Moon Breathing - Tumblr Posts
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
What is it with me and starting now stories if I already have a bunch I need to finish?
But I have fallen into Demon Slayer Hell again and need to at least get out the first chapter to see if anyone would like this idea. .3.
So enjoy!
Chapter 1: Moon Family
Her house had always been more of a museum of her family’s failures, than a real home.
Broken Katanas litter the walls.
Old Demon Slayer Corps uniform laying in closets.
Haori’s passed down from parent to child.
Yua had a feeling her ancestor lived in their home.
Watching them, the new generation, with cold eyes, whispering in their ears.
Whispering bring honor to our family.
Wash our name from the sin of our forefathers.
Become a Hashira.
The Moon isn’t bad, it’s the light in the darkness of the night.
It was chilling.
Yet, she couldn’t just leave home.
All Mochizuki’s lived in this old big house, so leaving the family was out of the question.
They only had the family.
Friends were hard to have if your whole life only revolved around learning how to kill demons and your Demon Slayer comrades been fearful and mistrusting of you.
The midnight blue-haired girl stood before the door, signing quietly to herself.
Her trusty crow, Kaguya, was nuzzling her cheek, trying to lift her spirits. She gave her a pet and told her to go to rest.
Yua wasn’t a little girl anymore, she could face her family.
Stepping into the house, she had to dodge her two young cousins Hikari and Kaito, who played catch with each other.
The two were lucky.
She hadn’t had a playmate when she was their age.
For her, it had been only training, training, and training.
It was kind of sad if she thought about it.
“Yua, you are back!”, greeted the voice of her aunt and Kaito’s mother Chiyoko. Her aunt was still wearing her Demon Slayer uniform, she probably came home also a few minutes ago.
She greeted her aunt back and then asked where her grandfather, Chiyoko’s father, was.
Her aunt pointed at the Tea Room, then shrieked at Kaito and Hikari since the two rascals wanted to pick up two Katanas from the walls.
Yua made haste to her grandfather.
Makoto Mochizuki was an old man, who lost his arm in a fight with a lower moon, when he was forty and had to end his Demon Slayer carrier.
It had been a bitter pill to swallow for the proud men since he had nearly become a Hashira.
Now he laid all his hope in the new generation, especially Yua herself.
“I’m back, grandfather.”, said Yua with a low bow to him.
Like she was taught she waited till her grandfather gave her permission to raise and sit before him.
He was playing Shogi against himself, nursing a cup of tea.
Curious Yua sniffed the tea and had to correct herself. That was sake mixed with tea.
Since a few months, grandfather picked up this bad habit of spiking his tea.
“Yua, report.”, he demanded coldly to her.
Not asking if she was all right.
Not asking if she was injured.
Not asking if she needed to rest.
For Makoto only the Demon Slayer Corps mattered. Only matter if one of his family finally became a Hashira and their name could be said without shame.
The seventeen-year-old was used to it, still, sometimes she wonder how it would have been if her grandfather was like the silly old grandpas in the novels she liked to read.
She only knows from Makoto’s cold and discipline.
Hugs or dear gods kisses were a waste of time in his eyes. How her late grandma could have married this piece of cold ice was still a mystery to Yua.
But she was used to it, so she gave him her report.
He didn’t show any emotion, didn’t show if he was proud of her for killing a strong demon who had killed babies to young children.
Only asked one thing.
“Your rank?”
“Still Hinoto.”
The balding elder with a long beard took a big sip from his spiked tea and gave her his patented disappointed look.
“You have to give your all Yua.”, he told her like always. “You are the only one, besides me, in our family who can use Moon Breathing, your aunt, your uncle, and your father are failures. It’s your duty and honor to become a Hashira. All our hopes lay with you. Why can’t you level up in Rank?”
She bit her tongue not to shout at her grandfather. To throw at him words full of hate.
She hated how he thought so little of his own children, who hadn’t be able to learn Moon Breathing from him.
She hated how she was forced to be better than she already was.
She was seventeen years old and for a good four years a Demon Slayer. In her eyes, she did a good job in climbing the ranks.
One could be proud to be Hinoto at such a young age.
Yet her grandfather expected her to climb any week a new rank. He seemed sick of waiting that she became a Hashira.
He wanted it now!
How she wished she could say this all to him. He deserved a piece of her mind, yet she couldn’t.
Since young age, it was drilled into her to respect her grandfather as the head of the family.
He knew what was best for the Mochizuki.
Yua hated this so much.
She couldn’t even describe how she hated it. In a way she know it was wrong what her grandfather did, yet she couldn’t shake it off.
Talking back only made things worse.
The young girl didn’t need extra training and chores with all she already did.
So she bowed low down, till her forehead touched the Tatami Mats of the Tea Room.
“Forgive me, grandfather.”, she said monotone. “I will take a risker mission next time.”
Something like a grunt came from grandfather and she heard how he gulped down his spiked tea.
“Dismissed. Now go to train.”
“Of course, grandfather.”
Who cares that she hadn’t slept in nearly 24 hours?
Who cares that she was dirty and sweaty and needed a bath?
Who cares that she hadn’t had a proper meal in two days?
Training was always more important.
This was her whole life.
Her father, Haruto Mochizuki, found her outpowered, nearly collapsing in the Training Area of their garden.
She swung her Katana at the training dummies. Ignore with all she had the pain in her muscles.
It showed how out of it she really was, as her father took her Katana out of her hands without a problem.
Blinking she looked from her empty hands up to her father.
“Father?”
“Enough, Yua. You will only hurt yourself.”, he told her.
“But grandfather!-“
“Has fallen asleep. He will not notice you stopping your training, my moon bunny.”
At that, she practically collapsed and would have eaten dirt, if father didn’t catch her in his strong arms and picked her up.
“I hate how he forces you to do all this.”, her father grumbled, while carrying her into their house. “You shouldn’t be the only one to carry the burden of our name.”
She yawned, snuggling up to her father. In his arms, she felt always safe and protected. Her father was a good man.
“I’m the only one who can do Moon Breathing. It’s my duty to our family to make us a respectful Demon Slayer family.”, she reminded her father.
“You mean it’s a curse, moon bunny.”
Yua didn’t know how to answer that. She know her father and his siblings were on one side bitter that they couldn’t have learned Moon Breathing, but on the other hand, they never had to feel the pressure of clearing their name, becoming a Hashira.
They finally reached the bathroom, where her father put her down slowly and after making sure she wouldn’t drown, let her be to take a well-earned bath.
The midnight blue-haired girl enjoys greatly the warm water mixed with the healing herbs her younger cousin Sayoko collected in her work as Kakushi of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Speaking of Sayoko…her black-haired cousin poked her head into the bathroom.
After making eye contact Sayoko told her plainly: “You look like shit.”
“And you are still a brat.”, Yua shoots back.
“How did the demon killing go?”
“Killed the bastard. Had a preference for babies and kids.”
“Fucker.”
“Indeed.”
“Our shit grandfather still pissed you didn’t move up a Rank?”
“Yup.”
Sayoko gave her an encouraging nod and told her, Miwa, Yua’s aunt, and Sayoko’s mother would make dinner today.
Thank Tsukuyomi!
Nothing against aunt Chiyoko, but the woman was 1000 times better at killing demons than making tasty food.
With that Sayoko left her alone, so Yua could enjoy her bad some more.
She relaxed against the bathtub and like often she wonder why she was cursed, yes cursed, with the ability to use Moon Breathing.
Why couldn’t she be like her father and his siblings? Just normal Demon Slayers?
Why couldn’t she be like Sayoko, who took pride in her job as Kakushi?
Why couldn’t she be like uncle Noritaka…who just left one night and never returned.
Uncle Noritaka was the black sheep of the family. All had to pretend to hate him for grandfather’s sake, even if they all admired him, Yua was sure.
Noritaka could use Moon Breathing too…he was close to becoming a Hashira, but one day he just didn’t come home and ended his carrier at the Demon Slayer Corps.
In the letter he had left behind, he wrote that he wouldn’t give up his life for some stupid family honor and that they shouldn’t pay for the sins of their forefathers. Manly the founder of their family, who had learned Moon Breathing in the first place from the traitor Michikatsu Tsugikuni and had practically demanded that their family should still practice Moon Breathing, even if most of their comrades saw in them as potential traitors.
Yua had learned Moon Breathing from Noritaka, he had always been her favorite uncle, and him having the courage to live his life how he wanted made her love him even more.
Yet, she still wished he would be here with them.
If he had become a Hashira, then her grandfather wouldn’t probably demand so much from her.
Signing Yua decide that it was time to get out of her bath and see if dinner was ready.
She shouldn’t waste her energy on what-ifs.
This was her life and she needed to accept it.
Family dinner was nice, since grandfather had drunk himself so silly, that he was snoring up a storm in his bedroom.
So the remaining Mochizuki could catch up, laugh, talk, and gossip like they were a normal family.
For Yua, these were the best nights, also the ones that hurt the most. The vacant spot on their table belonging to grandma Junko, uncle Noritaka, cousin Taiga, and her mother Kioko were practically staring at her. Making her heart twist in turn.
No matter if someone was dead or had left them, the pain of not having them around anymore was still like a wound. A wound that slowly healed, but if you thought about it, it began to hurt again.
After dinner, Yua decide to go to bed and took Kaito and Hikari with her. Since they were the youngest it was bedtime for them. The remaining family decides to play some games together.
It was nice having Kaito and Hikari around her again.
Both were really sweet kids.
They put their futons together so that Yua was in the middle and her two cousins demanded a story.
The midnight blue-haired girl told also their favorite bedtime story.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
Princess Kaguya’s story.
Yua herself had loved the story when her late mother told her it, that’s why she named her raven after the legendary moon princess.
Kaito was sucking on his thumb, trying to stay awake, while Hikari was snuggled up on Yua’s side, halfway in dreamland.
As she ended the story both kids were out.
She chuckled quietly and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow all would begin again.
The harsh training.
No free-time.
Waiting for her next Demon Slayer job.
But this was the only life she know.
While she drifted off into sleep Yua wonder how Princess Kaguya could have left behind her life on Earth to return back to the moon. To a life, she didn’t know.
The unknown…was scary.
Or maybe Yua was just a coward.
Who knows?
Next
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Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
On my DeviantART, I posted how Yua looks. Currently, she wears a ponytail, which is also the first of her hairstyles in my pic.
Hope you enjoy it.
Here is the link: https://www.deviantart.com/empressofthesun/art/Mochizuki-Yua-971961805
Chapter 2: Moonlight Beauty
Yawing Yua stretched her arms in the air closing her eyes.
Currently, she was walking on a village street between farmland. Her trusty crow Kaguya flew over her head, showing her the way to her next mission.
She had finished off today already a demon, who had terrorized the farmers in this prefecture. Destroying their farmland and eating anyone who at night left their homes.
It had been a challenging fight, the demon had been crafty, but her Moon Breathing once again was superior.
Maybe she should go to a Wisteria House or even home, but she needed to keep going.
She couldn’t show up again home without raising in Rank.
Yua was only a bit tired. She would manage.
Just keep going.
You can only go forward.
That’s when her ears reached a loud ruckus. Confused she opened her eyes.
A drop appeared on her forehead as she saw the scene before her.
There were two boys.
One with a green checker haori, the other in a yellow with white triangles.
Yellow haori was on his knee, clinging to checker haori, screaming about he would die soon and more nonsense.
Normally Yua would ignore that, but she saw that both wore the Demon Slayer Corps Uniform.
These were fellow swordsmen.
Her father had taught her that she had to help her brother and sisters in arms. The Demon Slayer Corps was or should be one big family that should be there for each other.
Also, she couldn’t just walk around them. If it came out that she didn’t help her brothers-in-arms, it could lower her chance to become a Hashira.
She couldn’t make any mistakes.
So with a forced smile on her pink lips, she called out to them: “Anything all right with you guys?”
Yua regretted already talking to them as the yellow haori formally zeroed in on her, pointing.
“AAH, a beautiful Demon Slayer girl! I must be dreaming! You look like the famous Moonlight Beauty of the Corps.”
Oh no!
Another one who had heard this stupid nickname some slayer had giving her as a joke to rill her up.
“Moonlight Beauty?”, repeated green haori confused, which only angered yellow haori: “Do you live under a rock Tanjiro?! There is said to be a beautiful girl with long midnight blue hair like the night sky, eyes as grey as moonlight, and a figure to die for in the Demon Slayer Corps! Also, she is pretty strong.”
Of course that she was strong was an afterthought. If she ever again stumbled over this worm Katsumi Tomita, she would kick his ass. Rules be damned!
“I have a name, you know!”, she called over, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m Mochizuki Yua, proud Demon Slayer for four years, Rank Hinoto. I won’t let you reduce me to only my looks, crybaby Mizunoto!”
Yellow Haori screamed with ugly tears crybaby Mizunoto, till he seemed to register what else she said.
“Mochizuki Yua?! You are really the Moonlight Beauty-“
“-And your senpai!”, she added with a growl.
Yua couldn’t look that fast as green haori, gripped yellow haori by his neck, making him and himself bow to her.
“I’m sorry for my friend, senpai.”, apologized green haori. “We didn’t mean no disrespect.”
At least someone had manners.
“What’s your name, Mizunoto?”, she asked green haori.
He looked up and Yua had to blink for a second.
Oh, he was a handsome boy.
He had lovely dark red eyes, just like his hair, and was a bit smaller than her. Well, she was 170 cm and surely older than him, so no wonder.
“I’m Kamado Tanjiro and he is Agatsuma Zenitsu, we really meant no disrespect.”
Again Tanjiro made them bow, while Zenitsu sniffled.
“If Agatsuma-San stops calling me Moonlight Beauty and acting that shameless, I will.”
Tanjiro promised as Zenitsu wailed that he wasn’t shameless if he was dying soon.
Who in the name of Tsukuyomi did Yua just meet?
A while later Yua and her new acquaintances Tanjiro and Zenitsu were walking together.
Apparently, they all headed in the same direction.
The good thing was Zenitsu had finally calmed down because Yua was this close away to gag the blond boy with a cloth, so he would stop crying and bitching about how he would die soon.
Nuisance!
Tanjiro didn’t share her sentiment, since he asked in calming and reassuring voice if Zenitsu was okay.
“Yeah.”, sniffled Zenitsu his last tears away. “Now that I’m calmer, I’m getting hungry.”
Yua couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Naturally, there was something new with the Nuisance.
She didn’t get how Tanjiro could give him his Onigiri, if he only had one. At least Zenitsu had enough manners to share the Onigiri with Tanjiro.
“Aren’t you hungry, Yua-Senpai?”, asked Tanjiro worried.
The midnight blue-haired girl just deadpanned.
“No, don’t worry. I eat before.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Kamado-San, I am.”
“Oh, all right.”
That boy was way too sweet and caring. He would get eaten alive in this world. Yua wonder what had pushed him to become a Demon Slayer.
Her grey eyes wander over the box the red-haired boy carried.
“I know what you mean when you say you’re scared of demons, but you can’t make trouble for your sparrow.”, told Tanjiro, Zenitsu.
“Huh? Was it distressed?”, wonder the blond. “The sparrow? How can you tell?”
“Well, he says that you’re always whining about not wanting to go to work, and you’re always hitting on girls and that you snore so loud, he’s had it! So he says.”
“You are a pathetic skirt chaser also? Tzz.”, grumbled Yua under her breath, crossing her arms.
“He’s saying that?! You can understand bird language?”, asked Zenitsu, the red-haired boy in utter confusion.
Yua answered for him: “Any kasugai crow or in your case, sparrow can talk. You didn’t notice?”
“You’re lying, senpai, right?! You’re just trying to trick me!”
That’s when Kaguya and another crow, probably Tanjiro one, called down to them: “Start running! Start running! Yua, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, run! The three of you head over to your next destination! Run! Run, Yua, Tanjiro, Zenitsu!”
This shocked Zenitsu so much that he screamed in fright and started to roll around on the ground.
Tanjiro looked worried at him, while Yua just deadpanned.
A Nuisance, trough, and trough.
Having enough Yua gripped Zenitsu by the collar of his yellow haori dragging him in the direction their crows lead them, ignoring his screams of letting go and he didn’t want to go.
Tanjiro caught up to her.
“Senpai?”
“Kamado-San, we don’t have time for Agatsuma-San’s little crisis. We need to go. Anytime we waste, another human life could be taken.”
“If you say so, Yua-Senpai.”
So Yua dragged Zenitsu behind her, while Tanjiro followed.
The young woman wonder what would await them on this joint mission.
After walking through a forest and ignoring pointedly Zenitsu’s cries that he wouldn’t be much help to them, the three Demon Slayers found themselves before a mansion.
Yua let go of Zenitsu, so he could stand up.
The three looked at the mansion in caution.
“I can smell blood.”, told Tanjiro “But this particular scent…”
“Huh? You smell something?”, wonder Zenitsu.
“Something I’ve never smelled before.”
“I don’t know about that, but do you hear that sound? Also, are we three gonna work together, after all?”
The only female crossed her arms, fixing the mansion with sharp eyes, concentration on it. Demonic and human presence, that much was clear.
That’s when all three saw two children, hugging each other, between bushes and trees.
It was a young boy and a little girl.
“K-Kids…”, stutter Zenitsu.
“They are scarred.”, added Yua.
“I wonder what’s wrong.”, wonder Tanjiro, walking up to them. “Hey, guys, what are you doing here?”
But the children are so terrified they can’t manage to talk, only after Tanjiro shows them Zenitsu cute little sparrow, the boy tells them what’s going on.
All the alarm bell ring in Yua’s head as she hears their story.
“The monster only took you brother?”, she repeats and the young boy nods shyly. “This is not good. There is only one explanation if a demon takes only one specific human and doesn’t care for others.”
“What is it senpai?”, asks Tanjiro.
Yua explains: “Their older brother must be a marechi. This is the rarest blood type that exists and is particularly appetizing for demons. They forget anything and just want that person’s blood, so tasteful it is to them.”
The freaked-out look on Zenitsu’s face was a bit funny while seeing the siblings scarred made Yua’s heart hurt. They remind her of Kaito and Hikari.
So she kneels down to them and pats their heads.
“Don’t worry. He is still alive, I can feel it.”
Brother and sister just stare with big eyes at her. Secretly Tanjiro wonders what the older girl means by she feels that he is still alive, but this was not important right now.
He turns back to the kids.
“We’re going to defeat the bad guy and rescue your brother!”, promises Tanjiro them.
“Really? You really will?”, asked the little girl to be sure.
“Yeah. For sure!”
Yua nods in agreement.
“Just wait, soon you will have your brother back.”
“Tanjiro…Yua-Senpai…”, calls Zenitsu for them, still holding his hands on his ears. “Hey, what is this sound? This creepy sound never stops. Is it a tsuzumi?”
Tanjiro and Yua both don’t hear anything.
Suddenly a tsuzumi drum can be heard in the area.
All look around to find the source, till on the final drum beat, a boy’s body flies out from the door on the second floor.
Shocked shouts turn to screams as the body hits the ground.
On instinct Yua hugs the children to herself, shushing them: “Don’t look, don’t look, okay, sweeties?”
Meanwhile, Tanjiro holds the poor dying boy in his arms, hugging him to himself in his last moments.
“Hey, is this man your…”, he calls over.
The young boy shaking in Yua’s arms tells him that this is not their older brother since he wears a persimmon-colored kimono.
Careful Tanjiro lays the dead boy on the ground, promising him in his thoughts to give him a proper burial after he saved the older brother of the kids.
“All right. Zenitsu, Yua-Senpai come on!”
“Right!”, agrees Yua, slowly letting go of the still-scarred kids.
