Half-Demon! Tanjiro AU

Chapter: Nine

New Emotions and

Discoveries

Warnings: Some blood, swearing, a toxic relationship, mention of drugs.

Word Count: 3539

The idea of bringing the clones back into the playing field, but it did cause some concern for Tanjiro. It wasn't that he worried that they might be dangerous, he was worried that Hantengu might lose himself completely. Since he wants the clones to basically have their own lives and that would lead to them becoming their own people. Luckily, Hantengu fully understood these risks, yet he still wanted to go through with it. Thus, Tanjiro decided to go through with this.

The two walked through the newly designed Infinity Castle, Hantengu mostly led the way. Tanjiro marveled at the stellar atmosphere that Nakime has created. It felt more welcoming and the lighting of the warm lanterns made everything feel more inviting. The upwards spiral of platforms connecting to rooms looked more confusing than it actually was. So, Tanjiro was able to get a quick handle on how and where everything was.

"We're here, Master." Hantengu said, sheepishly as they approached a door on the fourth level. "This is my home." He opened the door and led his new king inside. It seemed like Hantengu didn't have much since his room took in a more minimalist approach. A futon was laid near a nightstand-that had a lantern sitting on top of it. The only other piece of furniture was a small desk.

"Sorry if it seems empty. I'm not really used to having a room." Hantengu said. "It's fine! Your room looks quite nice." Tanjiro smiled softly. Hantengu tried to return the smile before he sighed, knowing what was going to happen. "Just please make this quick." Tanjiro crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I know how to make this painless."

This seemed to ease Hantengu's worries. "Alright." His voice was much less anxious than it was before. Tanjiro pulled his black blade out from its sheath. "Water breathing: Fifth form. Blessed rain after the drought." With a swift slice, Tanjiro cut off Hantengu's head.

The boy was right. This technique was completely painless. Bliss and tranquility was the last things Hantengu felt before two beings grew from his severed parts. As how it went back in the Swordsmith village, Karaku formed from the head while Sekido formed from the body. However, Tanjiro knew that these two weren't all the clones. So before they could realize what happened, Tanjiro slice their heads off once more.

This time, Urogi and Aizetsu formed from the heads. Sekido huffed as he shook his head. Aizetsu looked around him, seemingly curious. "Wow! Never thought we'd be here again! Haha!" Karaku laughed. Urogi, on the other talon, flew up in the air and landed on Tanjiro's shoulders. "Hiya!" Urogi chirped as he bent down to look at Tanjiro. "It's been a long time since I've seen you! And wow, you've gotten taller since the last time we've met!"

Tanjiro smiled at Urogi's enthusiasm. Sekido, however, noticed Tanjiro's shimmering scarlet eyes. "Get off of him, you idiot!" Sekido gritted his teeth. "He's the new Demon King!" Karaku shifted away from Sekido, huffing in annoyance. Tanjiro raised his hand. "Don't worry about it, Sekido. He's not doing anything wrong."

Urogu chirped happily as he patted Tanjiro's head. This only seemed to alert Sekido more. "Don't do that! We're supposed to mask those instincts!" Urogi looked rather disheartened, as if he failed at something. Tanjiro shook his head. "You don't have to mask them. I don't mind them at all." Sekido seemed to be a bit surprised by this. "Really?" His voice was much softer than before. "If you're sure.."

"Why did you bring us out?" Aizetsu tilted his head. "Well, Hantengu thought that he would be happier if he split off into you four." Tanjiro explained with a smile. "So..the main body can't be truly happy? That's truly sad.." Aizetsu winced. "It's alright, Aizetsu. Tanjiro put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "He'll be happy. You will make him happy." Aizetsu softly smiled at Tanjiro's words. "I hope what you're saying is true. It'd be nice to really experience life for once."

"Hell yeah!" Karaku broke from his annoyance. "All we've been used for was fighting, so this is going to be awesome!" Tanjiro chuckled, lightheartedly. "Just don't attack any humans. "Don't worry, king. We won't." Urogi chirped, swaying on Tanjiro's shoulders. "I'll make sure if it." Sekido growled. This made Karaku snarl in response, causing the other clones to be surprised.

Tanjiro noticed this and whispered to Aizetsu. "Does he normally act like this?" Aizetsu shook his head. "No..he's never aggressive. Karaku may not listen to Sekido all that much, but he isn't aggressive." Urogi tilted his head and flew over to his fellow clone. "Are you alright, Karaku?" He asked. "Yeah. I'm fine." Karaku huffed. "Hey! Wanna go look around the Infinity Castle?" Urogi nodded eagerly, flapping his wings. Sekido rolled his eyes as the two rushed to the door.

