Chapter Text
She's magnificent.
The fresh smell of disintegrating demon flesh floods the air around you. You stood there, half-lidded eyes glaring absentmindedly at the splintering corpses around you. The sun was shining high and bright in the sky. If you were just like the rest of them you would've fled the fight much more sooner, or burned up right then and there on the spot like them.
I've never seen my work exceed this point. There's something special about her. I want it.
You let out a small breath, your dilated eyes now taking into account the verdure surrounding you. The bodies were gone. The smell of rotting flesh was gone. You never thought you'd be killing your kind, then again nor did you envision becoming a demon slayer. Not until you were allegedly highlighted as one of the strongest demons to walk the planet. No matter how many times you think it through you felt like there was no way this was possible; that your life prevailed outside of natural occurrences. That you were indisputably different from the rest.
She's the pinnacle of the existence of demons, and with her powers things will finally start taking a turn. She will be the reason why the demon realm triumphs.
You remember it all so vividly. The day your life rewrote itself when he showed up. From there on your new training began and your powers were tested. Muzan had pulled you aside one day after visiting you at an orphanage you stayed at with an offer. Your parents were dead, and no one seem to want you. That left you alone with no parental supervision and dispirited.
You weren't sure how they died as for why no one wanted anything to do with you. All you knew was that your parents were gone and you weren't. But one person didn't hesitate to make you his child. Muzan was astonished of your natural ability to blend in with humans; how not even a demon slayer could detect the bloodshed of the demon lurking inside you because of your human genetics.
She'll infiltrate the Demon Corps and become a Demon Slayer.
Five brutal years of training. That's all it took for you to master all ten forms of flame breathing you've trained for as a demon slayer. Your body was battered with different fighting styles and swordsman skills. You were seriously like no other, and Muzan was obsessed. He tested your potential on a couple of lower level demon slayers on multiple occassions, getting many tasks done that the other lower class demons couldn't do.
As soon as the Final Selection was over and your skills had been strictly gauged, the Master of the Demon Corps easily saw your potential as one of them and fell into the trap that Muzan was gradually setting up behind the scenes.
Those sharp, bloody red eyes, the way the veins to his head throbbed with exhilaration; Muzan had shaped you into the perfect demon he's never known he could cook up. A type of demon that even those extraordinarily skilled Hashira's won't see coming. And to make it better you'll be right under their noses ready to strike at the perfect moment once their guard lowers.
Demons that are given blood by Muzan are ranked. However, you weren't given a rank like all the other demons. He said you were too powerful to be ranked amongst them. Even amongst the upper-level demons.
He called you superior and said your power alone can change the course of history. Muzan made it clear that you were well above them all in addition to being on a separate scale in powers on par with a Hashira. But what made you special wasn't your undeniable strength. No, even if Muzan could guess the reason he knew he wouldn't exactly be able to test the theory out himself. He didn't have that kind of time despite his soul boundless by death. What made you special was your parents. Your mother was a human and your dad was a demon, an upper level one at that. It all started making sense as you got older why you were so different. Why you couldn't get hurt by the clementine rays of the sun. But it's also a secret you were afraid would get to Muzan's head.
Kill them all, Muzan's words replayed in the back of your head on repeat as if on a vinyl. His speech of you recyling over and over in your mind as if you were hypnotized. Your heavy eyes dragged up to the sight of sun that had now been shining bright in the sky. The hot rays from the sun blankets everything in it's path with warmth, cooling your body from the cool night that passed by. You closed your eyes and simply relished the feeling of the sun on your skin. You hadn't realize how long you had been standing there; how long you were reminding yourself of the reason why you were doing this, or why you were here in the first place.
You had been engulfed in such a trance that you don't even realize the prominent figure that steps in place beside you, and his generating aura wasn't hard to miss. Red irises delicately glance at you as if snapping a mental picture of you, a small smile stretching up to the figure's lips as he turns back to look at the sun.
You take a few more seconds to stare up at the sun until you're finally compelled to rip your eyes away to look at the taller male beside you that had also been doing the same. Your eyes eat up his appearance, taking in his long, blonde hair that was streaked red with flames akin to the ones drawn over his uniform. His ever so optimistic milieu that circulated around him bled right through the tense atmosphere of the fight that took place there moments ago. He has a rather strong and robust built, like an athlete. The way his entire stance compliments his role as a reliable demon slayer was really fitting. It was intimidating in the eyes of any demon his sword was aimed at. He had this unwavering holster of justice fueling his motivation that made fighting him scary. Yet, despite all the good qualities to him, he was the one you hated the most out of all the Hashira's. Mostly because he represents the sun.