Zenitsu so doesn’t want to enter the mansion and come with them, till Tanjiro just turns away from him, showing Zenitsu he will leave him behind. Of course, the blond boy doesn’t want that, agreeing to come with them.
Then Tanjiro kneels again before the kids, while Yua gives them some last pats to calm them down.
He puts his box down on the ground before them.
“In case of an emergency, I’m leaving this box behind. Even if something happens, you two will be protected.”, Tanjiro promises the siblings.
Calmy Yua stares at the box, it seems like her eyes twinkle with light, saying nothing.
“Kamado-San, Agatsuma-San, let’s enter the mansion.”, orders Yua, walking up to it. “Since I have the higher Rank, I will lead this mission. You are both under my command now.”
“Of course, Yua-Senpai.”, acknowledge Tanjiro, Zenitsu reluctantly follows them while sobbing.
The trio enters the mansion.
It’s eerie and quiet.
Yua feels her nose tickle from the dust that flies around.
Demon doesn’t care for housekeeping it seems.
Tanjiro and Yua walk further into it, as Zenitsu cries out behind them: “Tanjiro! Hey, Tanjiro! Senpai! Yua-Senpai! You’ll protect me, right? You’ll protect me, right?”
Together the three stop.
“Zenitsu, I hate to put you on the spot, but… I’ve got a broken rib and leg from my previous battle.”, admins Tanjiro. “And neither is fully healed yet. So –“
You could have told me sooner from Yua gets drowned out by Zenitsu totally losing his nerves. The blond-haired boy again rolls around the ground crying about how he is going to die.
Annoyed Yua picks him up by his collar and gives him a hard slap in the face. She ignores Tanjiro’s shocked gasp since Zenitsu stopped freacking out and hangs like a cloth from her hand.
“Listen to me Agatsuma! No one die’s on my watch!”, she growls pissed off. “I’m not a Hinoto for nothing. I won’t let die any of my men, but for that get yourself at least together and stop being a crybaby or I will personally give you something to really cry over!”
Zenitsu squeaks quietly in fright, while Tanjiro means: “Senpai…please don’t be so hard on him. Demons can be scary, his fear isn’t without reason.”
“He will never woman-up if he shit his pants because of anything slightly scary.”
“Woman-up?”
“The future is female, Kamado-San.”
Before Tanjiro can say something both he and Yua see how the two siblings enter the mansion.
“Goddammit, kids!”, grumbles Yua and lets Zenitsu fall on the floor.
The boy lets out a tiny shriek.
“You shouldn’t be here!”, scolds Tanjiro the kids.
“M-Mister, we heard scratching sounds from inside that box!”, tells the boy.
“E-Even still, it pains me that you left it behind! I mean, it’s more precious to me than my own life!”
A wild and chaotic tremor occurs throughout the mansion. The group looks cautious and fearful around.
Zenitsu covers his ears and falls to his knees, accidentally bumping Tanjirou and the little girl into a room.
“Ah, sorry! My butt…”
A drum is played, and Tanjiro and the little girl vanish before their eyes!
Yua gets a determined look on her face, drawing her Katana, while Zenitsu screams in fear and shock and the little boy is frozen.
“Stay calm!”, she orders.
“HOW CAN I BE CALM?! TANJIRO VANISH!”, shouts Zenitsu.
Many things happen at the same time.
Zenitsu wants to throw himself at Yua, but she backs away from him, into the room behind her, the drums play again and suddenly she is in another room, no Zenitsu and the little boy to see. Or Tanjiro and the little girl for that matter.
The drums play a few times, Yua holding her Katana before her, ready for anything, till it stops.
She is now in a room that seems like a normal bedroom.
Analyzing her surroundings her eyes wander from one corner to another.
Nothing she sees and nothing she feels out of place.
“The room changed as the drum played.”, she thoughts. “This must be the Blood Demon Art of the demon who took the older brother of the kids. Now the question is…shall I stay in the room and wait till it changes again…or follow my gut in hopes it leads me in the right direction.”
Next
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Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
I added a demon into the manor so Yua could fight someone.
Happy reading.
Chapter 3: Aura-Sensing
At most a few minutes had passed since Yua was separated from her Demon Slayer comrades and the children. The young woman ran along a hallway in the mysterious, changing mansion, trying to find anyone.
Her katana was drawn, her senses sharp.
She concreted harder, trying to pick up a familiar presence. What she feels was a dark looming presence before her.
Yua stops and hides behind a wall. Careful she looks around the corner.
There.
The familiar black color, tripping off a demon!
It’s a female one, with long hair, wearing a short kimono.
No other colors shine from the demon…this means it hasn’t sensed her yet.
Good.
That was good.
Once again Yua was thankful that she was born with the ability to feel and see Aura’s. It helped her a lot in her fight with demons, and also in her interactions with people.
Lying to her was difficult when one could see the colors you were giving off since any color had a meaning and Yua had trained her whole life to understand what they meant.
She gets ready to kill the demon.
Total Concretion!
Running up to it, the demon senses her, turning around.
Moon Breathing!
But it’s already too late for it.
First Form: Clear Moon, Nightfall Palace!
She draws her katana and performs a singular horizontal slash following a crescent shape. The demon screams blood runs down in a cascade it’s body and with a simple slash from left to right Yua beheads it.
With cold grey eyes, she looks down at the man-eating monster. Even in death no regrets.
Disgusting.
Demons are a disease, all need to die!
And yet you didn’t call out Tanjiro and his little demon secret…
Yua shakes her head, trying not to listen to the voice in her head. She needs to find the others.
So she starts running again.
I don’t know why I just didn’t kill the demon Tanjiro has with him on the spot…just…the aura it gave off…it was gentle and bright…like Tanjiro’s aura was calm and sincere…He is a good guy…there must be a reason…And I want to find out what it is!
The house starts to rotate and Yua can grap into a doorway. After it stops, she continues her running.
She feels their Auras, yet can’t pinpoint them clearly. It’s getting on her nerves. She needs to work on that.
Tracking someone was never her specialty and look she needs it now.
Awesome.
For a while, she runs through the mansion. Opening doors, finding vacant rooms, trying to not break her neck when the mansion starts to imitate a crazy carousel.
Screaming Yua falls out a window, crashing down on the forest ground hard. She feels the crack in her rib before the pain made tears spread in her eyes.
Not a demon broke a rib, at least she could have said she earned a battle scare, no, a stupid pathetic fall from an open window did it.
Her grandfather was right to tell her that she had to give more. This was downright embarrassing.
That’s when she also hears the sound of battle.
Confused carefully she sits up, holding into her rib, and looks around.
…What the fuck is she seeing?!
Did she hit her head?
Or was Tanjiro looked into a fistfight with a boar-headed man who has the weirdest Aura Yua ever saw and felt?
It’s nearly animalist in its wild and crazy colors.
“Yua-San!”, calls the little girl over to her.
She is in the arms of her brother and another boy, probably her older brother.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine…just…is Tanjiro fighting Manbearpig or I’m hallucinating?”
“I don’t really see the bear…”, mumbles the brother Yua knows loudly enough for her to hear it.
As she opens her mouth to answer him Tanjiro yells at Manbearpig you need to calm down and gives him the hardest headbutt Yua had ever seen!
She can’t help but make a face. That must hurt like a bitch!
“Ahh!! That sound!”, yells a bloody beat-up Zenitsu who besides Tanjiro’s Box. “Are your skulls fractured?!”
That’s actually a good question.
Manbearpig staggers backward, his head aka. it was a mask falling off.
Yua blinks rapidly and can’t help the blush from rising in her cheeks.
What a beautiful face on such a well-trained body!
Zenitsu doesn’t seem to share her sentiment since he shrieks: “Huh?! A Girl?! Huh? Ah… Your face!”
“What the hell? You’ve got a problem with my face or something?”, yells back the blue-haired boy with these pretty green eyes.
“You’re one creepy guy, you know that? You’ve got such a ripped body, but there’s a girl’s face sitting on top of it.”
“That’s a bit mean…”, mumbles Yua to herself.
“Why the hell are you staring at my face like that?”
“I-I’m not!”
Like the chicken Zenitsu is, he hides behind the little girl, Yua needs to get the names of the kids already, and denies having a problem with the pretty boy’s face.
Tanjiro even adds that the pretty boy’s face is quite petite, fair-skinned, and therefore attractive! Yua wonders if Tanjiro is hitting on the other male or does he just tell the truth.
She checks his Aura.
Well, Tanjiro isn’t lying and doesn’t have an underlying motive.
Pretty Boy is offended and wants to fight Tanjiro again, yet the other boy declines.
Their conversation turns only crazier and kind of funny as Tanjiro wants that Pretty Boy rests, Pretty Boy tells anybody his name is Hashibira Inosuke and the red-haired boy actually asks him which characters do you use to spell that?
Inosuke is so shocked that he freezes a moment, saying something about a loincloth, before he faints.
On Yua’s head appears a drop.
Kudos for lasting that long boar-head-boy.
The little girl compliments Tanjiro’s forehead for being so hard and even touches it.
Zenitsu and Yua don’t know that the other thinks the same, but both ask themselves how freacking hard Tanjiro’s head is and why he isn’t bleeding.
Absolutely crazy day!
A while later Yua, her follow Demon Slayers Tanjiro and Zenitsu and the siblings are together making another grave for one of the victims of the demons in the Mansion, while Inosuke sleeps on Tanjiro Haori and uses Zenitsu and Yua’s ones as blankets.
The group did good work already.
If they continue like this they will be done by sundown.
Out of nowhere, Inosuke starts to yell and jumps up from his makeshift bed.
“Ahh!! He’s awake!”, screams Zenitsu scared.
Probably a stupid idea, since Inosuke now targets and wants to fight him. He chases poor Zenitsu around, till he hides behind Teruko. Yes, Yua finally learned their names.
The blue-haired boy stops and stares in utter confusion at them.
“What the hell are you guys doing?!”
“It’s a burial.”, deadpans Yua, fixing a stone. “That’s what you do with dead people.”
“You help you, too, Inosuke.”, adds Tanjiro. “There are still people who were killed inside the house.”
“What’s the point of burying the corpses of creatures? I’m not doing that! I’m not helping out! Forget that! Fight me!”
Yua facepalms and grumbles something about all pretty outside and inside nothing.
“I see. You can’t do it because your wounds are hurting you.”
Not only Yua looks at Tanjiro in disbelief. Zenitsu is right with her.
Only because she sees how sincere Tanjiro Aura is, she doesn’t think he is stupid. Tanjiro being seems to be always gentle and caring.
Her conclusion shows true as Tanjiro reassures Inosuke that he should rest while they all will do the work of burying the bodies.
Of course, seeing how proud Inosuke is of his Aura colors alone, the wild boy is offended and proclaims he will bury more bodies than anyone.
“As long as you do something, I don’t care. Come on guys, we aren’t finished yet and Agatsuma stop pestering Teruko!”, commands Yua, which gets everyone moving.
Inosuke moved already before she opened her mouth.
Well, as long the job gets done she doesn’t care.
In the late afternoon, the group finally finished burying all the bodies.
Eight.
Eight human lives…just sniffed out like a candle.
All, besides Inosuke, who randomly headbutts trees, are praying before the graves in silence.
Yua prays to Tsukuyomi, that the moon god, helps these poor souls enter the afterlife, be reunited with their loved ones, that they find peace.
It’s then that they hear familiar caws.
Kaguya and Tanjiro’s crow tells them to descend the mountain.
So the group gets ready for it, besides of course Inosuke, who still wants to fight Tanjiro, but follows after them.
At the base of the mountain, Yua, Tanjiro, and Zenitsu prepare to split from Kiyoshi, Shouichi, and Teruko, while Inosuke again randomly headbutts trees.
Zenitsu clings to Shouichi, crying like a baby.
“I won’t have it! I won’t have it, I won’t have it! You can’t go, Shouichi! You’re powerful, Shouichi! Shouichi is the one who’s gonna protect me!”
“Can’t you see Shouichi doesn’t want to stay?!”, tells Tanjiro, seeming to lose his cool with the crybaby.
Yua simply hits Zenitsu over the head, so he falls down on the forest ground, whimpering and holding his new bump.
“I’m sorry for this shameless crybaby.”, she apologizes and bows before the siblings. “Go in peace, children.”
Pointedly she ignores how Zenitsu cries out that he isn’t shameless and had to fight off a smirk as Tanjiro tells him he would have hit him on the head too if she hadn’t done it before because Zenitsu was embarrassing them all and making unnecessary problems.
The sound of betrayal of Zenitsu was funny.
Tanjiro crow gives Kiyoshi, the boy with the rare blood, a little sachet with Wisteria flowers in them to ward off any demons.
With that, the Demon Slayers say goodbye to the kids, who will go finally home, and follow Kaguya and Tanjiro crow to their next destination.
If Yua had the guess it would be a Wistaria house since they all needed to tend to their wounds and a place to sleep from this long day.
It was a bit difficult, but Tanjiro agreed to let Yua carry his box, while he carried Zenitsu on his back. Her hit had been harder than expected and had in the end knocked the blond boy out.
For Yua, it was an experience feeling the Aura from the demon in the box so close to herself. It did confirm for her, that Tanjiro’s demon was really different than all the other demons she encountered.
She wonder when she could ask Tanjiro for his story because right now she had to endure how Inosuke wanted to challenge the red-haired boy to a fight.
“Fight me!”, howled Inosuke. “I swear I’m gonna find a weak point and bring you down, loser!”
“My name is not “loser”! It’s Kamado Tanjiro!”, corrected him Tanjiro.
“Kamaboko Gonpachiro!”
How in the name of Tsukoyomi could someone mess up a name so much? Yua was astonished.
“I’m gonna bring you down!”
“Who the hell are you talking about?!”
“That would be you!”
“No, it’s someone else!”
“Can you talk any louder?!”, screamed Zenitsu, startling anybody.
Done with all Yua looks up to the sky, where her crow and Tanjiro’s fly.
“Kaguya, how long till we reach our destination?”
The I’m this close to committing homicide she doesn’t say. Whom is she traveling with? One is crazier than the next one.
“We are nearly there, Yua-Chan!”
“Thanks, my princess.”
Kaguya let’s out a happy caw.
“You and your crow are close, hm?”, says Tanjiro with a little smile.
Yua just deadpan.
“I’m since four years a Demon Slayer and Kaguya is since this long my crow of course we are close.”
Awkward silence was now over the group.
Not that Yua cared. She isn’t in the Demon Slayer Corps to make friends but to become a Hashira.
It’s night when they finally reach the Wistaria House.
Kaguya is sitting on Yua’s shoulder, while Tanjiro holds his crow in his hands.
“Caw~! Rest time! Rest time!”, tells them Tanjiro crow. “Since you’ve sustained injuries, you’re to rest until you’re fully recovered!”
“Huh? Are you sure it’s okay to rest? I just fought a demon while injured, you know.”, ask Tanjiro.
“Ke-ke-ke.”
“"Ke-ke-ke"?”
Kaguya and Yua facepalm together.
“Let’s eat this thing.”, decides Inosuke.
“What?”
Kaguya and Yua facepalm harder.
Again, who in the name of Tsukuyomi did they meet?
Having enough Yua knocks on the manor door.
She has a feeling it will be a looooonnnnnnggggg night with these three idiots.
First Form: Clear Moon, Nightfall Palace is Kokushibo First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace.
I headcanon that his kata’s had more positive names before he turned evil demon, so I changed the name’s up to something more positive for the original Moon Breathing Yua’s family uses.
Hope you like it.
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Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
If you like my story please leave a comment, a kudos, a like, a vote or a reblog.
Please show an author your love for their story. :D
Chapter 4: Under the Wistaria Crest
The Wistaria House belonged to an old kind lady named Hisa, who Zenitsu was scared of, no really, and Inosuke just completely doesn’t have any manners in regards to elders.
At least Tanjiro was a decent human being and tried to rile the other males in.
Hisa had shown them the room they would be staying in and then the bathrooms.
Signing tired, Yua leaned her head on the bathtub of the Wisteria House, trying to enjoy the warm bath and forget the stress of the day.
It was difficult since she heard from the other side, where the men's bathroom was, how Inosuke hollered and splashed around. Zenitsu’s whining and every gentle Tanjiro begging them not to destroy the room.
An angry mark appeared on her head and she hit the wall beside her hard.
“WILL YOU THREE BABIES STOP AND JUST TAKE A FUCKING BATH!”, she screamed loud enough to be heard. “OR DO I NEED TO GET OVER THERE TO BATHE YOU MYSELF!”
That was clearly the wrong thing to say because Zenitsu actually purred: “Aww, Yua-Senpai, I would feel honoured to be in your naked presence and get bathed by you.”
Before she could say anything, she heard how someone hit Zenitsu hard on the head so that he fell out of the bathtub.
“You don’t talk to a lady that way Zenitsu, shame on you! I’m terribly sorry Yua-Senpai.”
“Kamado, did you hit Agatsuma?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Tanjiro answered that it was no problem at all, anybody ignoring Zenitsu’s screams of mistreatment.
After that little incident, they all finished their bath and put on the kimonos Hisa had prepared for them.
Zenitsu had formally heart eyes seeing Yua in the form-fitting kimono and her long midnight blue hair in a side braid. She just flicked his forehead and told him coldly: “Not even in your dreams!”
And then made her way to their room.
Yua heard how Zenitsu whined, while Tanjiro told him he deserved it for being so shameless and Inosuke was just confused about what that all was about.
When she opened the door Hisa was already sitting in seiza in the room with four plates with food prepared for them.
“And here is your meal.”, said the old lady gently.
The only girl in the group couldn’t even thank her as Zenitsu shouted: “She has to be a monster, Tanjiro! That old lady’s a monster! She’s so quick, it’s eerie! She’s a monster! A monster hag –“
For that, he got two smacks on the head from Tanjiro and Yua. Yua and Tanjiro looked into each other's eyes as Zenitsu bowed down holding his hurting head.
“Great minds think alike, isn’t it so Kamado-San?”
She gave him a little smirk, which in turn made Tanjiro gently blush. He only nodded.
Yeah, Yua decided she liked Tanjiro the best of the three boys.
Finally, the quartet sat down for dinner and Inosuke ate…well like a pig. Fitting for someone who owned a boar mask and acted like one.
He really was more animal than man. Yua could just stare at him in bizarre fascination.
Zenitsu told Inosuke that he should use his chopstick, but got ignored as the wild boy stole more food from Tanjiro’s plate.
He grinned at the red-haired boy in a cheeky way.
Inosuke definitely wanted to get a rise out of Tanjiro suspects Yua, sadly for him Tanjiro is too nice to even think something like that and even offers him more of his food.
That Inosuke is more than pissed off is an understatement.
When they finished dinner, Hisa showed them their room for sleep.
Again Zenitsu screams she is a monster and again Tanjiro and Yua hit him over the head.
When will the blond learn?
Meanwhile, Inosuke dives into his chosen futon.
“First come, first served! I’m taking this one!”, proclaims the wild boy, petting the futon.
“That’s fine. Sleep wherever you want.”, tells Tanjiro with a smile. Yua doesn’t need her Aura Sensing to see that it’s pissing off Inosuke.
Tanjiro turns to Zenitsu asking him where he would like to sleep. Before he can answer, Inosuke smacks his pillow against the blond’s face.
Having enough Yua grips Inosuke by the ear, which makes him actually squeal.
“Boarhead, can you for one second not make trouble?!”
“Let go of me, woman! Or face my wrath!”
“Pssh, I’m a higher Rank than you, when I’m done with you, you will not even know anymore where it is up and down!”
“Lucky Bastard.”
“Zenitsu…what is that supposed to mean?”
“Aww, Tanjiro, you are so pure like a maiden.”