As they opened the door though, someone yelped in surprise. Rui backed up when he saw the two clones. "Oh! Hey, pup!" Karaku grinned. "Hey.." Rui said shyly. "Is Tanjiro in there?" Urogi nodded. "You betcha!" The two clones moved out of the way so Rui could walk in. Tanjiro looked at Sekido and Aizetsu in confusion. "Why did he call Rui a pup?" He asked. "Demon children are called pups." Sekido explained. Aizetsu nodded in agreement. "That makes sense." Tanjiro smiled.

Rui walked up to Tanjiro and lightly tugged on his haori. "Master, mind if I ask you something?" Tanjiro bent down and picked Rui up. "Of course! You can ask me anything." Rui looked to be in a rather somber mood, seemingly full of guilt. "Have you..tried to bring back the rest of my family. I wish I could've done better for them."

Tanjiro's expression shifted to guilt as he hugged him. "I tried. I went to Mount Natagumo to revive them, but I didn't see any more red specks. I don't really understand why. They all had Blood Demon Arts and I am able to bring back demons that weren't Moons." Rui raised his hand. "Actually, their powers weren't theirs'. I shared my powers with them." Tanjiro widened his eyes. "So, they didn't really have any Blood Demon Arts?" Rui shook his head.

Tanjiro sighed, disheartened. "I also tried to bring back Mister Rengoku's mother, but I couldn't. The only difference between her and the others that I've brought back was that her body was severely decayed." The poor king looked like he was on the verge of tears. "At least you tried, Master." Aizetsu reassured him. "You may not be able to bring everyone back, but the fact that you can revive people is still a miracle."

"He's right." Rui wrapped his small arms around Tanjiro. He patted the young pup's back with a chuckle. "Thank you. I guess it really is a miracle." Sekido turned to them and surprisingly, gave him a smile. "It really is."

Nakime showed Kokushibo where the new training room was when she had built the new Infinity Castle. So, it didn't take too long for him and Akaza to find it. It was located on the third floor, in between Akaza's room and the kitchen. This information put a small smile on Akaza's face, but he still didn't seem as enthusiastic about it as Kokushibo hoped he would be.

"Are you..ready?" Kokushibo said as he opened the sliding door. "Ready as I'll ever be." Akaza sighed with a hint of staleness, causing Kokushibo to worry even more. This just wasn't like him...

The training room was just like they expected. The floor was sleek and perfect for moving across it. It was mostly empty say for a few weapon racks that were hung up on the side walls. Training poles were placed underneath the racks. Although Akaza would have no use for these items, Kokushibo figured that he could use them later.

Akaza headed to the other side of the room, making a small echo as he walked. He stretched his flexible muscles as Kokushibo pulled out his strange blade from its sheath. The six-eyed demon inhaled, preparing to use his breathing technique. "Alright..let the battle begin.."

As always, Akaza was the first to try to land a hit. He leapt from his position, cranking his fist behind him to build power. Kokushibo quickly saw through his technique and swung his blade. "Moon Breathing: First Form..Dark Moon, Evening Palace.." Crescent-shaped blades sliced through the air, hurdling towards Akaza.

Akaza was mostly able to dodge the blades and was even able to use them to propel him forward. However, one of them hit his left elbow, sliding his arm off completely. Neither one of them thought much of this since they both knew that Akaza can just regenerate it in a matter of seconds.

Yet, his arm didn't regenerate right away. Safe to say, this threw both of them off. Akaza jumped back to inspect his arm. The bloodied stub grew back rather slowly, taking much longer than it normally did. "What the fuck?" Akaza grunted.

This made Kokushibo think for a moment. He tried extending his blade like he did at the Final Battle. Similar to Akaza's regeneration, Kokushibo's Blood Demon Art wasn't nearly as impressive as it was back then. The blade of his sword only reached halfway of the length it used to reach.

"It seems like..being a half-demon..has hindered our demon abilities..." Kokushibo said. "I would be lying..if I said I didn't expect this.." Akaza grinned like a madman. "Doesn't stop us from being powerful!" Kokushibo gave him a small nod. "Agreed..We just have to.. be more careful.."

The ground beneath Akaza glowed and took the shape of a snowflake. "Technique Developed: Destructive Death - Compass Needle!" Mass amounts of energy erupted around them as Akaza went in, hoping for close combat. Kokushibo swung his sword once again and created a shallow slice across Akaza's chest. Despite this, Akaza managed to grab his sword and deliver a swift kick to Kokushibo's chin.

"Your techniques..have certainly improved.." Kokushibo said as he created a small blade from his forearm. He swiftly dug his blade into Akaza's foreleg. Akaza jumped away and pulled out the severed blade. He laughed excitedly, leaping into the air once more. "You're not so bad yourself!"