As if you were the one who interrupted him, he then looks down at you momentarily, and his thin lips pushed up in a natural smile when he catches you staring. "Are you ready? We're heading back now," his words exuded with enthusiasm, his golden-red eyes trained on you as he folds his arms across his chest.
He's normally much louder, but considering they've been out all night slaying demons and knowing your thirst for quietness he knew when to compose himself around you. Even he knew when it was too early to be energetic.
You were thankful at the very least. You never really liked being teamed up with the flamboyant Rengoku on missions. His presence was more overwhelming than Muzan's, and in a hyper way that made you feel as if you couldn't stay around him long or you might lose it. But as time went on the more you worked with him and the other Hashira's the more you've come to tolerate him.
"We are?" If there was a hint of reluctance in your tone Rengoku was quick to pick up on it. You don't talk much, at least not around him as you did the others. He's come to differentiate the subtle nuances in your tone the few occasions you've worked together this month.
He points out to the distance from the pocket of vegetation they stood at, his finger directing to the sun. The many small craters that decorated the plain fields from their earlier battles with the demons had been moved into the forest when sunrise was approaching.
They had been trying to avoid the sunlight but Rengoku was adamant about killing them instead of letting them run away. "Wanna watch it some more?" He offers, unbothered. If anything he seemed ready to set up camp to watch with you. It was probably the one thing you didn't mind about him, Rengoku was awfully patient and considerate in contrast to his character when he's working alone.
You were a fan of the sun, you often found yourself staring up into it, but mostly out of amazement. A sun that scorches the bodies of demons but can't do the same to you. Of course you'd take a moment each day to appreciate the lengths your body could go through. Muzan treats you just as good as he does switching bodies. You were special, you didn't mind taking time to pride in that.
"No," you opt against your need even if you wanted to. You pivot around to start the trek back to headquarters, but you're path is blocked seconds later when streaked yellow hair falls in front of your face, and then a pair of flamed colored eyes.
"But you want to, right?" He's bending down in front of you with his hands locked behind his back, that bright smile of his probably strong enough to crucify a demon alone. "We can stay for a bit, the trip back isn't far," he encourages the suggestion.
"It's fine," you mutter out as you step back from the flame Hashira. He stands upright, hair falling against his shoulder as his eyes follow you. "Besides, our job here is done. Nothing more for us to do but leave. Let's go." You begin to walk ahead before Rengoku can say anything else. He just smiles and nods his head as if he was the one receiving orders from you.
He follows not far behind you, ensuring a safe and respectful distance the entire time. You half expected the trip to be less than a bore. Rengoku usually finds a way to extinguish his energy simply by talking or eating if he has enough in him. But he's quiet the entire time, keeping the same distance behind you as he always did whenever you guys walked together. You don't know why he walks behind you, it creeped you out a bit. You felt his eyes tailing you every step of the way, tracing over your presence like you were some puzzle he was trying to figure out.
However, his quietness seemed to bother you more than when he's talking your ears off. You didn't know why, and you cursed yourself for not knowing. You treasured silence but when you're with Rengoku it's a different thing even if you didn't like him. You felt like he had to talk, for as many words as he speaks more than you blink a day you felt like it was some natural order for him to talk at least a few sentences every minute.
You abruptly stop in your tracks, Rengoku doing the same at the distance he's been able to maintain with you the entire time. He patiently waits on you to begin moving again, assuming you were resting your legs for the time being. But when you don't move his thick brows pinch together with slight confusion and tilts his head at you.
"Did you get a cramp in your leg?" Rengoku inquires small smile remaining present as ever and still appearing to have no intention on moving from where he stood.
You roll your eyes with slight annoyance just as your shoulders dropped. You turned your head to him and let out a small huff when your eyes met.
"Why aren't you talking?" You were embarrassed to ask as someone who constantly tells Rengoku to shut up but you were curious. A small part of you hoped he felt like he didn't need to always be quiet around you. You could tolerate him after all.
Rengoku shares the same bemused look your question gave off and offers an apologetic shrug. "I have nothing to say," he replies with the utmost honesty you've ever heard. He almost sounded bad for not saying anything in the first place.
You didn't think it was possible of Rengoku to lie. He was probably the most kindest person of the Hashira besides the love Hashira, and Shinobu barely counts. He was very upfront, straight to the point and said whatever was on his mind in that moment.