Before the whole situation can escalate even more, Hisa returns with a doctor in tow. Of course, Yua gets a checkup first and alone, then it’s the boys' turn.
Now they all lay in their futons staring up at the ceiling.
Zenitsu is the first who breaks the silence: “Who would’ve guessed that all four of us had broken ribs?”
Yua got one broken as she guessed, Zenitsu two, Tanjiro three, and last Inosuke with four. It’s also the order they are sleeping side by side.
The midnight blue-haired girl still wonders how Zenitsu manages to snatch the futon beside her. She would rather sleep beside Inosuke, than the blond womanizer.
Good thing, that she always sleeps with her Katana beside her.
“This knot hurts more than my ribs.”, deadpans Inosuke, referring to the big bump Tanjiro’s headbutt had caused.
“Sorry.”, apologized to the red-haired boy.
“Hey, you’d better apologize. It really hurts, you know. Getting pounded to a pulp like that.”, tells Zenitsu Inosuke. “Say you’re sorry.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Say you’re sorry!”
“I’ll pass!”
“Just say you’re sorry!”, yell Yua and Tanjiro together.
Goddammit, the two are worse than when Kaito and Hikari have their little spats!
“If you’re gonna be like that, we’re not eating with you anymore.”, threatens the blond-haired boy.
Not that it’s really threatening to Inosuke since he doesn’t understand what’s so bad about it. Even if Zenitsu explains how meals always taste better with company and Tanjiro even agrees, the wild boy is still lost. He asks them if they hurt their head.
That’s when Hisa calls out for them, asking if they need anything, which makes Zenitsu again freak out and again Tanjiro and Yua call him out.
When Yua is back home she will give Kaito and Hikari a lot of kisses. These two aren’t as nearly as exhausting as Zenitsu and Inosuke.
Tanjiro was all right.
After all is calm again it seems like it’s time for some bonding, since Tanjiro asks Inosuke why he joined the Demon Slayer Corps. Not gonna lie, Yua was curious too.
Apparently, a Demon Slayer stumbled upon Inosuke’s Mountain and the wild boy took his sword. Then he heard about the Final Selection and how demons exist and just joined.
Wow, for Inosuke it was all a big competition to see who was the strongest. Now You understood his wild and chaotic Aura too.
“Yua-Senpai.”, Tanjiro turned to her. After failing in bonding with Inosuke about the fact that they both had lived on a mountain and Inosuke made clear since he has no family at all he was only a Demon Slayer for the thrill, the red-haired boy seemed to try to find common ground with her. “Why are you in the Demon Slayer Corps?”
“It shows how new you all are in the Corps if my surname means nothing to you.”, she simply states.
“Whaddya mean by that?”, asks Inosuke.
“My family, the Mochizuki’s, has since the Feudal Era been a part of the Demon Slayer Corps.”
“That long, wow!”, gasp Zenitsu. “How did your family survive this long?”
A little smirk comes over Yua’s lips. She would be lying if she wasn’t proud of her family line to survive till now.
“Our breathing style is the strongest in the Corps. Moon Breathing. I’m the current Master in it.”
“Moon Breathing?”, repeats Tanjiro in wonder.
“It’s just as old as our family. It is one of the hardest and most challenging Breathing Styles to learn. Only one or two manage to learn it in a generation. I’m a Demon Slayer because it’s my birthright and my duty to my family. I will become a Hashira and show anyone why the Mochizuki are the strongest Slayers that exist!”
After her declaration, it’s quiet for a few seconds, until Tanjiro asks what a Hashira is, Zenitsu and even Inosuke nodding along.
Yua makes a facepalm, newbies, but explains to them what the Hashira are.
That the boys are blown away is an understatement. Inosuke is already planning to fight one of them! Yua bets if he could Inosuke would even fist fight the Kami’s.
“So anyone in your family is a slayer?”, wants Tanjiro to know more. “But you are the only one who can currently use Moon Breathing right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. People who marry in our family are often normal civilians, so they aren’t Slayers, like my late mother. Then there is my uncle Hansuke, the husband of my aunt Chiyoko, who is a Demon Slayer. They both meet actually while hunting the same demon. It’s quite a story.”, Yua explains. “Besides that, my father, my uncle Keitaro, my aunt Chiyoko, my uncle Noritaka, my grandfather, and my late older cousin Taiga, my younger cousin Daku are all or were Demon Slayers, only my cousin Sayoko being a Kakushi. That’s like the medical and cleaning-up team after a heavy fight with a demon.”
“You have a big family, that’s nice.”, tells Tanjiro with such bittersweetness in his voice, that Yua looks at the boy.
He seems to be fighting tears…oh she knows that look. He lost beloved people.
The young woman wants to ask him whom he lost, yet it feels wrong to ask him this when he is so vulnerable.
In the pause, Zenitsu took the chance sitting up from the futon to ask something which has been on his mind all day: “Tanjiro, no one else is asking, so I’m gonna ask myself. Why are you travelling with a demon?”
Well, no time like the present. It really was time to get answers from Tanjiro, so Yua sat also up.
“I also know you have a demon with you. I could feel his Aura…yet it’s at the same time so different than all demon Aura’s I ever felt and saw.”
“Yua-Senpai and Zenitsu… you both knew about that and Zenitsu you still protected the box, huh? And you Yua-Senpai didn’t try to kill her.”, say’s Tanjiro softly, also sitting up. “You are great people, you know that? Thanks!”
That’s is too much for Zenitstu and he rolls around the futon, holding his pillow tight. “You really shouldn’t heap so much praise on me! Fufufufu! Yua-Senpai is more amazing!”
“Sweet talking will get you nowhere with me, Agatsuma.”, deadpans Yua simply, ignoring how the blond insists that it’s nothing like that, and making a little bow in Tanjiro's direction. “Your words honour me, Kamado-San.”
Tanjiro smiles so sweetly at them, that Yua feels how her heart stops for a moment. He is such a gentle and loving soul…it’s really an honour to hear these words and get this smile from him.
“I’ve got a keen sense of smell. I knew it from the start. How kind you are, Zenitsu… and how strong…How gentle and powerful you are Yua-Senpai…how admirable.”
“You are a gentle and kind soul Tanjiro, your Aura tells me as much. Don’t lose this, it’s rare to find such good in humanity.”, Yua advised him with a small smile.
Meanwhile, Zenitsu isn’t nearly as touched by Tanjiro’s words as Yua, since formally a dark cloud was around him.
“No, I’m not strong. Don’t give me that. I haven’t forgiven you for stopping me from bringing Shouichi along.”
Tanjiro is lost for words and Yua can just facepalm.
That’s when they hear how the demon in the box is pounding against its door.
Naturally, the blond boy freaks out, being sure his end is near. Not listing to Tanjiro, who tries to reassure him, nor to Yua who makes it clear that from the demon’s Aura, it’s not dangerous.
Zenitsu doesn’t care and was even ready to hide behind Inosuke. Just his luck the wild boy kicks him angrily away, directly in front of the box.
In fear, he scrambles away, till the demon comes out.
Yua has to blink a few times.
The demon is a pretty little girl with a bamboo muzzle. She has big beautiful pink eyes and an adorable face.
“Nezuko…”, calls her Tanjiro gently.
From the Aura colours the young woman sees now, it shows clearly deep family love.
So they are related.
An explanation why he couldn’t kill the little girl demon if she was family.
She is now standing up and formally grows before their eyes. Now she looks like fourteen years old if Yua had to guess.
The demon girl was a real beauty!
From Zenitsu comes a strange strangled scream, while Inosuke doesn’t give a fuck and just falls asleep.
As Tanjiro turns to Yua and Zenitsu to introduce Nezuko to them bolts of electricity come from Zenitsu's corner.
Yua herself takes her Katana standing up since Zenitsu Aura was going crazy. The boy was more than pissed off at Tanjiro.
“You… Just who do you think you are?!”, yells Zenitsu at the red-haired boy who is totally lost.”So you’ve been travelling with a girl this cute? With a girl this cute in tow, day after day, you’ve been travelling, and you’ve been on cloud nine the whole time, huh?”
“Zenitsu, it’s not like –”
“Agatsuma, calm down for a second-”
Both get ignored as Zenitsu screams: “Give me back all the blood I shed!! I… Listen, I… I didn’t give it my all just so you could spend time in la-la land, making out with a girl! That’s not why I got pummeled and kicked by that weird boar, right?!”
“Zenitsu, calm down! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“He is thinking with his dick, Kamado-San, that’s the problem!”
“Demon Slayer Corps is not something you’d join for fun! Guys like you gotta be purged! Immediately! Come to think of it, there’s also the crime of thwarting my marriage and sending Shouichi home.”
With a stone-cold face, the blond unsheathes his Katana.
“Purged immediately! Don’t ever underestimate the Corps!!”
Zenitsu charges at Tanjiro. Good thing Yua saw that from a mile coming and get’s between them.
Her Katana and Zenitsu Katana smash together.
Before anyone can say or do something, with swiftness, Yua's upper hand Zenitsu takes his Katana from him.
“Agatsuma!”, she growls and looks quite scary with two Katana in her hands and a dark Aura around her. “The Demon Girl is Tanjiro's relative! I see their bond clearly through their Aura so stop thinking with your dick or I cut it off!”
Suddenly all the bravery he had vanished from Zenitsu and he shrieked scarred holding his precious dick. He heard loud and clearly from Yua that she was serious about cutting it off!
Tanjiro also smelled how close Yua was to emasculating Zenitsu and tried his best to calm everybody down.
Meanwhile, Nezuku just cutely title her head. She doesn’t know who this people are with her brother, but the young woman has pretty braided hair.
She likes it.
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empressofthesunwriter
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
The song Yua sings is the first opening from Demon Slayer Gurenge by Liisa. I thought it would be nice to have the opening as a real song in my fanfiction. ^^
Also, I Googled how long a rib takes to heal it's six weeks!
I don't know if the Mangaka intended to have the boys and Nezuko really for that long in the Wistaria Mansion since after EP 14 in EP 15 they were already healed up and it seemed to only have taken a few days.
That's why I decided to make a little slice-of-life chapter for these six weeks. Building foundation for relationships, future plot points, and etc.
I hope you will like it!
If you like my story please leave a comment, a kudos, a like, a vote or a reblog.
Please show an author your love for their story. :D
Chapter 5: Songs so sweet and sorrow
Do you know the feeling when your body slowly wakes up? When the dream you had still clung to you and you start to feel your body again as hearing comes back.
This moment before fully being awake, when all seems so real and unreal at the same time?
Tanjiro was currently in this state.
A part of him knew he was waking up, another still was in the dream about the happy days he had with his family. Before blood and death and the pain of being left behind only Nezuko as the anchor to this world.
While he was like this he heard a soft and beautiful voice sing.
“Finally, you've given me
A reason to be strong
And we'll stand
Hand in hand
Till the end
As my body's shaking
The future is out there waiting
For me to grasp the light
That's trembling just like my hand
I gotta keep it safe from fading
That's all that I want”
He never heard a song like that. It touched something deep in his heart like whoever sang understood what he was going through.
“The subtle scent of midnight
I spent all thirty nights
I glare up at the stars
Staring into the sky
The path I see before me
I know only I can change it
That's all that I need
Finally, you've given me
A reason to be strong
And we'll stand
Hand in hand
Till the end”
Being strong, going hand and hand, till the end…it fit him and Nezuko so much. Tanjiro wanted to become stronger to protect Nezuko, to one day turn her back into a human. They decide to stay together, whatever may come, holding each other's hands tight.
He felt how a tear slipped down his closed eye.
“As my body's shaking
The future is out there waiting
For me to grasp the light
That's trembling just like my hand
I gotta keep it safe from fading
That's all that I want
The subtle scent of midnight
I spent all thirty nights
I glare up at the stars
Staring into the sky
The path I see before me
I know only I can change it
That's all that I need”
Slowly he opened his eyes, starting to wake up. The red-haired boy wanted to know who sang so breathtakingly heartfully.
What he saw first was Zenitsu, sitting up from his futon, his knees up and his arms around them, while his head rested on them. He stared with formal heart eyes into the corner of the room where Yua and Nezuko had slept.
After yesterday, when Tanjiro had explained to his fellow Slayers, his and Nezuko’s story, Yua had taken Nezuko without a second thought under her wing.
The older girl pulled out a fifth futon from the closet, put it beside her, and told them that his sister should sleep in a bed and not in her box.
Then Yua proceeds to dress Nezuko into one of the kimonos of the Wistaria Mansion, of course in the bathroom, and even put his sister's hair in a side braid, since apparently if you have long hair it’s best to braid it before going to sleep.
Tanjiro was happy that Nezuko liked the attention she received from the older girl. He swore his sister even purred at Yua at one point before they all settled down for the night.
Now in the morning he follow Zenitsu’s line of sight and saw Nezuko happily humming along, while Yua was behind her combing her hair.
It took a few seconds before Tanjiro realized the amazing singer was Yua.
A little surprised sound came out of his mouth, then suddenly a hand, Zenitsus, clapped over his mouth and hissed in his ear: “Don’t ruin this moment! I never heard such angelic singing and humming! Nezuko-Chan and Yua-Senpai are divine beings and we shall humbly listen to their singing!”
Not like Tanjiro wanted to interrupt, he just was surprised. When Nezuko was still human, she liked to sing while she worked on her needlework. It was amazing hearing the voice of his sister again.
Yua-Senpai was what surprised him.
From what he had learned of her and smelled…she was tough and rough, yet was loving and gentle to younger ones.
Singing so heartbreakingly beautiful, with such a melodious and soft voice…it nearly didn’t fit her.
Nearly.
Tanjiro had smelled the deep and strong insecurity in Yua-Senpai and the overwhelming smell of lostness.
She was complicated.
Maybe he could catch a moment today with her to talk and understand her better.
The midnight blue-haired beauty finished her singing and combing Nezuko’s hair.
“All done Nezuko-Chan.”, she said to her, fixing the elaborate braid she had made. “Now you are even prettier!”
The demon girl let out a cute squeal, touching her pretty braid in wonder. Then she turned and hugged the older girl.
Yua chuckled at this affectionate gesture, hugging the younger girl back.
“These two are so lovely!”, signed Zenitsu dreamily. “The most beautiful woman on this Earth.”
"Agatsuma, your words mean nothing to me."
Tanjiro could formally see the imagery giant boulder with Rejected written on it that falls on Zenitsu.
The blond cried out in sadness.
"Your voice is beautiful Yua-Senpai. It's something to be proud of.", told her Tanjiro honestly.
She made a little bow in his direction.
"Your words honor me, Kamado-San."
"That's so unfair!", wailed Zenitsu with tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why do you accept Tanjiro's compliment and not mine?!"
"Because Kamado-San doesn't try to get into my pants, Agatsuma.", deadpanned Yua, giving the cooing Nezuko head pats.
For that, Zenitsu got the major side eye from Tanjiro. He could smell that his new friend didn't have the purest thoughts.
The blond just wailed more and fell down on his futon.
Inosuke was the only one sleeping through all the noise.
The group of four Demon Slayers and a demon had created a rhythm in the days they stayed in the Wisteria Mansion to heal from their wounds.
Yua and Nezuko were always the first to wake up. Both girls took a bath together, then while Yua sang she combed Nezuko’s hair, giving her a new pretty hairstyle every day.
Zenitsu woke up from the singing, listening to it and still admiring both beautiful young women in their company.
Tanjiro was the next to wake up and always made sure to tell his sister how pretty she looked and complimented Yua's singing.
Inosuke was always the last to wake up, then they would have breakfast and try somehow to pass the day.
Was it telling each other stories from their childhoods or about their works as Demon Slayers.
Hisa was so nice to even give them a few board games and it was a struggle to help Inosuke to understand what board games where good for and why they were played.
In the Wisteria Mansion was a little library, so they read also. Yua even tried teaching Inosuke the basics. Even when the wild boy didn't want to, she just grabbed him by his ear and made him repeat the Hiragana Alphabet. Tanjiro tried to help too but with a more gentle approach.
One night while they enjoyed dinner Zenitsu joked that Yua was like the father of their group, while Tanjiro was the mother.
This made Tanjiro blush a little and then even more as the young woman just said: "I would marry Kamado, hell even Hashibira, before I would consider going on a date with you, Agatsuma!"
Zenitsu’s wails could be heard from Kilometers, meanwhile, Inosuke asked them what the heck marriage was and they spent the rest of the night explaining it to him.
The wild boy took this as a chance to rile up Zenitsu the following days more to remind him that the older lady would rather have him than even consider Zenitsu for a second.
Tanjiro and Yua had to break them apart, only Nezuko seemed to giggle cutely at the scene before her.
When all was calm again Yua deadpanned just at Tanjiro and said: "Our kids are terrors, husband."
Something like a squeak comes out of Tanjiro, his cheeks changing color. He wondered how the older girl could just say things like that without embarrassment.
It was only her smell that indicated that she was just messing around and didn't see him as her spouse.
The red-haired boy didn't get why he felt disappointed.
When they all felt better they started to help around the Mansion aka. Yua and Tanjiro had to force Inosuke to help around.
Currently Tanjiro was hanging up the wet clothes with Yua and realized that they finally where alone for a moment.
This was the chance to get her to know better.
"Yua-Senpai, can I ask you something?", he began.
"Sure, Kamado-San what is it?"
"I don't want to cross any border.", he assured her. "It's just been on my mind these last few weeks."
"You can tell me Kamado-San I can see from your Aura you have only pure intentions."
"Right…forgot that for a second…also, Yua-Senpai when you told us you wanted to be a Hashira…why did you smell so much of grief and sadness and anger?"
This stopped the young woman from her task to hang up the wet clothes.
Tanjiro smelled anxiety from her. Oh no, he didn't want to trouble her!
He couldn't even say sorry, as Yua hissed in fake anger, to hide her anxiety: "Kamado get your nose checked. I don’t feel like this about becoming a Hashira. It's an honor my family was skipped over for centuries, even with us being the strongest Slayers! It’s my duty and I'm proud to be the one to finally reach this goal!"
Maybe she could tell herself these lies, but the red-haired boy smelled the utter despair.
"Yua-Senpai, I see us as friends. I can smell your true feelings. It hurts me to see you in such anguish…did anybody ever ask you if you wanted to walk the path of a Demon Slayer?", he asked her, trying to keep his tears at bay.
The seventeen-year-old girl just stared straight ahead, still as a statue, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"No…no one asked me.", she admitted in a broken voice. "But that’s not important, I have a duty to my family."
"But what about you?"
"Enough, Kamado, let’s never talk about this again."
With this, she turned and left him alone with the chore.
Yua knew she was being a coward, yet she couldn't handle Tanjiro's pure concern for her.
He was the first who ever asked her if she wanted to be a Demon Slayer.
She couldn't handle it.
Him and his gentle and kind Aura. It was a temptation to just…hug him, telling him all her worries.
He reminded her of Kioko, her mother.
This was not good.
It could lead her astray from her way to becoming a Hashira, to finally be accepted by her grandfather and the whole Demon Slayer Corps.
She had a duty. That's why she was born into this world.
To clean the name of Mochizuki from the sins of their forefathers.
Nothing else could matter.
Not even herself.
She was an instrument.
"The only wish I have left in this world is that you find your happiness in life, my blossom."
The last words of her mother, before her sickness killed her, came to Yua.
Her mother was like Tanjiro, a gentle soul who loved her and her father with a fiery passion.
Mother had fought tooth and nail against her grandfather. Kioko had wanted her to decide if she became a Demon Slayer or not…but after learning she was the only one who could use Moon Breathing it had been a lost fight.
But the midnight blue-haired girl remembered how often her mother would hold her, when she cried from the wounds in training, her Aura gently catching her.