Their battle was truly a spectacle to see. Both demons were incredibly powerful and quick. They more or so deflected each other's attacks than actually land hits. Then again, they did this on purpose. Neither of the demons wanted to kill each other after all. Still, it didn't take away from how truly incredible the battle was and it lasted for quite some time.

Time did start to wear on them as they fought. Neither one of them really paid much attention to this though. The only thing that seemed to be on Kokushibo's mind was just observing how much joy Akaza felt during their fight. It made him think about all the other times they had been together. Why was it that he was only happy here? In the heat of battle? He just had to know.

Akaza ran in for a hit to Kokushibo's chest, but the six-eyed demon deflected it. He swung his sword at Akaza's feet, making him fall on his back. Before Akaza could get back up, Kokushibo stepped on his chest and put the edge of his sword to his neck. "It was a nice battle..Akaza..but I'll always be the victor."

Akaza only chuckled. "I'm fine with that. This was just for fun." Kokushibo tilted his head, curiously. "You're right..this was rather amusing..It's nice seeing you..being a good sportsman..." Kokushibo removed his foot from Akaza's chest and put his sword back in its sheath. Akaza sprung up to his feet and shook his head.

Kokushibo closed his eyes and hummed softly. "Akaza..do you mind..if I ask you something?" Akaza turned to him, wiping off the blood from his fists. "Sure. What is it?" Kokushibo reopened his eyes. "Why is it that you're only joyful..during these spars?..Seeing your joy elsewhere..is seldom.."

Akaza looked down at his bloodied fists, not knowing exactly how to answer this. "As a human, I used to train in a dojo. I fell in love with the art.." Kokushibo could tell that there was more to the story than Akaza was letting on. "Is that why..you became a demon?..To become stronger?.,"

Akaza shook his head. "I didn't ask to become a demon. He killed me before turning me." His voice was filled with an underlying anger that made Kokushibo's skin crawl. "I'm sorry..You're a much better man..than I am." Kokushibo attempted to make him understand that he truly felt sympathy for him.

Akaza didn't turn to face him. "No, I'm not. If I was, I could've saved.." He stopped himself and recentered. "I wouldn't have killed so many." Kokushibo knew that he was definitely hiding something now. "I know that you can't make amends with all you've harmed..but you can still make it up to some."

This did seem to lighten his spirits slightly as Akaza finally turned to see Kokushibo. "Yeah. I guess I probably should, huh?" He said with a soft smile. Kokushibo tried to return the smile. "Yes..both you and I have people to make amends with.." Akaza's grin only grew wider. "Hey! I've never seen you smile before!"

Kokushibo covered his mouth. "Is it off putting?.." Akaza shook his head. "Not at all. I actually wish that you smiled more." Kokushibo could feel his face heat up as he lowered his hand. "I guess I really could use it more..thank you..Akaza.."

The lights of the streets shone down brightly upon Douma and Enmu. The titular Lower Moon sat on the bench in front of the small noodle shop, legs swaying in the wind. Douma was patiently waiting for the soba, tapping his claws on any hard surface he can find. A savory smell filled the air as the noodle shop owner worked vigorously on their order. Small bushels of dark flowers bulbs surrounded the bench Enmu was sitting on. They added a relaxing touch to the noodle shop.

Enmu's gaze was fixated on the beautiful night sky above. He was lost in the stars. Lost in the space inside his head. His human life seemed only a blur to him, his childhood especially. So the only memories he could fixate on were his memories as a demon.

"Here's your tea, Lower Moon One." He remembered a harsh, deep voice saying that as someone handed him a cup of freshly made tea. "It's quite a miracle really. That this is the only human food that demons can consume." Muzan Kibutsuji stood in front of Enmu in that particular moment in time. "Ah~ Thank you, Master!" Enmu said with a puppy dog whine.

He still remembered the taste of the tea. Very natural, yet sweet. A mixture between a floral blend with the sweetest honey. "You better drink all of that." Muzan growled. "I don't want a single drop of that tea going to waste." Every single time Enmu drank that tea, life felt like a blur. He could feel every muscle in his body easing to an unnatural level.

Enmu chuckled and purred uncontrollably. Normally, Muzan would've punished any other demon who didn't mask those noises, but he let his prized Lower Moon release these instincts. Just this once..just for him. "You will please me." Muzan grinned as he scooped his hands around Enmu's cheeks. "You will be successful. You don't want to fail me, do you?"

Enmu remembered shaking his head rather slowly. "No, master..I..I will not..fail you." Muzan gave him a twisted grin. "Good. You will not fail me, Enmu..Enmu..ENMU!" Enmu snapped back to see Douma holding their hot bowls of Soba. "Sheesh, where did you go? Dreamland?"