You grit your teeth at the Hashira who immediately gave a look that oscillates between surprise and concern."Do you want me to talk?" His arms are back around his chest from their spots at his side. His eyes watched you carefully as you shot your head back around and continued moving.
"Never mind," you snap back harmlessly, puzzling the Hashira who continues walking as well. His eyes narrow with amusement, and the smile he had been carrying out the entire time is now full of fondness.
"Did I upset you with my response?" You can hear the humor penetrating each word when he speaks, small chuckle leaving his lips shortly after. You only felt more embarrassed for him to even ask instead of remaining silent.
You reply with a simple nod of your head, deciding to not say anything much longer and allowing silence to fill between you two once more. Neither of you said anything until you get back to headquarters. Rengoku is kind enough to let you head off to your room so you can shower and eat while he filled the master in. Although the kasugai crows beat them to it every time the master required a verbal report in case any important details went remiss.
You make your way to the flamed Hashira's mansion. Upon your immediate acceptance into the higher rank of the Demon Corps, Rengoku was the one to vehemently accept you to live with him without hesitation. Despite training with Tengen more in your free time the flamed haired Hashira agreed to watch over you and ensure you were being properly treated. You learned very soon why, considering everyone else behaved inappropriately or was too overwhelming. You also found out that Rengoku was one of the strongest Hashira members amongst the others which made him reaching out to you more as an advantage than anything.
You've only been staying at the mansion for a month now, and most of the time you're barely even there due to the high concentration of demons appearing. Hashira members are constantly called out, and Rengoku being one of the strongest left you with no choice but to go out every other few hours of the day. Not unless the kasugai crow explicitly stated to rest for a certain period of time.
"Ahh, the newbie's back." Your walk is brought to a pause when you're snapped out of your reverie and found yourself shaded under three well garnered trees. You looked up to see the serpent Hashira relaxing on a branch, appearing to have been watching you the entire time.
"You killed a lot of demons, didn't you?" His eyes squint in sync with the depths of his snakey attitude. He was one to pride in degrading those he saw as weak, a very wholehearted corpse member. But he made it clear that out of the tsuguko's you were a special package. All of the Hashira's witnessed that firsthand when Sanemi questioned your real strength your first day here. He refused to think that someone like you could ever be a real Hashira-worthy candidate. But ever since you beat Sanemi everyone was primarily convinced that the reason Rengoku took you in was so you didn't kill him in his sleep. You two had an intense rivalry, one that Sanemi refuses to become the loser of and that you refused to let him win at. You two already had a fight late at night during your first week and had to be stopped by Gyomei and Rengoku while Tengen only exhorted you both more.
"Innocent humans were going missing in a forest nearby, all thirty demons we found are dead," you enlighten the serpent Hashira even if he didn't ask for the details. His heterochromic eyes fluttered with a kind of ecstasy that didn't need to be expressed by bouncing up and down and raining you in praises. He loved a good work put in by the higher-ups.
"So strong of you," his cheeks are flushed and he gets so worked up about the number that he has to lay his head down on the branch in a sleeping position to relax. "You're so amazing," he kicks his legs like some kid, "but I guess that's expected when you work under our Rengoku."
"I guess that's so," you hum sickly when a wave of nausea overcomes you. You're familiar with this feeling and decide it's best for you to not stay out long. "I'm going to rest a bit, see ya." With a delighted laugh the serpent Hashira stops you before you can leave. "You know, (L/n). I sensed something different about you." He points an accusing finger at you. "And something tells me I can't wait to find out what it is."
You stared at those piercing snake eyes of the Hashira with a hint of challenge. You didn't know whether he was warning you or praising you, and him being naturally confusing to decipher only made you feel a bit anxious. You weren't afraid of the Hashira but his wording is purposely contentious.
When the serpent Hashira lets out another one of those ominous laughs, you finally turn to leave. You take your time heading to the flame mansion, and every time you enter you're amazed with how big the place is and that you lived there. The outside was just as big and beautiful as the inside. The mansion is well taken care of by the kakushi members.
You're hit with a strong smell of freshly cooked foods and made your way to the dining room where a feast laid across the six foot long table. A small note is left in the center, on top of a cleanly basted turkey. Welcome back, the card reads.
The kakushi workers sure did know how to welcome the Hashira's back. Dinner is always made for them when they return, it was one less thing they needed to worry about. In fact they prepare a lot beforehand that way they can just come back in relax.
You're about to prepare your plate but you're reminded of the nausea creeping up on you when you take a big inhale of the smell. You threw a disgusted hand over your mouth and rushed to the nearest bathroom on the first floor. You locked yourself in and sat on your knees in front of the toilet and threw your head in as soon as the bike crawled up to your throat.