Another tear escaped Yua, which she brushed away fast.
Tanjiro was dangerous. He would be easy to love, that was clear.
And love was the last thing Yua needed in her life.
Love wouldn't get her closer to being a Hashira.
Better stomp this seed before it could blossom.
So for the next few days, Yua kept her distance from Tanjiro.
Oh she would talk to him and they would rile in Zenitsu and Inosuke, but she did her hardest to not be alone with the redhead. She still took care of Nezuko, because she liked the demon girl. It was easier to love her since it was completely platonic.
Anyway even if she stayed distant from him, Tanjiro's words didn't leave her brain. It was a hard fight to ignore them.
More often than not Yua wished Sayoko would be here. She needed her cousin to bitch about the situation she was in. Sayoko would surely have an idea to fix this.
It was a mess.
So days and days pass, they healed, and they get back on their feet.
Soon it would be time for a new mission.
Hopefully, this would make Yua forget this emotional mess she was in.
One could only hope.
Next
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Maiden of the Moon Index
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
After a long while I had the urge to update this little FF.
That’s me.
Writing, stopping for a few months and then going back to writing. XD
The song today Yua sings is I’m on My Way by Phil Collins from the fantastic movie Brother Bear.
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Mt. Natagumo
Time flows fast and Yua and her three idiotic comrades and wonderful Nezuko have been staying at the Wisteria House for a good six weeks.
Today the doctor declared them finally being healed.
The day started well.
It even got better as Kaguya and Tanjiro’s crow, Matsuemon, brought them new orders.
Their little group shall go North-northeast to Mt. Natagumo.
Finally, Yua could work on her goal of becoming a Hashira. She was starting to get crazy doing nothing but healing in the Wisteria House.
On one hand, she should really first go home and check on her family, yet the disapproving look and the lecture her grandfather would give her, how she managed for six weeks to do nothing and not at least raise a few ranks stopped her from doing so.
She would go back home when she at least levelled up a good three ranks.
Was she a coward?
Yes, she was.
The midnight blue-haired beauty was not ashamed to admit that.
She would rather fist-fight a demon than be criticized by her grandfather. That man could make you feel so bad about yourself, it should be a torture method.
Or better not.
Anyway, our group of four Demon Slayers stood ready before the door of the Wisteria House, Hisa was with them, seeing them off.
Today, Yua had decided to wear her long hair in two long pigtails. As she fixed one, Tanjiro, undoubtedly the one with the best manners, bowed before Hisa.
“We’re heading out now. Thank you for everything.”
The old kind lady smiled and had a stone and grinder in her hands.
Oh how nice of her!
“Now then, for good luck.”, said Hisa.
“Thank you so much!”
Yua, Tanjiro and Zenitsu turn their back to Hisa, as she strikes the stone against the grinder a couple of times, little sparks flying in the air.
And again it shows that Inosuke really only ever lived on a mountain surrounded by animals since he freaks out seeing that.
Only Yua's fast reflexes stop the boar-headed boy from attacking the old lady. She has him in a headlock, while he shouts: “What do you think you’re doing, old hag?!”
“What are you, a moron?!”, shouts Zenitsu back.
“Is that a rhetoric question, Agatsuma.”, deadpans Yua, gripping Inosuke tighter. “Stop struggling so much, Hashibira!”
The blond-haired boy explains: “She’s striking sparks for good luck! It’s a purification ceremony! Because we’re gonna go on a dangerous mission!”
“So stand down and accept it.”, adds Yua.
Still confused the boar-headed boy does as he was said and Hisa can complete the ritual.
All beside Inosuke bow before her in thanks.
“Always live your lives with great pride. I wish you luck in battle!”
The older girl thanks her in the name of the group and with that the Demon Slayers and one Demon Girl in a box set off.
It’s exactly quiet for five minutes before the wild boy speaks up.
““Great pride”? “Luck in battle”? What does that mean?”
Zenitsu can’t help himself and think what a moron Inosuke is, while Yua fights off the urge to facepalm.
Hard.
Like she said.
Idiots, besides Nezuko.
“Well, yeah, now that you mention it, it’s kind of difficult to explain.”, try however Tanjiro to explain to him. ““With great pride”… I guess it means that you know your place and that you behave properly so that you’re never ashamed of yourself.”
“Huh?”
“And the old lady is also praying for our safety.”
“So what is this “place”? What do you mean, “never ashamed”?”
“Well, it’s…”
“What exactly does it mean to “behave properly”? Why in the hell would that old hag pray for our safety, anyway? She has nothing to do with us, so why?”
“Ahh…”
“She has no clue what her own place is, does she?”
Before someone gets an aneurysm, most likely poor goodhearted Tanjiro, Yua step energetically forward and starts to sing.
“Tell everybody I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
With blue skies ahead yes
I'm on my way
And there's nowhere else
that I'd rather be!”
This earned her a confused huh from Inosuke, Zenitsu fangirling and Tanjiro bilking at her surprised.
Neither one of them ever heard this type of song.
After six weeks they were used to the beautiful songs Yua sang, but they were more from their folklore, besides the one she called Gurenge and didn’t tell them who had taught her that.
“Tell everybody I'm on my way
And I'm loving every step I take
With the sun beating down yes
I'm on my way
And I can't keep this smile off my face!”
Also, she only sang in the morning, while she combed Nezuko's hair.
Suddenly starting to sing was new.
But not unwelcome.
“'Cause there's nothing like seeing
each other again
No matter what the distance between
And the stories that we tell
will make you smile
Oh, it really lifts my heart!”
All the boys, even Inosuke, loved her singing.
Yua had an amazing voice.
“So tell 'em all I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
And to sleep under the stars
Who could ask for more
With the moon keeping watch over me!”
As Yua finished singing, the group looked at her in confusion.
She shrugged and said, "It’s a good song while you walk. Your squabbling didn’t really help us."
"Well, THAT was useless.”, snorted Inosuke “We still don't know what that old hag meant."
The midnight blue-haired girl just rolled her eyes.
She had hoped singing her wandering song would also stop this stupid discussion.
Inosuke was trough and trough boar-headed.
"Look, Hashibira, it means that we should be proud of who we are and what we do. We should behave properly and not bring shame to ourselves or our comrades. And Hisa prayed for us because she cares about us and wants us to come back safely."
Zenitsu nodded in agreement, "Exactly! And we should appreciate her kindness and good wishes."
Inosuke grumbled but seemed to understand a little better now. Or maybe they all hoped it.
Tanjiro smiled at his friends and said, "Let's go then! Mt. Natagumo is waiting for us!"
And with that, the group set off on their next mission with determination and pride in their hearts.
***
In the evening Yua, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke finally arrived at the base of Mt. Natagumo.
The Aura-sensing girl hissed as she felt the vibes of the places.
Yes, demons alright.
And pretty strong ones too.
“Hold up! Would you mind waiting a second?”, screeched Zenitsu from the back of the group.
“Zenitsu? What’s wrong?”, ask Tanjiro worried.
“I’m scared, all right?! Now that we’re nearing our destination, I’m so scared!”
“Here we go again...”, mumbled Yua.
This was the Demon Mansion all over again.
“Why the hell is he sitting?”, pointed Inosuke on the ground cowering Zenitsu. “How creepy is that?”
“Who are you to talk, Pig Face?! Don’t tell me you’re not getting any vibes from that mountain!”
Okay, that was surprising.
“You feel it also Agatsuma? The Aura of this place is full of malice and I bet we will find some strong Demons there.”
Tanjiro and Inosuke turn to the mountain but it’s clear that they sense nothing.
“Still, what good will it do to just sit there?”, wondered Tanjiro.
Yua fixes one of her pigtails.
“That place may be full of malice aura, but I’m not afraid like Agatsuma. We should get going, guys.”
“I told you, he’s creepy.”, reminds Inosuke them.
“I am not in any way creepy! I’m normal! I’m the normal one! You guys are abnormal! Erm...I mean Yua-Senpai is special, not creepy at all she is just erm...”
“Agatsuma nothing you ever will say will get you into my pants.”, deadpans Yua with her hands on her hips.
Suddenly Tanjiro becomes all rigged and turns to the direction of the mountain. His companions look at him confused.
Zenitsu ask him what's wrong and Tanjiro's answer is that there is a smell.
This makes Yua reach out with her Aura Sensing, in the six weeks with the boys and Nezuko she learned, how good Tanjiro could smell and how fine Zenitsu's hearing was.
This means if Tanjiro smells something it must be important.
And she is right with her guess as she feels an Aura full of pain crashing against her senses.
It’s human!
“Follow me, boys!”, she commands and runs towards the direction of the painful Aura.
Tanjiro and Inosuke are right behind her and after a few seconds, Zenitsu joins them.
When they get closer to the mountain, they see a wounded Demon Slayer.
“Ngh… Ugh…Ah… H-Help me.”, cries the wounded boy.
“He’s got our uniform on. He’s a Demon Slayer!”, shouts Tanjiro. “Something must’ve happened!”
Yua can’t help but sass back. “Really? What tipped you off, that he is a bloody mess?”
Nonetheless, Yua, Tanjiro and Inosuke run up to their Demon Slayer comrade, while Zenitsu begs them to wait for him.
Tanjiro is the first by the boy and asks him if he is okay. Again Yua wants to point out what a stupid question this is when suddenly the wounded Demon Slayer rises in the air by fine strings. He shouts for help, but sadly he gets pulled back into the direction of the dense forest of the mountain.
The Hinoto gets a determined look on her face.
“Guys, let’s go!”
“Of course, Yua-Senpai.”, agrees Tanjiro.
“I’ll go on ahead. You can follow me, shivering.”, tells Inosuke. “This is making me hungry.”
Yua snorts.
“Strange time to get hungry, but let’s get moving guys. You listen to my word, since I’m the highest rank here, alright.”
Both boys agree, even if Inosuke grumbles.
The three run into the forest, leaving a scarred and crying Zenitsu behind.
They run up a trail when Inosuke suddenly stops.
“Huh? What the hell is this?”
Tanjiro and Yua stop to see what is with Inosuke.
That’s really strange.
“A spider web?”, wonders Tanjiro for them aloud.
“Jeez, this place is full of spiderwebs! What a pain!”
Again Yua lets her Aura Sensing sweep around to get what is going on, while Tanjiro thanks both her and Inosuke for being here with him since alone he would be afraid.
The girl waves it just away as she pit-points two auras before them.
Two familiar aura.
One is a welcome sight the other not.
“Murata-San, Katsumi.”, she greeted the two scarred Demon Slayers. “What is the situation?”
Murata, the black-haired male, seemed happy to see her, while Katsumi Tomita, the brown-haired one, looked like someone had killed his cat.
“Yua-Senpai! I’m so glad to see you. At least a Minoto! Tell me do you have a Hashira with you?!”, babbled Murata, tears streaming from his eyes.
She couldn’t even answer, before Katsumi hissed: “You want to lay your hope on the Moonlight Beauty, Murata? She and her whole family are cursed! We are totally fucked!”
Lovely, still the nicknaming asshole Yua had the displeasure of ever meeting. She could have gone her whole life without seeing the brown-haired young man ever again.
She grounded her teeth together and tried to talk herself out of it to just kick Katsumi's ass.
“You know Yua-Senpai?”, asked Tanjiro, joining them with Inosuke.
“I have met and killed with Murata-San a few Demons.”, revealed Yua. “Katsumi and I just know each other from one occasion.”
Katsumi scoffed.
“That one occasion was enough. You, Mochizuki’s, only bring bad luck and death with you!”
The midnight blue-haired girl takes a deep breath and tries to remain calm despite Katsumi's insults. She knows that getting angry won't solve anything, and they need to focus on the situation at hand.
"Murata, tell us what happened," she says, turning her attention to the tearful Demon Slayer.
Murata sniffles and wipes his eyes before speaking. "Th-The crow gave us the order! And ten of us Demon Slayers came here. Not long after we entered the mountain, the Slayers…the Slayers started killing each other! Tomita-San and I barely escaped with our lives.”
Yua nods, understanding the gravity of the situation. Behind the killing under the Demon Slayers was surely a Blood Demon Art responsible. What kind of Demon could take nearly over a full group of Slayers was the question?
They needed to go on with caution.
“Who is with you, Moonlight Beauty?”, spat Katsumi, eyeing Tanjiro and Inosuke. “A boy barely weened from his mother and a boy hiding behind a mask?”
Tanjiro and Inosuke both didn’t like how this Katsumi called their Yua-Senpai by the nickname she hated so much. She seemed ready to murder the brown-haired man. Normally she was calm and collected.
There was history between them, so much was clear.
“I’m Kamada Tanjiro and he is Hashibira Inosuke, rank Mizunoto.”, answered Tanjiro for them.
He didn’t like this hostile attitude towards Yua-Senpai. He hoped he could turn the attention like this to them and away from Yua.
It worked half since Murata yelled: “Mizunoto… Mizunoto?! Why didn’t they send a Hashira with Yua-Senpai?”
“I told you Murata!”, groaned Katsumi. “The Mochizuki bring only bad luck with them. It would have been too much for the Moonlight Beauty to have other Minoto with her or even a higher rank.”
“No matter how many Mizunoto they send, it won’t help! Even with a Minoto now. It’s pointless!”
“It was pointless from the start with the Moonlight Beauty!”
Suddenly Inosuke let out a loud yell and punched Murata and Katsumi in the face.
Yua felt a sick satisfaction seeing Katsumi getting punched, she was only sorry for Murata.
“Inosuke!!”, scolded Tanjiro.
Violence against their brother-in-arms was surely not it, even if a tiny part of him thought Katsumi deserved a punch in the face for being so rude to Yua.
“Shut up!”, hollerd Inosuke. “As far as pointless goes, your existence itself has no point at all!”
“Who the hell is this guy?! Did you forget that Tomita-San and I have seniority?!”
“Of course, the Moonlight Beauty would travel with freaks?!”
“What is your problem with Yua-Senpai!”, now Tanjiro was nearly yelling. “You keep calling her by the nickname she hates and say her whole family is cursed. Why?!”
“Kamado, it’s fine. I don’t give a shit what Katsumi thinks of me or my family.”, tries Yua to calm him down.
Tanjiro's disbelieving look says it all. Of course, he must smell how she is ready to commit murder.
A little evil chuckle leaves Katsumi's lips.
“So you don’t know that the Mochizuki learned the Moon Breathing from a Demon? And not any Demon either. Michikatsu Tsugikuni was a Demon Slayer once and betrayed the whole corps. The first and only one who did this!”
Yua bit her lips and looked down at the ground. Sadly it was true.
“You can’t trust a family who won’t stop using the Breathing Style of a Demon. Their loyalty lies surely with the Demon who taught them!”
The Minoto takes a deep breath and looks up at Katsumi with a cold expression.
"My family's loyalty lies with the Demon Slayer Corps and protecting humanity from Demons," she says firmly. "We may have learned the Moon Breathing from someone who turned Demon, but we also learned how to kill them and protect innocent lives."
Tanjiro nods in agreement, understanding the weight of Yua's words. Inosuke just grunts, still angry at the insults towards his comrades.
"We need to focus on finding the Demon who uses the Blood Demon Art responsible for the killings," Yua continues, trying to steer the conversation back to the mission at hand. "We can't afford to let our personal feelings get in the way."
Murata wipes his tears and nods, grateful for Yua's leadership. Katsumi just rolls his eyes, not convinced by her words.
But he knows deep down that they need to work together if they want to survive this mission.
Suddenly they hear a strange sound. Murata tells the newcomers that it sounded also before the other Demon Slayers started to kill each other.
Immediate Yua sweeps with her Aura-Sensing the clearing they are in.
“They are coming!”, she tells the four boys, reading her Katana. The white blade seems to shimmer under the moonlight. “Get ready!”
A group of Demon Slayers hobbles toward them, ready to attack.
Murata and Katsumi dodged the attacks. The Demon Slayers attack Inosuke and Tanjirou, but they also dodge.
“Haha! These guys are all morons!”, laughs Inosuke. “They don’t know that it’s taboo for us Demon Slayers to fight each other!”
Swift and with grace Yua counters the sword strikes of the two Demon Slayers before her, upper-handing them, taking their Katana’s from them and throwing them far away into the forest.
“They don’t do it of their free will Hashibara.”, yells Yua, locked in a sword fight with a new Demon Slayer. “They are like marionettes, someone forces them to fight!”
“Yua-Senpai is right. Something controls them!”, agrees Tanjiro.
This only makes Inosuke take out his katana, ready to slice up the other Demon Slayers, only Tanjiro and Yua yelling at him that they can’t hurt their follow comareds since some of them are still alive, stop him.
“Do it like me. Upperhand them and throw the Katana far away!”, advised Yua, before she fully concretes on the opponent before her.
Tanjiro slices through the air above a Demon Slayer’s back, severing spider strings. The Demon Slayer falls to the ground motionless.
“Good eye, Kamado!”, praises Yua and cuts the strings on the Demon Slayer before her.
“They’re threads! They’re being manipulated by threads! Slash the threads!”, spells out Tanjiro for the rest of the group.
They continue to fight, cutting threads, till Yua Aura-Sensing tickles her.
She looks down at her arm to find two small spiders crawling over it.
“Spiders?”, she mumbles and then has enlightenment. “They are controlled by these spiders!”
As to prove her point her arms lift themselves from alone, thankful she can cut the threads again.
“Guys, we need to find the Demon fast. The spiders are so tiny and just put the threads we cut back on!”
“So, all we gotta do is kill those damn spiders, huh?”, wonder Inosuke.
It’s Tanjiro who answers him: “That would be impossible! Those spiders are tiny, and I’m sure there are tons of them! We gotta find the demon who’s controlling them!”
“My Aura-Sensing is at its limit I can’t find the Aura of the Demon.”, admins Yua frustrated.
She really needs to train it more! When they get out here alive, she will do so.
“Inosuke, if you have some kind of power that can pinpoint the demon’s location, then help me out!”, turns Tanjiro to him. “This weird smell has been flowing in, and my nose isn’t working great! Ngh… And also, um…”
“It’s Murata!”
“I’m Tomita!”
“Murata! Tomita! Yua-Senpai. We will find a way to deal with the people being controlled! Inosuke, you…”
Exactly at the same moment, Yua feels a terrible Aura. Shivering she looks up.
There on fine spider treads stands a Demon in the form of a young boy with white hair, red markings on his face and a simple white kimono.
“Don’t disturb my family’s peaceful life.”, tells the Demon boy in an eerie voice. “Mother will kill you all right away.”
Inosuke doesn’t seem to care and tries to reach him. It fails spectacularly.
“Damn you!”, curses the masked boy on his back. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?! Fight me! Fight…!”
The Demon boy just walks away.
“Inosuke!”
“Hashibira!”
“Why did he show up, anyway?”, ask Inosuke Tanjiro and Yua.
“That kid probably isn’t the demon pulling the puppet strings!”, tells Tanjiro.
“But we should be careful of the kid, it’s Aura is sicking!”, warns them Yua.
Tanjiro nods.
“Right, so first, let’s…”
“Okay, okay, okay! I hear you, all right?!”, shouts Inosuke. “You want me to find where that demon is at, right? Shut up already, Forehead!”
Inosuke sticks his swords into the ground, kneeling down and putting his arms up and sideways. Yua and Tanjiro protected him from the incoming Demon Slayer puppets.
“Ngh… Beast Breathing, Seventh Form, Special Awareness! Grrr…”
He takes a deep breath, feeling his way through the forest, finding the location of the Spider Demon Mother
“Found it. There you are!”
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
I want to thank you all that you didn’t give/gave a chance to my little FF!
Now I gave the Spider Family a big sister so Yua had someone to fight. I made her even with a base, so check my Deviantart!
