Becoming hazy as a low rumble filled his chest, the fight bleeding out of him as he took in the familiar scent of an omega. But that couldn't be right, it was only the scent of your pack that calmed you. The smell made him feel an odd sense of contentment and tiredness.
"Chichiii~" The voice was enough to tear Kyoujurou from his.Reveries, turned his head toward the door to see a small child running forward with a large grin on his face. As he drew closer it was then Kyoujurou realized it wasn't a child, it was a demon. No matter how small and seemingly dulled those two protruding fangs were, it was clear they were fangs. Those wide beady eyes that stared at Kyoujurou with wonder though seemingly human were a pale violet with golden catlike slits. Its hair was a strawberry blond with a single streak of black. Its hands were outstretched toward Kyoujurou and he curled his lips back in a snarl, twisting so he could get a better angle as he hurled the tray toward the small demon.
Akaza cried out, "No-" he moved to get up but Kyoujurou slammed him back into the ground.
The child came to a sudden stop as the metal tray flew toward him with exceeding force and speed. His wide eyes somehow widened even more as he curled in on himself, "Chichi-?"
"Koto!"
In a blur, a frost cloud appeared before the boy, snowflakes littered the ground as the tray was cut into two pieces. A boy perhaps of the age of seventeen stood before the demon wide-eyed and breathing hard. He glared at Kyoujurou and he seemed to be the only other human in the room.
"Slayer, stand down these two are demons, dispatch of them immedietly."
The boy's red eyes narrowed as he let out an exasperated grunt, "Father what the hell are you talking about?" his gaze slid to the demon beneath Kyoujurou, who made pained gasps and moans. "Ma-" the Hashira looked back to Kyoujurou, anger replacing whatever confusion he had as his gaze hardened. "Kyoujurou Rengoku, remove yourself from my mother. Now."
Kyoujurou felt a wave of nausea settle over him as the room began to spin. "Mother? The demon assumed the shape of a human, I apologize if it shares similarities to your parent but this is not them."
The boy shook his head, katana in hand once more, "I'm not the one confused you are, so I'll ask you again fa-Rengoku san, remove yourself from my mother!" The room began to grow colder and the demon boy began to whimper, "Big brother what's going on?"
"Stay behind me Koto."
"But-"
"Just do as I say!"
the slayer adjusted his stance into a near crouch, eyes locked on Kyoujurou with a neutral expression, whatever previous emotion had been on his face was gone. "Third form; Unwavering wind."
And within a blink of an eye, the boy was gone from view, the only sign that he had been there was a single snowflake. When Kyoujurou blinked again, he was met with a flash of metal just shy of his eye.
The hit never came, somehow the demon had freed itself from beneath Kyoujurou, just enough that he could lift a hand in front of it. Kyoujurou to block the blow of the katana.
But the blade didn't impact, stopping a hairsbreadth from that pale hand.
Akaza shook as blood ran down his face, eyes heavy as he drew in ragged breaths, body trembling. "Tooru it's fine."
And just like that the boy's killing intent was gone, reverting into a pup as he pouted at his...mom...concern in those glossy eyes. "Ma."
Akaza shook his head, exhaling deeply before falling to the ground.
Kyoujurou shuffled back, taking in the scene before him, for some reason, Akaza was still bleeding, and the Demon Slayer- the human Demon Slayer was kneeling over the demon, hands shaking as he patted the demon's cheeks, crying out for Shinobu and Aoi while the small demon boy-Koto began to whimper, tears filling those wide eyes and the sight alone made Kyoujurou feel weak. His stomach twisted as a sudden rush of guilt shook him deep to his core for some unknown reason. Just seeing the pups distraught and the omega on the ground unmoving made a hole fill his stomach, twisting until he was dry heaving, body shaking far too overwhelmed to do anything as his gut tried to empty itself. Once that failed his eyes were rolling to the back of his head and he was once more greeted by darkness.