This wasn't a rare occasion. You aren't exactly sure why this sickness occurs indiscriminately throughout the years but it seemed to have no trouble doing so whenever your conscious get comfortable with being human. As if living on the Demon Corps grounds wasn't a big reminder of who you were; it's like the demon side of you is trained to slap you out of your daydream of being human. Or at least there so you don't forget.
You were part demon, no doubt about it. That's what separates you from the rest there. And what a better place to be when getting caught working for Muzan can result in your head being whipped off from a cut to your neck by one of their blades.
Your body trembles as you use the sink to climb yourself up after flushing. A mirror sits before you, and with constricted eyes you make out each aspect of your transformed side that characterized you as a demon. You're faced with sharp canine teeth ready to sink into someone's flesh, nails sharp to pin down your prey, and the eyes of a demon staring back into you.
Right, you were still a demon. So it's not unnatural that every now and then you crave blood. Before you would just drink the blood of whatever human you found, you aren't ashamed to admit you've killed people if it meant you got to remain alive. But ultimately you've learned to starve your body of blood mostly because you were staying in a location where the only humans wandering around were your potential killers.
Which means you'll be without blood for a long time, and you've trained yourself to last long enough. You've managed to snap yourself out of succumbing a couple of times, and even resulted to drinking your own blood. But it wasn't the same and your body still felt starve. The hunger was only growing and growing with each day.
The veins in your head become more noticeable when you try to restrain yourself. You itch your head into your shoulder, wincing as a demonic growl rips out of your throat. You tried rocking yourself as if eternally petting away to demon in you to calm down. "N-Not yet, (F/n). Not yet," you repeat to yourself to conciliate the demon part in you and keep yourself from ripping the door open and going on a killing spree.
You had to control it. You had to. Otherwise...
Knock knock!
"Little Hashira, you in there?" Your head snapped at the door where Rengoku stood on the other side of. You weren't surprised he was done with the report early, he tends to be quick with everything to do. There wasn't much they really did in retrospect either. Still, why is he specifically here calling out to you?
You grit your teeth, a low growl escaping your lips. Rengoku had a strong scent, a kind and tender one. He wasn't alert, he was concern for you. A perfect opportunity it would've been to kill him if you wanted to. But you wanted to wait, you weren't going to kill anyone just yet.
Your breathing accelerates a bit and your heart skips a beat at the sound of knocking. You tried beating the thought out of your head of what Rengoku might taste like. If he smelt good than he sure as did taste good. You subconsciously licked your lips, unaware that you were salivating at the fragmented images of drinking his blood. And the smell of him only teased you with his body on the other side of the door. You let out a frustrated, low groan.
"Little Hashira?" Rengoku repeats, this time with urgency. When the knob to the bathroom door clinks open as it's being pushed you did everything in you to bury the demon inside. You reached for the door at the same time and swung it open so you were met with the towering Hashira scrutinizing you.
Gosh, why was his gaze so intense? You're normally not fazed when he looks at you but your body felt as if it was boiling alive. He was staring at you like he stared at demons. You gulped and cowered a bit in your spot, starting to feel uncomfortable.
"What do you want?" you hissed after brushing off the uneasiness residing in your bones. You made it more than obvious you were busy and wanted to be left alone.
Rengoku's eyes narrow into a skeptical stare. He doesn't say anything, he doesn't even move a muscle or bat a lash. It's as if he was studying you, and you were letting him.
"W-What is it?" You warily stare him up and down. Rengoku steps closer to you, closing the space between you two with his eyes never leaving yours. You flinch over when he reaches a hand out past your neck. You stood there, legs like jello as you stared into his unusually – at least to you – calming eyes. He was giving you a different look now. One you were unfamiliar with.
The door behind you is closed shut, but somehow that sounded louder than anything else and jumped a bit.
Rengoku straightens up and then pats something on the side of your lips. "You're drooling," he tells you as he wipes your mouth for you. Your brows widen but somehow you felt annoyed. You snatched the red handkerchief he held against you and rubbed your face yourself.
"I'm not a baby, Rengoku," you snapped at him darkly and handed him back the piece of fabric. "Sorry about that," he apologizes with more energy as he pushes your hand back to you. "And you can keep it."
You let out a small exhale and stepped around Rengoku to make your way to your room. "Oh, little Hashira," the flames demon slayer calls you in that same exuberant tone he always luggages. "Let's have lunch together."