Can some of you guys from whom I got the inspiration for Onee-Sama and the fight they both have?
Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 7: Onee-Sama
Her lungs felt like collapsing.
The Katana in her hand weighed so much.
She shivered all over her body.
But Yua couldn’t give up.
She swiped with her Aura-Sensing again the clearing she was in.
There!
On her left!
Total Concentration! Moon-Breathing! Second Form: Moongazing Pearl Blossom!
Yua performs three crescent-shaped slashes which deflect the incoming spider thread arrows of her opponent.
“Fu, fu, fu.”, laughed the spider demon, from his hidey-hole. “Little girl, aren’t you tired already? How long can you deflect my attacks?”
The midnight blue-haired beauty gulps but doesn’t back down.
“As long as I can!”, she spats back.
I have to give Tanjiro and Inosuke enough time to reach the demon who controls the other Demon Slayers!
***
A few minutes ago, Yua was racing with Tanjiro and Inosuke through the forest.
Well, she and Tanjiro had to drag Inosuke with them.
After the maks-wearing boy had pinpointed the location of the Spider Demon, who used the other Demon Slayer as puppets, they didn’t know how to reach it.
Thankful Murata and Katsumi had told them to go on and that the two would handle the controlled Demon Slayer. They now knew to cut the threads and be careful of the little spiders.
It happened that Inosuke insulate them telling them that they had pissed their pants before, to which Murata rebuked him was a stupid boar.
Inosuke was ready to kick his ass, thankful she and Tanjiro had gripped him and run forth with him.
Huffing annoyed the boar-headed boy told them: “Dammit! I’m gonna punch that guy if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Stop talking like that!”, told him Tanjiro.
“He called me “a stupid boar”, okay, Monjirou!”
“It’s “Tanjiro”!”
“How can you mess up names so much?!”, adds Yua huffing.
“What’ya mean Yue?”
“THAT right here!? Do I look like I have white hair and blue eyes?”
“Anyway!”, intervented Tanjiro. “We’re heading the right way, right?”
“My senses never lie!”
Like lighting stroke her, Yua Aura-Sensing acted up.
“GET DOWN!”, she screamed and tackled both boys to the ground.
“Yua-Senpai?!”
“What’s your problem, woman!”
However, both boys were speechless when they saw three big white arrows impaled in the ground where they had stood before their Senpai had tackled them.
“W-What?!”, mubled Tanjiro.
He hadn’t even smelled them, so fast were they.
Thankful Yua must have sensed them with her ability.
“Ara, Ara, what do we have here?”, said a feminine voice mockingly. “A handsome boy, a beautiful girl and a ripped half-boar man? You are quite interesting. I wonder if you taste as good as you look.”
The three Demon Slayers stood up and sheathed their Katanas.
“Inosuke is this the Demon?”, wondered Tanjiro aloud.
It was Yua who answered him. “No, this is a different one. The other demon was so far away that my Aura-Sensing didn’t reach it. Also, the arrows have a different Aura hefting on them than the threads that control the Demon Slayers.”
An eerie giggle was heard.
“Fu, fu, fu, beautiful and smart. You will taste good girl. I won’t let you near my mother.”
So the mother of the spider demons controlled the Demon Slayers. At least this was good to know.
Again Yua Aura-Sensing acted up.
“Guys get ready!”, she took a deep breath. “Total Concentration! Moon Breathing! Seventh Form: Mirror of Fortune, Moonshine!”
The barrage of arrows, which was flying towards the three friends, gets stopped by Yua's technique. She performs a frontal crescent-shaped slash that unleashes straight and curved slashes that expand outward, hitting all arrows.
“Tzz!”, grumbles the spider demon.
Tanjiro and Inosuke are in awe.
They never saw Moon-Breathing in action.
It was really as powerful and beautiful as their Senpai told them.
“Kamada, Hashibira!”, turns Yua to them. “You two go along. I will take care of this demon. You need to get to the Spider Mother, it doesn’t make sense if we all stay here.”
“But Yua-Senpai.”, mumbles Tanjiro worried.
Yes, their Senpai and her Breathing Style were on a whole different level than theirs, but could they really leave her behind?
Yua gives them a confident smirk, which makes Tanjiro feel all the flattery in his stomach, even Inosuke feels strangely shyly seeing it.
It was...hot.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m not a Hinoto for nothing. I can take care of myself. Now go!”
Tanjiro thanks her and he and Inosuke start running.
This makes the Spider Child (?) scream in outrage: “You aren’t going to touch my mother!”
She sends arrows after the boys, but Yua is already there.
“Total Concentration! Moon-Breathing! Eighth Form: Moon Dragon’s Tail!”
Swift Yua performs a massive long-ranged curved slash that leaves dozens of crescent moon blades along its path. The moon blades hit all arrows and Tanjiro and Inosuke are safe to go on.
“You are going on my nerves, girl!”, hisses the Spider Demon.
“And I just got started.”, sasses Yua back.
***
This was like a half hour ago and Yua felt how she got weaker with any attack.
It was just her luck that she couldn’t pinpoint where her adversary was hiding because she didn’t give her enough time to do a good sweep of the clearing.
She needed to try while she got attacked to sense the Demon.
This was the only way!
As the spider demon sent new arrows at her Yua performed Moon-Breathing Fifth Form: Ghost of the Moon, Advantageous Swirl! It creates multiple long and curved slashes layered over one another, essentially creating a vortex of crescent moon blades.
Hopefully, this would give her enough time to sense where the demon was hiding.
The midnight blue-haired girl reached with her Aura-Sensing to the borders of her ability and finally, she found the demon.
It was hiding up a tree, not far from her.
Determined Yua ran up to it, deflecting the arrows that were sent towards her, and with a scream she cut the tree down.
This made the Spider Demon jump out of it.
It stood now before her, pissed off.
Like Yua had guessed, it was a young woman, with white skin and red circles markings on her face. Her Kimono was white with some red accents and a green Obi. She wore normal wood sandals and her curly white hair had a green orb-like hair comb to the side.
In her hands, the demon holds a bow and arrows.
“You are a pest!”, hissed the Spider Demon Girl. “I will feast on you!”
“Come at me then, bitch!”, Yua growled back.
With a scream, the Demon ready her bow to shoot her.
Yua quickly dodged the arrow and charged towards the Spider Demon Girl. She swung her sword with precision, but the demon was quick to dodge and counterattack.
The Mochizuki felt herself getting weaker with each hit, yet she refused to give up. She needed to end this quickly before she lost all her strength.
The two continued to exchange blows, neither one gaining an advantage over the other.
“I have to hit her with my strongest technique or I will be spider lunch!”, thought Yua desperate.
Uncle Noritaka had taught her before he left the family their family ultimate technique. It was of his own creation and had secured him a place at becoming a Hashira, even if in the end he had refused.
However, Yua was scared to use it.
It took an enormous toll on the body.
Muscles and bones could break if you didn’t do it precisely.
She only ever used it on practice wood dolls, never on a Demon.
Could she even do it?
Does she even have a choice?
No.
So she gathered all her strength for one final and hopeful devastating attack.
Yua closed her eyes and focused on the technique. She could feel her body trembling with anticipation and fear.
With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and charged towards the Spider Demon Girl. As she swung her sword, she shouted, "Moon-Breathing, Forbidden Techinic! Executing Moonlight Paradise!"
A loud boom echoed through the clearing as Yua's sword struck the ground in a crescent shape, sending shockwaves through the ground and air.
The Spider Demon Girl was flung screaming to the air, where Yua followed her and started to cut her over and over in crescent forms all over her body. It was so fast that it seemed that the Spider Demon Girl was cute by moonlight, thanks that Yua's sword was white.
She fell to the ground, a mess of ripped-open meat.
You couldn’t even recognize the Spider Demon Girl anymore.
Yua was covered in a white shimmering aura, making her look like moonlight herself.
With a last deep breath, she jumped high up and attacked the neck of the demon.
She cut her head, or what had remained of it, off.
The Spider Demon Girl let out a blood-curdling scream as she disintegrated into ash.
The Demon Slayer stood there for a moment, panting heavily from exhaustion.
She had done it.
She had defeated a demon all on her own using the Moon-Breathing ultimate technique.
As she walked away from the clearing, Yua couldn't help but feel proud of herself for what she had accomplished. She knew that Uncle Noritaka would be proud of her too if he were here to see it.
It was then that all forces left her and she fell face down to the forest ground.
Welcoming darkness embraced her.
***
Yua didn’t know how long she was out, but she awoke abruptly as someone slapped her face.
“Hello dear cousin, long time no see.”, greeted Sayako, her younger cousin, Yua.
She was dressed in her Kakushi uniform.
So that means...
“Huh, we won. Didn’t we?”, she asked Sayako.
Sayako huffed and petted her hair.
“Of course, you care more if the mission was complete than greeting me after so long.”
“Hello Sayako, you are still a pain in my ass.”
“Much better.”, hummed Sayako. Careful she picked Yua up and placed her on her back, giving her a piggyback ride. “Well, you sure made interesting friends, I must say. You and they keep holding off the Demons till the honourable Hashira’s Kocho-Sama and Tomioka-Sama could come.”
“Are the guys okay?”, Yua asked worried.
“Well, as well you can be facing a Lower Moon.”
“A Lower Moon was here?!”
“He made all this Spider Demon. Wanted to make a family if I understood right, but your friends are wounded but okay. You will join them at the Butterfly Mansion for cures.”
A little yawn escaped Yua and she snuggled herself closer to Sayako.
“That sounds good. I used Uncle Noritaka's forbidden technique, I think some of my muscles took damage.”
Impressed Sayako let out a whistel.
“Wow, YuYu, you didn’t break a bone. You are really something!”
“Yeah and now I gonna faint again.”
She only heard Sayako's amused laughter before she fainted again.
Yua was sure she earned herself some rest.
***
Moon-Breathing! Second Form: Moongazing Pearl Blossom! Is Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing.
Moon-Breathing Fifth Form: Ghost of the Moon, Advantageous Swirl! Is Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy
Moon Breathing! Seventh Form: Mirror of Fortune, Moonshine! Is Seventh Form: Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit
Moon-Breathing! Eighth Form: Moon Dragon’s Tail! Is Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail
Moon-Breathing, Forbidden Techinic! Executing Moonlight Paradise! Is my own invention. ^^
I know it’s a short chapter but I didn’t want to drag it on.
In the next chapter, we will stay at the Butterfly Mansion, and rehabilitation training and bonds will get deeper.
Can’t wait for it.
Until next time!
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Chapter 8: The Butterfly Mansion
The young woman didn’t know how long she slept.
She just knew it was still not enough as she woke up.
With a loud yawn, Yua stretched herself and blinked into the sunlight that streamed into the Butterfly Mansion Patient Room.
She knows the room well.
Wasn’t the first time that she was here for cures after a heavy battle with a demon.
You never quite forget the smell of the flowers and antiseptic in the air.
“Uurgh, what time and day is it?”, she asked into the room.
She hoped that Aoi-San was in the room or the least one of the little girls.
Luck was not on her side since a well-known and shrill voice shouted: “Yua-Senpai, you are awake!”
“Agatsuma...”, she growled, turning to him, a vein popping up on her forehead. “I just woke up, I’m cranky and ready to commit murder, I don’t need your shrill voice! Keep it down.”
A little shriek escaped Zenitsu, till he noted what he did and clapped his tiny arms over his mouth.
Huh...?
“What the heck happened to you?”, she asked astonished. “What’s up with your arms?”
The blond-haired boy started to cry softly.
And with a lot of snoot.
Urgh.
“It was terrible Yua-Senpai. I followed your guys up the mountain to protect Nezuko-Chan and one of these Spider Creeps injected me with venom! I nearly turned into a spider myself! That’s why my arms and legs are shrunk! With my breathing style, I could stop the transforming process long enough till Shinobu-Sama could give me an antidote. But I need to drink disgusting medicine till I’m back to my old self again.”, he told her all teary and winy his woe.
Yua just deadpanned.
“Woman-up, Agatsuma! Be glad you are still alive.”
He didn’t woman-up and whined into his pillow.
That’s when Yua saw Inosuke in the bed next to Zenitsu. The wild boy Aura was all gloomy.
Okay, now that was terrifying.
“Do I wanna know what happened to Hashibira?”
“I heard he lost his voice or something.”, answered Zenitsu anyway. “I don’t have all the details, but I heard he, like, got hit in the neck, and when he yelled at the top of his lungs at the end, that finished it off, and that did a number on his throat. He’s depressed now, so it’s made him gentle, and it really cracks me up! Hehehehe… Hehehehe!”
“Stop it with the creepy laugh or I will suffocate you.”, promised the midnight blue-haired girl.
Immediately the blond stopped to laugh.
He could smell how murders Yua was feeling. Better not to go on her nerves.
“Where are Kamado and Nezuko?”, she asked.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me. I’m worried.”, admitted Zenitsu.
With a sign, Yua got again comfortable in her bed.
“Then we can only wait and pray.”
***
Somehow Yua managed to fall asleep again.
The Spider Demon did really a number of her if she still was so sleepy and feeling weak.
When she woke up again, Yua felt a bit better.
She sat up and looked around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings.
It was quiet except for the sound of Zenitsu's soft snores. She glanced over at him and saw that he was asleep, his arms and legs still shrunk from the venom.
Inosuke was laying in his bed still as a statue, his Aura gloomy.
That didn’t fit him at all, but Yua didn’t know how to raise his spirits.
She wasn’t good at this kind of thing.
Yua sighed and leaned back against her pillows, wondering how long they would have to stay here before they were fully healed.
She missed being out in the field, fighting demons, rising in Ranks and finally becoming a Hashira. However, she knew that she needed time to recover after her latest battle.
It was just awesome.
After six weeks spent in the Wisteria Mansion, now she was in the Butterfly Mansion and who knew how long this time it would take to heal?
Her grandfather would give it to her, if she returned home and wasn’t at least a Kinoe, for all this wasted time in his eyes.
She flexed her arms, saying the secret password and watched the Kanji appear on her skin.
Kinoto.
She raised two Ranks.
Normally she would be proud, however, she could only think that if she raised one more Rank she would have been a Kinoe.
So close and yet so far.
How long would it take before she became one?
How long till they would offer her the position of a Hashira?
The midnight blue-haired beauty missed her family, besides her grandfather, and she didn’t want to stay away longer from home.
Yet it seemed she had to.
She would not face her grandfather like that.
Never.
As she lay there, she directed her thoughts away from this and to Nezuko and Tanjiro.
She hoped they were safe wherever they were, and that they would be able to join them soon.
Yua closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for their well-being to Tsukuyomi.
After a few minutes of restful silence, Yua heard a knock on the door.
She opened her eyes and called out, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Aoi." came the reply.
A little smile formed on the midnight blue-haired young woman.
“Long time not seen, Aoi-San," she greeted her.
Aoi entered the room with a tray of food.
"Indeed, Yua-San. Good morning," she replied with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"A little better," Yua admitted as she set down the tray on her lap. “So tell me, how bad of shape I am?”
“You have significant muscle strains all over your body, your cousin Sayako said you used the forbidden technique of the Moon-Breathing?”
She just nodded.
“It did a number one you, but Sayako-San said you could have broken bones too. Anyway, you need to rest, we bandaged both your arms and one leg, there were the strains the heaviest. The compression should help the swelling. Also, you need to put ice on the muscle strains. It should take more than a few weeks till you are good again. We will see.”, explained Aoi her.
Yua didn’t realize that Aoi had the ice packs in her hands.
“Eat and then put this on your arms and leg.”
“I will, thank you, Aoi-San.”
The girl with the pigtails nodded before turning to leave the room. "If you need anything else, just let me know."
Yua thanked her before digging into her breakfast.
After finishing her meal she put the ice packs where Aoi had said she should.
She noted how the area started to feel better.
Yua sat back against her pillows. It was somehow good to have some normalcy in her life again, even if it was just breakfast in bed.
She wondered what the rest of the day would bring.
A yawn left her mouth.
Well, she still was tired.
No problem to take a nap again.
And she did so.
***
Zenitsu's creepy laughter awoke Yua suddenly from her nice dream of her beloved late mother.
Angry she gripped her pillow and threw it in his face!
That shut him up!
“AGATSUMA, STOP IT WITH THE LAUGH!”, she screamed.
“Yua-Senpai!”, called her Tanjiro voice.
Surprised Yua rubbed her eyes to fully wake up.
There really was Tanjiro, kneeling beside Zenitsu's bed, a Kakushi was also there, but that wasn’t important.
“Kamado-San!”, called Yua back a bit too happily even for her taste.
She long ago decided that it would be bad to fall in love with Tanjiro, so why did she feel and sound so happy seeing him?
This feeling needed to die.
So she cleared her throat.
“I mean, Kamado, good to see. I assume Nezuko is alright too?”
Pointedly she ignored the looks of the two boys and no she didn’t think that a confused Tanjiro was cute!
Perish that thought!
Thankful Inosuke directed the attention to himself as he said in his crooked voice that they should forgive him for being weak.
“Hang in there, Inosuke!”, encourages Tanjiro. “It’s not like you to get depressed!”
“Come on, you did good! You’re awesome!”, added Zenitsu.
“Your Aura is creeping me out, that’s not like you Hashibira.”, tried Yua her luck to cheer him up.
It showed how bad she was at this since Tanjiro and Zenitsu (Even the Kakushi!) gave her WTF-Looks. The young woman may shrunk a bit into her bed.
“What?”, she crooked out. “It’s the truth...”
“Anyway...”, said Tanjiro into the awkward silence and turned back to Inosuke. “I’m just so happy that you’re alive!”
All of a sudden Zenitsu screamed about whether he took his medicine, if someone had seen him taking it.
A vein popped up on Yua's forehead.
“You took it before I fell asleep the first time. Can I have my pillow back, please?”
Tanjiro was so nice to throw it back to her and the girl didn’t waste time to put it over her head to block out the noises.
Could she get a single room?
Please?
***
She had fallen asleep again because the next thing she knew was that she needed to breathe. Slowly she put the pillow away and looked around the room.
It was sunset, and beautiful red and orange light falling into the patient's room.
Zenitsu was snoring away and even Inosuke seemed to sleep.
Only Tanjiro was missing.
Like her thought made him appear, the red-haired boy entered the room.
“Ah Yua-Senpai, you are awake.”, he greeted her as he made his way over to his bed.
“Kamado, from where you you coming from?”, she asked a bit curious.
“They were so nice to give Nezuko her own room. All dark so we don’t have to worry sunlight will hurt her.”, he explained, crawling into his bed.
Yua nodded.
It was probably for the best that the Demon Girl had her own room.
Yua closed her eyes and settled back into her pillows.
She felt a sense of relief knowing that Nezuko was safe and being taken care of.
It was good to see Tanjiro again too, even though she tried to hide her happiness at his presence.
She couldn't let herself get too attached or distracted from her goal of becoming a Kinoe and then a Hashira.
As she lay there, Yua couldn't help but think about the future and what it held for her.
She knew that there would be more battles and challenges ahead, but she was ready for them. She had worked hard to get where she was, and she wasn't going to give up now.
With a deep breath, Yua opened her eyes and looked around the room once more.
She saw Zenitsu snoring away, Inosuke still as a statue, and Tanjiro settling in for the night.
It was strange...even if she didn’t want to get too attached to people, these three and Nezuko had somehow wormed their way into her heart.
Sure most of the time she wanted to hit them for their stupidity, but...it was nice being with familiar people in the patient room.
This happens if you spend six weeks with the same people, she supposed.
Yua knew that it would take time for her body to fully recover from the Spider Demon's attack, yet she was determined to come out stronger on the other side.