Enmu merely shrugged and sighed heavily. "No. Just some old memories." He took his bowl and chopsticks from the much larger demon and shifted over so Douma could sit. "Ooh! What was it about? If you don't mind me asking." Enmu slowly began to eat his Soba, not really paying attention to the taste. "Muzan and I..he used to give me tea every week. Saying that it "made me stronger."

Douma did a double take. "Really? I've never heard of that! Sure, I drink tea, but Muzan didn't make any of us Upper Moons drink it." Enmu looked up at him. "No? But that's what he told me.." Douma shrugged it off. "Maybe he was just trying to implement a new practice." Enmu turned back to his food. "Possibly."

Douma made a soft cooing noise as he ate. "Speaking of which, why do you like Muzan so much?" Enmu blushed just thinking about the old demon king. "Oh~ unlike all the other Lower Moons, he always told me how much potential I had. Lord Muzan chose me! First as his meal, then as a member of his army. He put his faith in me. He loved me, but..I failed him. You Upper Moons must truly be something special in his eyes."

Douma only gave him a disturbed look. "Well..actually, he didn't think much of us at all." Enmu looked up at him in utter disbelief. "He didn't? But how?! You were his most prized demons!" Douma shook his head. "You got it all wrong. We may have been powerful, but he couldn't care less about us. He just wanted our strength and that's it."

Enmu was just shocked that Douma was acting so nonchalant about this. "Doesn't that bother you?" Douma only shrugged. "Nah. I'm used to it. I mean I make my living from listening to the problems of my worshippers." He said with a laugh. Enmu only looked defeated, as if someone stabbed him in the chest.

"Hey! It's alright. He's gone now. You don't have to worry about him anymore." Douma patted Enmu on the shoulder. He shivered under Douma's touch. "No! You don't understand..I was special to him! He said so himself!" Enmu scanned the environment, laying his eyes on the dark flowers. "Muzan used to put these flowers into the tea he gave me. They added a rather nice scent to it." He put his food beside him, bent down, and put put his hands around one of the bulbs.

Douma nearly choked on his food from the surprise from the news. "Enmu? Do you know what those are?" Enmu looked back at Douma with a confused expression. "They're just poppies, aren't they?" Douma shook his head rapidly. "Those are Opium Poppies..they're a drug flower."

Enmu's vision went blurry as Douma's words only sounded like muffled speech. "No..no he..he wouldn't drug me." Enmu's voice went weak as he fell limp on the bench he was previously sitting on. "He..he wouldn't." Douma felt a strange pang in his heart for the demon. Sympathy. He reached out his hand and carefully took Enmu's hand. "It's..it's alright, Enmu. He's gone." Enmu only snarled defensively. "NO! Lord Muzan would never drug me! Wo-would he?"

Douma slowly nodded. "I'm afraid that he would." Enmu couldn't say anything more. He just broke down. The poor demon put his hands up to his face and sobbed. Douma didn't really know what to do, so he just did what he thought was best. He wrapped his arms around Enmu and pulled him close to his chest. "It's alright. He can't hurt you."

"No..no..Why would he? I don't understand..I must've not been good enough for him." Enmu sobbed into Douma's chest. "It's not your fault. He hated all of us." Douma tried his best to console him. With each passing moment, a strange feeling grew inside of Douma. One of sorrow. One of guilt. One of shame. It was truly overwhelming.

"I just don't get it." Enmu sniffled as he looked up at Douma. "Why would he do that to me? He said he cared for me." Douma shook his head. "I know that this is hard to hear, but he didn't. He said that to many of us to get us to join him. Muzan was just manipulating you." This all seemed too familiar to Douma..as if..he's heard these words before.

Enmu curled up into a tight ball. "I'm sorry..for not being good enough." With that, Enmu fell asleep in Douma's arms, tears streaking on his face. Douma cradled the smaller demon's body in his arms, slowly rocking back and forth to sooth him. His mind was swimming with many thoughts. Douma knew that Muzan was nothing more than a scumbag, but he never thought that he would sink this low.

Douma sighed as he rested his back against the bench. Another thought was swirling in the ocean of his mind. Where did he hear those words before? Why did he feel a strange, dreadful feeling? Why did this situation seem so familiar? Then, Douma's eyes widened in realization. "Inosuke.."

Author's Note: I know this chapter is quite heavy, but this series will contain some pretty heavy themes. Tanjiro also does have limitations on his revival powers. There are three rules: 1. The demon must have a Blood Demon Art. 2. The human can't be too decomposed, and 3. The human's head must be intact. The third one will come into play later. Also, the next chapter will introduce two of the few original characters in the series, so keep your eyes peeled!

Half-Demon! Tanjiro AU

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