And when that day came, she would continue on her path towards becoming a Hashira.
“Yua-Senpai.”, called then Tanjiro out for her. “You have fallen asleep before I could ask, but how are you feeling? How did the fight with the Spider Demon go?”
She turned to face Tanjiro.
"It was tough, but I managed to defeat the Spider Demon with the help of my strongest Moon-Breathing technique. However, it did a number on me." The young woman gestured towards her bandaged arms and leg. "But I'll recover soon enough."
Tanjiro nodded in understanding before settling back into his bed.
“I’m glad, me and Inosuke were worried when we left you alone to face her.”
“All is good Kamado, don’t worry so much. You will get grey hairs this way.”
This made Tanjiro laugh, till he held his ribs with a pained expression.
“I have a feeling your fight was a whole other number.”, guessed Yua.
And it was.
The red-haired boy told her, how he managed to kill the Spider Mother, but had to leave Inosuke behind in the arms of the Spider Father. Then it turned out that the Spider boy they had seen, was one of the Demon King Lower Moons.
Only with Nezuko's help and a new Breathing Style Tanjiro managed to keep fighting till the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyuu took care of the Lower Moon.
With only one technique.
That was impressive.
However, Yua was more fixed on the new Breathing Style that Tanjiro had suddenly used.
“The Hinokami Kagura Dance?”, she repeated surprised. “And it’s dedicated to the fire god? Huh...”
Cutely Tanjiro titled his head and now Yua didn’t want to pet his hair.
No!
Forget it!
He was not cute at all!
“Do you have heard of this Yua-Senpai?”, asked Tanjiro curious.
The young woman got comfortable in her bed, crossing her arms. It hurt a bit, but she could manage.
“My family has something familiar. It’s a dance called Jihibukai Tsukigami No Mai (Dance of the benevolent moon god). All children have to learn it.”, she starts to explain. “It mimics Moon Breathing. If you learn the dance without problems it means you are fit enough to learn Moon-Breathing.”
“Huh, what a coincidence.”, mubled Tanjiro.
“Kamado, I don’t think that it’s a coincidence.”
“What you mean Yua-Senpai?”
“A dance that turns into a powerful Breathing Style? And you are really sure your family was only coal makers? This sounds more like an ancestor of yours wanted to hide his Breathing Style in the dance.”
Tanjiro frowned and scratched his head.
“No, I’m pretty sure we were only coal makers, but I agree it’s strange at that Dance turned into a Breathing Style and then your family has something familiar for their breathing style...”
“Hey, don’t try to crack it now.”, advises Yua. “It mimics Flame-Breathing from what you told me, if I’m not mistaken one of the Hashira uses it. You should talk with Shinobu-Sama about it. Maybe she knows more about this.”
Now Tanjiro was smiling brightly, which did not make Yua blush. However cute and handsome Tanjiro looked.
No.
She probably had a little fever not more!
“When we are better, we can visit my home.”, offered Yua, stroking her hair to distract herself from Tanjiro's damn handsome face. “The Mochizuki Mansion isn’t far away from the Butterfly Mansion, but it will take us at least half a day. We need to get better first. Maybe we have something in our archive about the Hinokami Kagura Dance.”
“Really Yua-Senpai you want to help me?”
Oh no, was he going to start to cry from thankfulness?
Yua’s heart wouldn’t take this!
“Now, no tears, even thankful one!”, she admonished. “I’m not doing this out of the good of my heart or some sappy shit, I’m curious myself what’s up with this dance.”
This made Tanjiro only laugh quietly and send her a soft smile.
Okay, maybe she did blush now and felt shy.
Why did Tanjiro need to be so handsome and have a beautiful soul and heart?!
“You act all tough and rough, but I can smell how kindhearted you really are Yua-Senpai.”, told Tanjiro, pointing at his nose. “Don’t hide behind your anger, we are friends you can be yourself around me.”
“Be me?”, she repeated confused.
The midnight blue-haired beauty had to admit she didn’t know who she really was.
She was what people wanted her to be.
And when she didn’t get what they wanted, she reacted with anger, sarcasm and homicidal tendencies.
Probably not sane, if one thinks about it.
Eager Tanjiro nodded.
“I can see and smell that you are confused but...we are friends. I will help you to find out who Mochizuki Yua really is like you will help me with the Hinokami Kagura Dance.”
This made her snort.
“Seems like you got the worst deal. I’m a handful.”
“Not for me...not when it’s you.”
Did...did she hear right?!
Shocked she looked up his face.
Was she imagining things or was Tanjiro blushing?
He was playing shyly with his blanket at least.
In turn, this made her feel all mushy and clammy inside. Yua had never felt like this.
So she fell into her default behaviour.
Avoid, ignore and get pissed.
“Enough with the mushy stuff, Kamado.”, she hissed and let herself fall on her bed. She closed her eyes, so she couldn’t see him and his Aura. “Let’s just sleep. I’m tired.”
It was still for a few seconds till Tanjiro quietly agreed and she heard how he lay himself on his bed.
The older girl let out a breath and ignored the burning in her eyes.
Becoming a Hashira, and bringing her family honour was all that mattered, she repeated to herself.
Then why did feel these words like bitter medicine in her body?
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
I made two drawings with bases for this chapter so check out my DeviantArt.
Chapter 9: Rehabilitation
“I swerve Nezuko, if it wasn’t for you brother, I would have suffocate Agatsuma in his sleep.”, complained Yua to the demon girl.
They were in Nezuko's dark room in the Butterfly Mansion, sitting on the bed and like any day, since the Wisteria Mansion, the older girl combed the younger ones' hair.
Normally Yua would sing and Nezuko humm along, but today the Mochizuki needed to complain.
They were now a week in the Mansion, getting cures and rest from their fights at Mt. Natagumo.
Only Yua was ready to commit murder.
Zenitsu hated to take his medicine and any day (Any Day!) he whined about it like a little pussy.
That’s why Yua had decided when it was time for their medication to take refuge in Nezuko's room.
One of the little girls would come to pick her up when it was her turn for the medication, so she enjoyed the tranquillity of Nezuko's room.
Nezuko cooed and patted her head.
Yua sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the wall.
"I just can't take it anymore," she muttered. "Zenitsu's constant whining is driving me insane."
The Demon Girl continued her head pats, offering silent support.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself down Yua continued: "I know he's scared and in pain, but so are we all. He needs to woman-up and deal with it like the rest of us!"
Nezuko nodded in agreement, understanding the frustration that Yua was feeling.
They both knew that they had to stay strong for each other, yet it was becoming increasingly difficult with Zenitsu's constant complaints.
Yua closed her eyes and took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
She knew that she couldn't let her anger get the best of her, especially if she wanted one day to be a respected Hashira.
Hashira stayed calm in all situations.
Sadly Yua had anger issues and she knows this.
Just...she was constantly pissed at anything!
It didn’t help having a whiny crybaby around you when you were like this.
Yua knew she needed to work on her patience and anger management, however it was difficult when Zenitsu was constantly pushing her buttons.
She couldn't wait until they were all healed and back to their Demon Slayer duties, away from the confines of the Butterfly Mansion.
But for now, she would continue to seek solace in Nezuko's room and try her best to keep her frustrations in check.
Nezuko continued to pat Yua's head, offering comfort without words.
Together, they would get through this trying time and come out stronger on the other side.
Hopefully.
Or Yua would suffocate Zenitsu really and Tanjiro wouldn’t stop her!
One way to end her Demon Slayer career and mayor disappointing her grandfather.
This would top Uncle Noritaka’s vanishment from one day to another surely!
At least she would never have to see grandfather’s face again. She would only miss her father and the rest of her family.
And Nezuko.
And, alright, Tanjiro.
Even Inosuke.
Oh well.
There was a knock on the door, so Yua called the person in.
It was a little girl, wearing a white dress, with a orange sash, black eyes and black hair in a ponytail with an orange butterfly clip.
This was little Tanaka Ema, one of the four little girls who lived in the Butterfly Mansion and worked as assistants.
“Hello Ema-Chan, time for my medicine?”, greeted her Yua, while Nezuko waved at the girl.
Ema had a glass in one hand and with the other waved back at Nezuko.
“You got it Yua-Nee.”, she handed it over and Yua took her medication without hesitation. “Yua-Nee, Shinobu-Sama is in your room with the boys. She wants to talk to you and them.”
“Alright, thanks for telling me, Ema-Chan.”
With a sign, Yua stood up from the bed and gave Nezuko as goodbye a forehead kiss. This made the demon girl purr happily.
Taking Ema's little hand, they walked together to the patient room.
As the little girl had said, there was the Insect Hashira in the room.
Did Yua want to know why Zenitsu hid behind Tanjiro?
No probably not.
“Kocho-Sama.”, Yua called out and made a bow. “Ema-Chan said you wanted to talk to us.”
Shinobu turned with a smile to her. “Ah good, Yua-Chan. I already asked Tanjiro-Kun and Inosuke-Kun. Do you think you are ready for rehabilitation training?”
Fucking finally!
Yua bowed again.
“Of course, Kocho-Sama. I can’t wait for it.”
***
Two weeks later!
“Yua-Senpai, Tanjiro and Inosuke were taken away by the Hashira, Lady Kochou, and started something called “Rehabilitation Training”., thought Zenitsu aloud with Chuntaro, his sparrow, sitting on his head in the patient room, waiting for his friends came back from it. “Lady Shinobu’s voice is totally unique. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like it. It lacks regularity, and it scares me a little. But when she was treating the people who got turned into spiders, she sure seemed like a goddess. No wonder everyone ran to Lady Shinobu in tears. Not only that, but she’s unbelievably cute! I bet she could make a living on her looks alone. So, this cute lady has taken Yua-Senpai Tanjiro and Inosuke to Rehabilitation Training to rebuild their stamina. And any minute now…”
The door of the patient's room opens.
First steps in Yua who has her hair in two buns and looks really tired, but in contrast to the half-death Tanjiro and Inosuke, you could call her energetic and lively.
“...they’ll be back in this kind of state.”
“Welcome back, Yua-Senpai, Tanjiro, Inosuke!”, greets them Zenitsu.
The only girl gives him a thumbs up before she falls on her bed and falls asleep the second her head hits the pillow.
Her loud unladylike snores accompanied the hobbling to their beds Tanjiro and Inosuke.
“How did it go today?”, asked Zenitsu as the two other boys climbed into their beds. “What happened? What’s the matter? Hey…”
“Sorry.”, crooked Tanjiro out.
“Don’t mind us.”, groans Inosuke.
“You gotta tell me about it! I’ll be joining you a little late starting tomorrow!”, screamed Zenitsu nearly pissing his bed.
As an answer, Yua just snored louder.
The next day, after a good night's sleep, Yua was ready to tackle rehabilitation training.
Again.
She was the only one in their group who acted normal.
Tanjiro and Inosuke resembled the walking death, while Zenitsu held tight to Tanjiro's shirt and mumbled how scared he was.
She would be lying if she didn’t hope that rehabilitation training would reduce Zenitsu to a pathetic heap of humans.
He deserved it for being such a constant headache in her life.
If she couldn’t kill him, at least give her the satisfaction to see this.
They reached the room that was designated for the rehabilitation training.
Aoi was already waiting for them, as were the four little girls beside four futons and Kanao sitting on a little table.
Our four Demon Slayers sat down before Aoi in seiza, awaiting instructions.
“All right, since you’ll be joining us from today, Zenitsu, I’ll explain the process again now.”, began Aoi. “You’ll start over there.”
She pointed at the little girls beside the futons, explaining after having been bedridden for so long those girls would make their bodies limber again.
They demonstrated it on Inosuke, pulling his legs and arms, till he cried and landed in a heap on the floor.
Next up was reflex training with Kanao. Tanjiro was the victim. Practically before them on the table were cups containing medicated water. The objective was to throw that medicated water onto each other, but if your opponent blocks your cup before you can pick it up, you can’t move that cup.
Needless to say, Tanjiro had no chance against Kanao and was wet from head to toe after this demonstration.
“Last up, full-body training.”, said Aoi with Kanao on her side now. “In simpler terms, you’ll be playing tag. You’ll be up against myself, Aoi, and Kanao over there.”
“Excuse me. May I ask you something?”. asked Zenitsu in an eerie voice.
Yua raised an eyebrow at him. What was up now?
“Hm? Is there something that’s not clear to you?”, asked Aoi back.
Zenitsu gets up and walks toward the door.
Okay...?
“No, it’s just… Come on,Tanjiro and Inosuke.”
While Yua frowns at this, wondering what is going on in Zenitsu's head, both other males don’t move which angers the blond-haired one.
All girls, even Yua, wince at Zenitsu's screams and how he drags his two friends outside under shouts.
The girls can hear loud and clear what Zenitsu's problem is.
He is angry at Tanjiro and Inosuke for making him believe rehabilitation training was hell, when, in his eyes, it’s paradise, being around girls and touching and getting touched by them.
Aoi left eye twitched, the little girls all frowned, Kanao is blank-faced and Yua just crosses her arms and tells them: “I should have cut off his dick when I had the chance!”
Soon the boys returned.
Zenitsu, like the horny idiot he is, giggles and lets himself be stretched by the four little girls like it’s nothing.
He seems in heaven!
Yua makes a face, even though she who is naturally more flexible than her male friends, has to stop herself from crying out in pain when she does it.
“That guy has what it takes.”, grumbles Inosuke angry. “ I’m always fighting back tears from the pain, but he’s laughing.”
“That’s what happens when you are a horny horndog, I bet he is a closet masochist.”, tells Yua her own theory, of why Zenitsu can handle the stretching.
Tanjiro makes just a confused loud.
Next up is reflex training with Aoi for Zenitsu.
The pig-tailed girl reaches for a cup, but Zenitsu covers her hand and prepares to throw a cup of water on her. He doesn’t throw it and squeezes her hand.
“I would never splash tea on a girl.”, he has the gall to say and are these sparkles around him?
Not only does Aoi make a disgusted face, but Yua isn’t far behind.
“Horny bastard!”, the midnight blue-haired girl mumbles.
After that, it’s time for full body training aka. playing Tag.
Again it’s Aoi against Zenitsu and he flashes fast around the room before he leaps at her and grabs around her chest.
“I win!”
For that, he gets smacked around by Aoi. Yua can’t help but cackle, serves him right!
“I won the battle but lost the war!”, proclaims Zenitsu with bruises and wounds all over his face.
Again Yua makes a face. He is probably really a masochist if even Aoi hits don’t humble him!
Next up is Inosuke against Aoi. Since he doesn’t want to "lose" against Zenitsu he managed to beat Aoi anytime in anything.
“Boarhead, can you not be more gentle!”, scolds Yua.
They have two extremes here. Zenitsu, who thinks of himself as kamis gift to women, and Inosuke, who doesn’t even care for gender.
Normally Yua prefers not caring for the gender, however, she likes the girls in the Butterfly Mansion and doesn’t like seeing them be treated this way.
Anyway, now it’s her turn.
She endures the stretching, can splash Aoi without problems and catches her fast.
“Good Yua-San, you are healing nicely.”, praises Aoi.
In turn, Yua just bows and thanks them for their help.
Then it’s Tanjiro's turn. Against Aoi, he doesn’t have a problem too, but then it’s time.
It’s time they face all off against Kanao.
The boys are absolute disasters and can’t beat her at anything.
It’s only Yua who seems to be getting closer to beating Kanao.
When they have the reflex training Yua nearly throws the medication in her face, but Kanao is still faster. Then when they play catch, Yua streaks her white cloak.
The seventeen-year-old girl chases Kanao all over the room, always barely touching the Tsuguko of the Insect Hashira.
Our male Demon Slayer watches her in awe.
“Yua-Senpai is something else.”, gushes Zenitsu with heart eyes. “She is so fast and elegant in her movements!”
“She still can’t beat coat girl.”, points Inosuke out, even if he has to admit that she does way better than any of them.
“She is a Kinoto and for four years a Demon Slayer. It would have surprised me if she wasn’t better than us at this.”, reminds Tanjiro, transfixed looking at how Yua gets closer and closer to catching Kanao.
He knows that Moonlight Beauty was a nickname made to mock her, however, the older girl really is as beautiful as the moon. If he could, Tanjiro would look into her otherworldly grey eyes for hours and stroke this pretty midnight blue hair to his heart contentment.
Hearing his own thoughts makes him blush and try to push them away.
He knows he has a little crush on her.
How could he not, when he could smell how kind and good she was? Only hiding behind this mask of roughness and toughness, to not show how desperate and lost she truly was.
She sang with an angelic voice, cared for Nezuko like she was her own sister and was gentle to the younger ones.
Even to him and the boys, she was caring in her own way. Okay, she really had it out for Zenitsu, but he could understand her point.
Zenitsu was a shameless skirt chaser, even if he was a good soul.
However, he knew that he couldn’t let his crush grow. He had smelled on Yua how she had freaked out as he had admitted the last time they talked alone that if it was her it wasn’t for him hard work to help her to find herself.
It would only break his heart.
So he would be happy with her friendship.
***
“Bunch of little pussies!”, cursed Yua, with crossed arms as she made her way back to their room with Tanjiro after another day of hard rehabilitation training.
“Yua-Senpai, I know you are angry at Inosuke and Zenitsu, I don’t like it either that they don’t come anymore to the rehabilitation training.”, agreed Tanjiro with her at that point. “But cursing them out like that, it’s not very nice.”
Yua snorted and fixed one of her buns.
“Look at all the fucks I give, Kamado. Look at them! There are none! You know what pissed me off? Not that they don’t come, that they are demotivated that they can’t beat a girl! This is sexism plain in simple. If Kanao-San would be a man, I bet with you they still would turn up.”
“You really think so?”
“Their Aura’s tell me this!”, she told him and turned to the younger male with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t smell it on them?”
“I don’t think I would know what sexism is supposed to smell like.”, he answered sheepishly.
Yua shook her head in disbelief.
"It's not about the smell, Tanjiro. It's about their attitudes towards women. They think they're better than us just because they're men." She let out a frustrated sigh. "But you know what? I don't care anymore. Let them be weak and pathetic. I'll continue to work hard and become stronger than any of them."
Tanjiro nodded in agreement, understanding Yua's determination and drive to succeed. He admired her strength and resilience, even when faced with adversity.
“Master Tanjiro, Lady Yua?”, called suddenly Sumi for them.
The two Demon Slayers found the four little Butterfly Mansion girls behind.
“What’s up, sweetie? Is something wrong?”, asked Yua for them.
The quartet played shyly with their hands, till Sumi and Ema held a towel each.
“Here’s a towel for you.”, the two chorused together.
Yua and Tanjiro thanked them, which made all four girls happy smile, and wiped the seat of the day away from their faces.
“Um, Master Tanjiro, do you maintain the Total Concentration Breathing state around the clock?”, was little Kiyo curious.
Confused Tanjiro looked at her, while Yua put a pointer finger on her lips.
“Huh, I never asked him that, good point.”
“No, I don’t. I’ve never done that.”, he answered Kiyo and turned then to Yua.
“Is that even possible?”
The Kinoto nodded.
“I’m using it currently, all day, all night, all around the clock.”, she told him with a little smile.
That shocked Tanjiro.
“WHAT?! Even just using that technique for a short time really takes its toll on me?! And now you tell me you use it all the time Yua-Senpai?!”
Then something which had him wondering made sense to him.
“Is that why you could bet Kanao-San today after only five days of rehabilitation training it?!”
“Uhm, yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner this?!”
“It never came up.”, shrugged Yua nonchalantly, as Tanjiro's soul left his body.
He was in utter disbelief.
“All of the Hashiras, Miss Kanao and old Demon Slayer families like the Mochizuki can do it!”, pipped Sumi up.
“Please work hard at it!”, pleaded the four little girls together.
“I think we broke him girls.”, guessed Yua and fawned at Tanjiro with her towel. “That was too much for him.”
This made the four little girls giggle cutely. The sound of it made Tanjiro come back to himself.
“Alright. Thanks! I’ll give it a try!”
The next day, Zenitsu and Inosuke refused rehabilitation training again, in turn, Yua called them sexist pigs as she walked out the door with Tanjiro to go there.
After they finished, they both walked out to the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion
Yua stood before Tanjiro with her hands on her hips as he looked at her determined.
“Alright, since you have asked nicely, I will teach you how to use the perpetuate Total Concretion Breathing.”
The red-haired boy bowed before his Senpai.
“I’m really thankful Yua-Senpai!”
“Don’t mention it. Also, first, show me how long you can do Total Concretion. I need to see what I’m working with.”
Tanjiro nodded and did as told.
While he did it, Yua counted the seconds. He was going good for five minutes, then it started to go all downhill from here.
The boy had the feeling his lungs would explode and collapse. Thankful Yua caught him before he could kiss dirt.
“Okay, I will be honest, that was really weak. Even my little cousin Hikari can do it for 10 minutes without problems and she is four!”
From Tanjiro came only a pathetic sound as he lay there in her embrace, his head cushioned by her soft breasts.
If he could, he would blush, but he was too out of it.
The midnight blue-haired girl shook her head and patted his head awkwardly.
“There, there. I will get you there.”
Unknown to them the four little girls, Kiyo, Naho, Sumi and Ema, were watching them.
“It’s so cute that Master Tanjiro is shorter than Lady Yua.”, whispers Sumi.
“He looks like a baby, adorable!”, agreed Naho.
“They two look good together.”, told them Kiyo.
“They look like two pieces of a puzzle!”, gushed Ema. “Like Yin and Yang in person.”
“We need to get them together!”, all four of them agreed.
The little matchmakers decide to bring their new favourite couple-to-be some food and snacks since they worked so hard any day.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
I’m in search for a Beta-Reader!
Any volunteers?
Message me!
Chapter 10: Total Concentration Training
With gusto Yua bit into the Onigiri Ema and her little friends had brought her and Tanjiro.
They all sat on the veranda of the Butterfly Mansion, taking a break from the Total Concentration Breathing training for Tanjiro.
Yua was listing how Kiyo was explaining the gourds training Shinobu had Kanao go through to strengthen her lungs.
You could see in Tanjiro's face that he was disbelieving that someone petite like Kanao could make them explode and he nearly fell from the veranda seeing which big gourd Kanao could now make explode.
The midnight blue-haired beauty gulped down her last bit of Onigiri with the Green Tea the girls had made for them.
“You want to have a demonstration?”, asked Yua. “My family uses the same method I can make it explode too.”
“Really Yua-Senpai?!”
“You don’t have to shout in disbelief Kamado.”, deadpanned Yua.
What? Was he more shocked or didn’t he think she could do it?
But what she knew of Tanjiro he was probably only in shock.
“Girls, is it okay, if I take on the big gourd?”, she asked for permission.
All four cute girls nodded with a smile.
So Yua stood up, holding the big gourd and blowing into it.
After a few seconds, it explodes!
Everybody was in awe and Tanjiro, this time, tumbled from the veranda.
“Lady Yua is amazing!”, shouted the girls.
The older girl winked at them, which made them giggle.
Tanjiro sat back at the veranda.
“That was amazing, Yua-Senpai!”, he yelled “I’ll give it my all!”
“You do that, so back to training!”
“Yes, Yua-Senpai!”
“You can do it Master Tanjiro!”, cheered the four little girls him on.
The two Demon Slayers made their way back into the courtyard, while the four girls cleaned up.
“Alright Kamado, we already established that you can’t do Total Concentration for long.”, began Yua.
He nodded disappointed at himself.
“So I will show you some breathing exercises and a little trick to expand the volume of your lungs.”
“Yes, Yua-Senpai!”, he raised his arm into the air like he was in school. “Can I ask what this trick is?”
Now Yua smiled cheekily.
She was curious how he would take it.
“Do you ever wonder why I sing so much?”
“Because you like it and are amazing at it!”
“Charmer, but...singing expands your lunge volume.”
The red-haired boy blinked at her with his pretty (no, not pretty they are normal red eyes!) red eyes, till he made a shocked face.
“WHAT?! REALLY?!”
“Indeed.”, she walked over to him and threw a playful arm around his shoulders. Tanjiro blushed being so close to his crush, not that Yua took note. “Now my little songbird let me hear your voice!”
***
For 15 days not only participated Tanjiro and Yua in the rehabilitation training, but they also trained together to expand Tanjiro's lunge volume and keep his Total Concentration Breathing going.
At first, Tanjiro was a bit shy learning to sing from Yua, but his Senpai made clear that shyness would only obstacle him in becoming better.
So he woman up, like Yua-Senpai liked to say, and sang with her together.
She taught him songs he never heard of, however, she didn’t tell him who taught her them. The smell of hurt and longing always came from her when he asked.
So he stopped.
He never wanted to make her feel bad.
After singing, they parkour all around the Mansion and garden, playing catch with each other.
Yua-Senpai was as fast as Kanao, he could barely catch her.
And she got only faster with each passing day they trained.
The training not only helped him to get stronger but her also.
“Bust your borders and go beyond them!”, told him Yua-Senpai any day.
It was the motto of her family.
A Mochizuki had to be the best of the best to not raise any suspicions in the hearts of their Demon Slayer comrades.
She told him this ten days after they had started to train together.
They were sitting on the veranda, again eating and drinking Onigiri and Green Tea, the little girls had prepared for them and had talked about nothing and all.
As he had told her how amazing he thought she was, because she only seemed to get stronger with each day, that he barely could catch up, this sentence had fallen.
It had been still for a few seconds between them.
Tanjiro smelled how Yua-Senpai felt unsure, battling with herself before she said quietly: “Even after 500 years of loyalty to the corps...anybody expects us to change sides and become swordsmen under the Demon King. And all this is why we still practice Moon-Breathing learned from the traitor Tsugikuni Michikatsu. It’s a pain.”
Tired she bit into her Onigiri.
Now Tanjiro was battling with himself. He wanted to ask her this the whole time, however, he was scared it was not his place to ask.
Yua-Senpai decided for him.
“I can see how chaotic and worried your Aura is, just spit it out, Kamado.”
“Why does your family still practice this breathing style if it only brings you pain?”
Thoughtful Yua-Senpai looked at the setting sun, making her look breathtaking. She was so beautiful. Tanjiro's heart could nearly not take it.
“The founder of our family, Mochizuki Meiyo was a prideful man they said. After his master deserted the corps he wanted to show that he could still be trusted...But I think my ancestor didn’t want to give up the power Moon-Breathing gives you. It IS the most powerful one in the whole corps. My family has the highest kill count of Lower Moons and we even killed three Upper Moons, the last 113 years ago.”
“And yet there had been no Moon Hashira, right?”, he whispered.
“Not after Tsugikuni Michikatsu.”, signed Yua-Senpai, crossing her arms. “My father told me the day I started to learn Moon-Breathing, that we are practically the attack dogs of the Corps. We are good enough to kill the demons, but we can’t be trusted with a position of power. No one cares how many of my family have fallen in battle against the Demon Lords 12 Moons or how they got so wounded they could never take a sword into their hands again. Being a Mochizuki is a hard destiny....”
In silence, they watched how the moon was rising in the sky.
“I care.”, said Tanjiro quietly to his Senpai.
She turned with a raised eyebrow to him.
Before he could chicken out he took one of her hands in his and squeezed it.
“Your family has been wronged for a long time, but Yua-Senpai, people who know you and your family truly know that you are all great people. I know you will become a Hashira and show anyone that the Mochizuki are an honourable and loyal family!”
Yua-Senpai hand in his felt clammy and he smelled how she was going through a lot of different emotions in seconds.
It was hard to keep track, however, he smelled thankfulness and bashfulness.
More softly than he had thought Yua-Senpai took her hand back and stood up.
“Enough with the mushy stuff, Kama...Tanjiro-San. We still can train more before dinner.”
Did...did he hear right?!
Did Yua-Senpai call him by his first name?!
Tanjiro felt how hot his cheeks got and that his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
His crush didn’t seem to take note and if she did, she didn’t show it.
“Come on, catch me!”
With that, she ran away.
He ran after her a second later.
If...if it had to be like this...If he had to chase her forever, he would do it.
Now he was the moon chasing constantly after his sun...Yua.
Only the moon saw the sweet little smile on Yua's lips as she let Tanjiro chase after her.
After this heart-to-heart, they both opened up a bit more to each other.
When they were all alone Yua started to call him Tanjiro and he also dropped then the Senpai.
It was nice.
More than nice.
An amazing friendship was forming between them.
And maybe....someday more?
***
More days passed.
Yua and Tanjiro got stronger, the boy could now nearly catch Kanao and Yua.
He managed to destroy the first gourd level without problems, making the little four girls cheer and Yua give him a thumbs up.
Unknown to them Zenitsu and Inosuke had all seen this and it seemed like they understood that they were in the wrong with their slacking off.
In disbelief, Yua looked at how the two talked with Shinobu about what she and Tanjiro were doing.
The Insect Hashira explains to them the Total Concentration Perpetum and then the two try it out, failing miserably.
The Kinoto felt a bit sorry for Inosuke, but seeing Zenitsu on the ground brought her glee. Finally, some payback for all the whining she had to endure!
After they were okay again, they sat down with her and Tanjiro and asked them for help.
"I still can’t sustain Total Concentration Breathing all day unless I throw myself into it, but I bet you two can do it!", encouraged Tanjiro. He made some funny movements with his arms, which earned him a raised eyebrow from Yua. "You just go like this to make your lungs expand! When that rattles your blood, your bones and muscles will go “Boom, boom”, and you gotta stop it!"
Inosuke and Zenitsu looked at him depressed.
"All that’s left to do is train like crazy!"
More depression and vigorous headshakes.
Yua deadpanned at them.
"If you act like this I won't tell you my family exercises for the lungs and our secret trick to extend the lunge volume."
They had the gall to groan at her.
An angry mark formed on the midnight blue-haired girl head and she was ready to hit them both when she felt Tanjior taking one of her hands and Shinobu laying one of her hands on her shoulder and Tanjiro's.
Blushing she looked up at the Insect Hashira. She saw from the side that Tanjiro was blushing also.
In Yua's case, she was blushing because a handsome boy (okay, she admitted it finally) and a beautiful woman were touching her.
She never preferred one sex over another, so she felt all warm and tingly.
"Now, now.", tutted Shinobu. " We’re talking about a basic skill, or should I say a beginner skill, so why wouldn’t you be able to do it? But it’s also true that one must put great effort into mastering it, right?"
Shinobu then let go of Yua and Tanjiro to sit before Inosuke petting his shoulder.
"Well, why wouldn’t you be able to do it, though? I was sure it would be child’s play for you, Inosuke. Are you sure you can’t do it? Even though there’s no reason you can’t do it? It can’t be helped, then, if you can’t do it. Can’t be helped, can’t be helped."
That pissed Inosuke so off that he treated to rip off her breasts!
Yua made a face and thought to herself: not such an awesome pair! What a waste, that would be.
The Hashira then walked to Zenisto taking his hand. Already the blond started to turn an alarming shade of red and rattling like a teakettle.
"Please give it your all, Zenitsu! I’m your biggest cheerleader!"
He was now full teakettle mode and shouted a yes ma'am, while Yua deadpanned at him and Tanjiro was in disbelief.
Well, at least they joined the training.
As Yua did with Tanjiro she showed them her family breathing exercises and then it was time to sing.
Inosuke was hollering more than singing, but Zenitsu...Zenistsu!
For a second as Yua heard how lovely Zenitsu could sing, hitting all the notes right, after one-time listing, she could image some girl falling in love with him, if he sang to her.
Then she realized what she had thought and wanted to take a bath.
The rest of the day following the four Demon Slayers trained together, they all got stronger and better.
One day came to the two swordsmiths who had forged for Tanjiro and Inosuke Katanas and at dinner, Zenitsu and Yua listened to how they were nearly killed by the smiths because Tanjiro dared to destroy his blade and Inosuke changed his with a stone.
Finally, the day arrived when Tanjiro beat Kanao at training.
He celebrates his win with the four little girls, Yua claps for him, while Inosuke and Zenitsu decide to train even more.
Yua, herself noted, how strong she had become. For her, it was no problem anymore to beat Kanao.
The others couldn't catch her even if they tried.
She felt it in her gut.
She was at Hashira-Level.
It was... alright.
Strange...now that her goal of becoming a Hashira was closer than ever, Yua didn't feel as excited as she imagined when she started to train to become a Demon Slayer.
Maybe she was bitter from all the years she had to endure her grandfather's disappointment and the lack of recognition from the Corps.
Would they even let her rise to Hashira?
Uncle Noritaka had nearly become one, but it didn't mean it they would let her.
Somehow she had a feeling that her Uncle with his refusal to take the position destroyed any chance for his other family members to become one.
Or she was paranoid.
It was then that Kaguya flowed into the Butterfly Mansion with a letter from home for her.
Oh, that was fast and good.
After Tanjiro had talked with Shinobu and didn't get any new information on the Hinokami Kagura Dance, she wrote home to ask if someone could look it up in their archives.
Kaguya nuzzled her, while she read the letter.
Her father had answered her.
When she finished it, she signed.
She should have imagined it!
So she made her way out to the courtyard where the boys were still training.
"Hey guys!", she called and they turned to her. "Tanjiro remember how we talked about if there is something about the Hinokami Kagura Dance in my family archives? My father found something, but my grandfather didn't allow him to let the information out. So....wanna join me to go to my home?"
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Next chapter we will get an original “Arc” so to say, we will get to know Yua family more and maybe some old fart will get a headbutt from our favourite red-haired Demon Slayer. :D
Until next time!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
I made some Yua family members, as we will see in this chapter with a Rinmaru Medieval Avatar.
Please take a look on my DeviantArt
Chapter 11: Home of the Moon
After being sent off in the early morning by their friends Yua and Tanjiro with Nezuko in her box made the journey to the Moon Mansion, the home of Yua family, the Mochizuki.
They were making a good tiSlayersey even met a nice man with his carriage and he drove them in the direction of the Mochizuki Estate.
The two Demon Slayers passed their time with talking and singing. They couldn’t slack off in Tanjiro’s Total Concentration Training, now could they?
Yua quite enjoyed the journey to her home with company. This was the first time she brought a friend over.
She felt a bit like a normal 17-year-old. It was a nice feeling.
“Your family will be okay with Nezuko?”, asked her Tanjiro right now.
His worry wasn’t without reason.
They would enter a home full of Demon Slayers.
Tanjiro knew how hostile the Hashira’s had reacted to Nezuko before Oyakata-Sama told them that he recognised Nezuko as Demon Slayer so she wasn’t to be killed.
Entering a home full of people who could kill his sister in one instant, made him nervous.
“Don’t worry, I wrote about your situation to my father.”, reassured Yua with a small smile. “He promised my family wouldn’t go against Oyakata-Sama orders. Nezuko is safe. Also, I would help you protect her from them if they attacked her.”
The boy stared at her in disbelief.
“You really would go against your own family for me and Nezuko?”
As an answer, Yua reached out and petted his shoulder.
“I love Nezuko like she is my own sister and I’m fond of you too. For me, you guys are family too.”
Her confession made Tanjiro feel all tingle and happy. He felt the blush rising in his cheeks, how his heart beat faster and the butterflies in his stomach flying wildly.
His crush on Yua just got bigger.
Shyly he squeezed the hand on his shoulder.
“You are for us family too.”, he told her.
For a second he imaged Yua as his bride, didn’t need to know nobody or how it filled his heart with happiness.
Yua gave him a thankful smile. She was also happy that the Kamado siblings loved her as a sibling. She would ignore this vision of herself as a bride with Tanjiro as her groom on her side.
Nope, not thinking about it all or what it meant.
Soon they entered a little forest of Wisteria trees.
It reminded Tanjiro of the forest on Mount Fujikasane where Final Selection was held. Just as pretty and mysterious.
They passed under a Torii with a half moon on it, following the way up a little hill.
After a few minutes, Tanjiro could see an old, traditional house which had also a half moon and the Kanji for Mochizuki over the entrance door. Around it grow beautiful flowers of any kind. You could tell that the garden was tended with love.
Before the house stood a tall man. He was wearing the Demons Slayer uniform with a green Haori with swirls on it. The man had long midnight blue hair in a ponytail and grey eyes.
That must be Yua’s father.
They looked alike.
“Otou-San!”, called Yua and raced up to her father.
He smiled happily and twirled his daughter around as they hugged each other tight.
Tanjiro was touched by the loving scene and had to fight his tears. This made him miss his father.
“Oh moon bunny, it’s so good to see you. Did you grow a bit?”, asked Yua's father, petting her head.
“I don’t know, maybe.”, answered Yua, then turned to Tanjiro and waved him over. “Otou-San this is my friend I told you about. Kamado Tanjiro, following swordsman of the corps and in the box is his little sister Nezuko. Tanjiro this is my father Mochizuki Haruto.”
Tanjiro bowed before the man.
“It’s an honour to meet you Mochizuki-San.”
“Ah, young Tanjiro it’s okay to call me Haruto. I’m happy that Yua found some friends. Any friend of hers is welcome here.”
“Alright, Haruto-San.”
Then Haruto got all sober as he told his daughter: “Your grandfather is expecting you in the Tea Room, moon bunny.”
Of course, Yua got scarred. She had stayed away from home for months and was only raised to Kinoto.
Her Grandfather would give it to her.
“Yua, are you okay-”
“It’s alright Tanjiro.”, she interrupted him. “Just go with my father, I’m sure one of my aunts is currently making lunch.”
With that, she stepped into the house and made haste to the Tea Room.
“I’m back, Grandfather.”, she announced as she entered the Tea Room.
Like she was taught she made a deep bow, waiting till her grandfather gave her permission to raise and sit before him.
It was eerie quiet.
Yua felt the sweat dripping down from her forehead.
Thanks to her Aura-Sensing she knew her Grandfather was not happy.
He was pissed off.
What hurtful words would he hurl at her?
“Ah, the lost daughter has returned.”, he spat, not even letting her rise from her bow. “You stayed away a long time from home.”
“I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
“Did I give you the permission to speak, girl?!”, he growled.
The girl started to shake in fright, she felt all clammy and like throwing up. She never had seen her grandfather like that.
She knew she had to tread carefully, but she couldn't help but ask, "May I know what I have done wrong, Grandfather?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Mochizuki Makoto let out a deep sigh and finally gestured for her to rise and take a seat. She did so hesitantly, trying not to make any sudden movements.
"You dare to stay away from home for months," he said sternly. "Then you have the gall to send a letter asking about the Hinokami Kagura Dance, not even telling us what Rank you are now."
Yua felt a pang of guilt in her chest.
He was right -when she was healing from her wounds, she actively avoided sending letters home. She was scared of telling her she was only a Kinoto now and what would happen as punishment. Then when she finally wrote them, again she didn’t tell her Rank because of this fear and asked for something.
"I apologize, Grandfather," she said sincerely with a deep bow, her forehead touching the Tatami mats. "I was in the wrong, I will do better."
He nodded slowly, still eyeing her critically.
"You better," he warned. "The future of our family depends on it. Now your Rank."
The midnight blue-haired girl stayed in her position, not daring to raise. Maybe if she stayed demure, her Grandfather wouldn’t verbally hit her.
Yeah, right.
She was just scarred looking into his cold grey eyes and saying hatred in them.
“Kinoto.”
It was still for a long time, Yua started to feel pain in her body because she had stayed in the bow so long, till her grandfather shouted: “Kinoto! KINOTO?! You dare to show your stupid face into this house after months, daring to ask about the Hinokami Kagura Dance and you are only a Kinoto?! You are a disappointment! A waste of space! Oh, why are you the only one who can use Moon-Breathing? Why have the gods punished me with a talentless granddaughter like you? You are not worth it to be a Moon Breathing User!”
Yua felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
She knew her grandfather was harsh, however, this was a new kind of harshness.
"I understand, Grandfather," she said softly, still not daring to look up at him. "I will work harder and strive to become better."
Mochizuki Makoto let out a snort of disgust.
"You better," he said coldly. "Because if you don't, you will bring shame upon our family."
She nodded silently, feeling the weight of his words on her shoulders. She knew she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to prove herself worthy of being a Moon Breathing User.
But no matter how hard it would be, she was determined to make her grandfather proud and show him that she was not a waste of space after all.
What else was there in life for her?
She was born to become a Hashira and make her family a respected Demon Slayer in the Corps.
This was her only right to existence.
Suddenly both inhabits of the Tea Room nearly jumped into the air as the door opened.
“I’m sorry to disturb you!”, it was Tanjiro.
In disbelief, Yua turned to him.
Tanjiro fixed her Grandfather with such an angry look, that Yua wasn’t even sure if this was really the Tanjiro she knew.
This was a completely new side of him.
“Who are you boy?”, hissed her Grandfather angrily. “You dare to disturb me and my granddaughter talking.”
“With all due respect sir, you didn’t talk to your granddaughter you insulted her! And I will not stand around hearing you insult Yua. Yua is my friend and one of the strongest people I know! You are in the wrong about her!”
Makoto narrowed his eyes at Tanjiro, clearly not pleased with the interruption. Yua watched in shock as her friend stood up to her grandfather, defending her honour. She had never seen anyone do that before!
"How dare you speak to me like that," her grandfather growled. "You are just a mere Demon Slayer. Probably not higher than Kanoe."
Tanjiro didn't back down, his expression was unwavering. "I may be a lesser Rank, but I know a good person when I see one. And Yua is one of the best."
The room fell silent as the two men stared each other down. Yua held her breath, unsure of what would happen next.
Then her grandfather gasped and pointed at Tanjiro Hanafuda-Earings.
“You have the earrings?! Of course, this red hair, red eyes and the scar on your forehead...you are a Sun Breathing User.”
Both teenagers were more than confused.
“That’s why you asked about the Hinokami Kagura Dance.”, mumbled Grandfather rubbing his chin. “Now it makes sense.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, sir, but apologize to your granddaughter.”, growled Tanjiro angry, his red eyes ablaze like the sun. “She doesn’t deserve your harsh and unnecessary words.”
This only made Makoto laugh nasty.
“You may be a chosen one of the Sun, but you have no authority here, boy. This is the realm of the Moon and I’m the clanhead. I can do as I wish.”
To show Tanjiro he meant it, Makoto suddenly grasped Yua by one of her hair buns. The 17-year-old shouted in pain, tears streaming down her face.
Tanjiro could only stare in shock. He never saw how the family treated each other this way.
“She is merely an extension of my will.”, told Makoto. “She was only born to be a Hashira. She doesn’t have any other reason for existing: I can do with my Granddaughter as I wish!”
Things happened fast then.
From one moment to another, Yua felt like her grandfather would rip her hair out, then suddenly his hand got slack and a terrible crunch was heard.
Tanjiro had headbutted her grandfather.
Yua's mouth met the floor, while her Grandfather was knocked down by Tanjiro's headbutt.
The room fell into stunned silence as Yua's grandfather lay on the ground, clutching his nose. Tanjiro stood over him, his fists clenched at his sides. Yua couldn't believe what had just happened. She had never seen anyone stand up to her grandfather like that before.
"You can't treat people like that," Tanjiro growled, glaring down at the older man. "Especially not your own family."
Makoto looked up at him, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief.
"You dare to strike me?" he spat out, wiping blood from his nose.
"You deserved it," Tanjiro said firmly. "No one deserves to be treated like that. You are a bitter old man who bullies his own family to his enjoyment because he couldn’t become a Hashira. You should feel ashamed of yourself. Instead of seeing what great progress Yua made, you are obsessed with her becoming a Hashira. Even dirt is better than you! I met demons who showed more humanity than you...you piece of shit!"
With that, Tanjiro helped Yua to her feet.
Yua felt a rush of gratitude towards her friend. She had been so scared and alone at that moment, but Tanjiro had come to her rescue without a second thought. She knew she could always count on him to have her back.
As they left the Tea Room together, Yua felt a sense of relief wash over her. She knew there would be consequences for what had happened today, but she didn't care anymore. For the first time in a long time, she felt free - free from the weight of her grandfather's expectations and free from the fear that had held her back for so long. With Tanjiro by her side, she knew she could face anything that came her way and come out stronger for it in the end.
Maybe that’s why she did what she did next.
No one has ever defeated her honour quite like that.
She must show him her thanks.
Softly she called out Tanjiro's name, he turned to her, opening his mouth, probably to ask her if she was okay, however, Yua leaned down, wrapping her arms around his neck and planted a soft kiss on his lips.
Tanjiro was shocked by Yua's sudden gesture, but he didn't pull away.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around her curvy waist and deepened the kiss.
Yua felt a warmth spread through her body as she kissed him, grateful for his unwavering support and protection.
As they finally broke apart, Yua looked down at Tanjiro with tears in her eyes, both of them breathing heavily.
It was madness that she had done it, love had no place in her life, but...how could she not love Tanjiro after he faced her, her biggest fear?
Maybe she could love him and be a Demon Slayer.
She only knew she always wanted to be on his side.
This was the only sure thing in her life.
Softly she smiled and Tanjiro returned her smile and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Yua nodded, feeling a surge of love for him in her heart. "I'm more than okay," she whispered back, leaning in for another kiss.
This time she slipped her tongue in his mouth.
They continued to kiss passionately, lost in their own world.
Yua couldn't believe how natural it felt to be with Tanjiro like they were meant to be together.
Like two pieces of a puzzle.
Like Yin and Yang.
Like the Sun and Moon!
As they finally pulled away from each other, Tanjiro looked up at Yua with a deep sense of love and admiration.
"I don't know what the future holds for us," he said softly, "but I do know that I want to spend it with you."
Yua's heart swelled with happiness as she heard these words.
"Me too, Tanjiro," she whispered softly. "Thank you. For everything."
Tanjiro smiled up at her, his eyes filled with affection and admiration.
"I'll always be here for you," he promised.
And with those words, Yua knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead of them, they would face them together - as equals and as lovers.
“Wow, that was some hot, sappy shit.”, called a female voice, which Yua know really well, while Tanjiro nearly jumped to the roof.
It was Sayako, Yua's younger black-haired cousin with pretty green eyes.
Deadpanning Yua looked over Tanjiro's head to her younger cousin.
“Hello you pain in my butt, you have splendid timing as always.”
While Tanjiro resembled a tomato, Sayako giggled with a shit-eating grin.
“I’m a lesbian, but even I got hot seeing you both making out with each other. Leave something for tonight.”
“You are so weird, Yako, also don’t you mean wedding night?”
“Oh please, you gonna deflower the little redhead the first chance you get YuYu.”
“Charming.”
What did Sayako think, that she had no self-control? Tanjiro was still two years younger than her, she wouldn’t overwhelm him with that!
Poor Tanjiro resembled a teakettle with the sounds he made and how red in the face he was.
Kissing his temple, Yua took his hand to calm him down.
“Ignore my stupid cousin, Tanjiro, Sayako likes to rile people up.”
“I’m here, you know.”
“Sadly.”
Huffing Sayako walked up to them and made a little bow.
“Whatever, it’s nice meeting you Tanjiro-Kun. I’m as Yua said Sayako, her cousin, 15 years old and Kakushi of the corps.”
Seems like Tanjiro calmed down enough to greet Sayako back with a bow and a smile.
“Ah you are a cutie.”, cooed Sayako, petting his head. “Take good care of my cousin, please?”
“I will, I promise!”, he shouted.
“Also did you break our shit grandpa's nose or something, everyone heard a loud crunch?”
“He did.”, confirmed Yua proud of her love. “Grandfather is licking his wounds, I don’t think he will come out of the Tea Room.”
“Then we will have a nice lunch. Come you two, food is ready.”
So they followed Sayako to the dining room where the rest of the Mochizuki was already waiting in excitement.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
So Tanjiro and Yua kissed and are kind of together, aww.
Wouldn’t it be terrible if all would go to shit after they leave the Mochizuki? *whistles innocent*
But what I’m saying, all is good. ;D
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
I’m still in search of a Beta-Reader. I need someone with Discord who is online often so we can also talk about plotpoints if necessary ^^
Also more pic for Yua family members.
Chapter 12: Under the Moonlight
Laughter and the klir of chopsticks against bowls could be heard in the dining room of the Mochizuki family.
It was a happy and warm atmosphere.
Not all Mochizuki were participating in the lunch.
Their clanhead still nursed the broken nose their guest Tanjiro had caused him and Aunt Chiyako, her oldest son Daku and Uncle Keitaro were on missions.
Even if they were missing the lunch the other Mochizuki would tell them all about how Tanjiro had stood up for their Yua.
For them, the red-haired boy belonged already to the family.
Yua, herself, was holding Tanjiro's hand under the table and looked with loving eyes at how Tanjiro (Her love? Boyfriend?) interacted with her family.
He was gentle to her little cousins Kaito and Hikari.
Charming and thankful for the lunch she had made to her Aunt Miwa.
Talked with Uncle Hansuke about their work as Demon Slayers.
Laughed at Sayako jokes.
And gave the utmost respect to her father Haruto.
Even more, after her father came back from talking with her grandfather and had told his father if he ever touched her again in a harmful way, he would move out of the mansion with her.
Everybody saw Haruto’s bloody knuckles and applauded him for hitting their father/father-in-law/grandfather.
Then when Nezuko came out of her box, the younger Kamado fit in just as easily.
She played with Kaito and Hikari, who were fascinated by the good demon, while Tanjiro told her family, their tragic story.
Aunt Miwa gave the Kamado siblings each a big hug after that, while the other said words of comfort.
All in all, it was an amazing lunch.
The Kamado felt again like a part of a big loving family and the Mochizuki already saw them as their own.
In Yua's eyes, it couldn’t have gone better.
Sure, her Grandfather gripping her hair and saying these harmful words to her, she could live without it, but beggars can’t be choosers.
After lunch, it was time to do the thing Yua and Tanjiro had come to the Mochizuki Mansion.
It was time to research the Hinokami Kagura Dance in the archives.
Nezuko stayed with Miwa and the kids, while Haruto led his daughter and their guest to the archives.
“Here.”, said Haruto and laid an old scroll on the table in the archive. “This is what I found about the Hinokami Kagura Dance. It was written by Mochizuki Meiyo.”
“Mochizuki Meiyo?”, repeated Tanjiro, gently opening the old scroll. “Wasn’t he the one who founded your family?”
“Yes, young Tanjiro. I will leave you two to your research.”, with a forehead kiss to Yua and a shoulder squeeze Tanjiro Haruto did just that.
“This should be interesting.”, said Yua, eyeing the scroll.
“Should I read aloud?”, asked Tanjiro his love. He needed to ask her if she wanted to be his girlfriend soon.
The midnight blue-haired beauty nodded and sat down on the table.
“Let’s see what my ancestor has written about the Hinokami Kagura Dance!”
Mochizuki Meiyo knew what people thought about him.
Especially his brothers-in-arms in the corps.
After...after his Master left them..they thought he would follow him.
Betray them.
Betray humanity!
What a nonsense.
Tsugikuni-Sama may have saved him, a lowly orphan, from a life on the street and sure death, had treated him like a son, but Meiyo was his own person.
He...he knew his master was in the wrong.
Not only because he was also close to Yoriichi-San, Tsugikuni-Sama's younger brother, no, but because he remembered what demons had done to his beloved parents.
What they did to humans any day.
He would never betray his race.
Yes, he still used Moon-Breathing, but it would be nonsense to not use the second powerful Breathing Style against their enemies, only because his master was now one of them.
Meiyo signed and looked up the mountain trail he was going up.
He would soon reach the home of his friend.
“Otou-San.”, called his pride and joy, his daughter Nozomi to him. Her tiny hand squeezed his big, callous one. “When are we at your friend's house.”
He chuckled.
Nozomi was already tired, he could see it clearly.
“We are nearly there, want me to carry you, moon bunny?”
She frowned and shook her head. She wanted to show him what a big girl she already was.
He was so proud of her.
Meiyo was sure she would be the first woman in the Demon Slayer Corps, she already could copy Moon Breathing in a playful dance.
“A there it is!”, Meiyo pointed at the little hut before them. “There lives my friend. Sumiyoshi!”, he called loud for him...
...The two men and friends were sitting on the veranda of the little house enjoying a cup of tea as they watched how Nozomi played with little Sumire.
“So...a dance?”, Meiyo asked a bit in disbelief at Kamado Sumiyoshi.
The man in the checkered haori, laughed sheepishly.
“I thought this was the best way to preserve Yoriichi-San Sun-Breathing. It’s really fluid if you think about it. One Kata goes to the next like, well, in a dance.”, laughed Sumiyoshi a bit embarrassed.
Meiyo huffed and hit his shoulder playfully.
“I was just pulling your leg. Nozomi...when she sees me doing my Kata’s, she copies them in dancing moves too. My wife is actually freacking out about that, she wants Nozomi become a lady of the high society, but Nozomi wants to be a Demon Slayer too.”, explained the blue-haired male.
“Oh dear.”, laughed the red-haired male. “I don’t know how I would feel about if Sumire or my son wanted to join the Corps. Don’t get me wrong I’m grateful for what you guys do, but...”
“No, I get it.”
Both looked at their children.
“No one wants their child in that danger, but I think I can’t forbid Nozomi to follow me into the Corps. She is my only child, my wife sadly can’t bear any more children...My Master betrayed the Corps...It’s our duty to stay loyal to the Corps and serve them with the Moon-Breathing.”
Sumiyoshi put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
“It’s not your fault that your Master betrayed the Corps.”
“But it’s my fault that he could leave...Sumiyoshi...When I fought him, begged him to stay with us...I could have done it...I could have killed him...but I only saw the man who raised me after my parents died, the man I loved like a father...I just couldn’t.”
As an answer his friend wrapped an arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze.
“Old friend, who could blame you for not raising your sword against the man you loved like a father? The one who saved your life?”
A bitter laugh escaped Meiyo.
“Oyakata-Sama and all my fellow Demon Slayer. They cursed me and Yoriichi-San out for our weakness for Tsugikuni-Sama.”
“Then they are fools.”, told Sumiyoshi sure. “Everybody with a heart understands how painful it would have been for you two.”
“Enough with this.”, decide Meiyo. “Tell me how are you gonna call the dance.”
“The Hinokami Kagura Dance.”
“Fitting for a family of coal makers. You know...I think I will turn Moon-Breathing into a dance too, it’s a good way to see if someone can do it. Nozomi showed me that. It just needs a name also.”...
Surprised Yua and Tanjiro looked at the scroll.
“Wait, that’s it?”, asked Yua shocked. “Is there more?”
Tanjiro flipped the scroll, but there was nothing.
“No, it ends with the naming of the Jihibukai Tsukigami No Mai and Meiyo and Sumiyoshi saying goodbye to each other.”, told Tanjiro, equally shocked.
“Wow, what a disappointing ending.”, grumbled Yua, crossing her arms.
The red-haired boy closed the scroll and gave her a tiny smile.
“But I think we learned the most important things.”
“Like my ancestor and yours were friends!”, shouted Yua, still in shock about that discovery.
Who would have thought that?
And who would have thought that 300 years later a Kamado and a Mochizuki would be friends and maybe lovers?
“And both were friends with someone named Yoriichi, who used Sun Breathing, which is my Hinokami Kagura Dance.”, added Tanjiro.
The girl nodded.
“Still, some things are still missing. Like why is Sun Breathing so powerful, when we all thought for a long time that Moon Breathing was the strongest?”
“I agree. You sure there is no more in the archives.”
“If there were, Otou-San would have found it.”
Both Demon Slayer signed.
Well, at least they have found something.
Now what to do with it?
***
Since it had taken them half a day to reach the Mochizuki Mansion, Yua, Tanjiro and Nezuko stayed the night over.
They would return back to the Butterfly Mansion tomorrow.
So they enjoyed the rest of the day with the other Mochizuki.
Then even Aunt Chiyoko, her son Daku and Uncle Keitaro came home and met the Kamado Siblings too.
Yua was happy to see all her family, besides the death and the missing Noritaka, together and treating Tanjiro and Nezuko as their family too.
She could see how it touched the Kamado Siblings a lot.
More than once Tanjiro had to wipe away his tears.
Anyway, it was time to sleep.
Tanjiro and Nezuko would sleep in her room, as would Kaito and Hikari.
Her younger cousins didn’t want to leave Nezuko.
It was so cute.
Nezuko lay in her futon, one arm around each child and both gripping the demon girl's clothes with their tiny fist.
Yua and Tanjiro put their futon together and automatically their hands found each other.
They stayed awake watching the moon outside Yua's window.
As they lay there, Yua and Tanjiro couldn't help but think about the scroll they had found earlier that day. They had learned so much about their ancestors and the origins of their respective Breathing Styles. But there were still unanswered questions lingering in their minds.
"Why do you think Sun Breathing is so powerful?" Yua asked, breaking the silence.
Tanjiro thought for a moment before answering. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's based on the sun. Sunlight destroys demons in one instant."
Yua nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. But I wonder if there's more to it than that."
"Maybe we'll find out someday," Tanjiro said optimistically.
Yua smiled at him, grateful for his positivity. She was more of a pessimist.
They complemented each other nicely.
So there was one thing left today before they could fall asleep.
Yua turned sideway in her futon and reached with a hand Tanjiro's head. She turned it towards her.
Automatically Tanjiro was on his side too.
“Tanjiro.”, she whispered quietly under the moonlight. “What are we?”
The boy blushed cutely, putting his hand over Yua and squeezing.
“I want to be together with you.”, he confessed. “Like a real couple. I know it will be hard, us being Demon Slayer, but...I like you so much Yua, I will regret it if I don’t ask you to be mine.”
Yua's heart skipped a beat at Tanjiro's words.
She had been hoping he felt the same way she did, but to hear him say it out loud was still a shock. She took a deep breath before answering.
"I want that too, Tanjiro," she said softly, her hand still on his cheek, gently stroking it. "I want to be with you, even if it means facing danger together as Demon Slayers."
Tanjiro smiled at her, relief and happiness evident on his face.
He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss.
It was brief but sweet, and Yua couldn't help, yet it felt like everything was falling into place.
As they settled back into their futons, Yua snuggled up closer to Tanjiro, feeling safe and content in his arms.
They drifted off to sleep with smiles on their faces, excited about what the future held for them as lovers.
The next morning, Yua and Tanjiro woke up early to prepare for their journey back to the Butterfly Mansion.
Nezuko was still asleep with Kaito and Hikari in her futon.
Yua and Tanjiro quietly got dressed and packed their bags.
Then they woke up the sleepy Nezuko and helped her get into her box.
Hikari and Kaito they let sleep. It was still too early for the four and five-year-old.
As they were about to leave, Haruto came to see them off.
"It was nice meeting you Tanjiro. You and your sister.," he said warmly. "Be sure, that you will have always friends and family in the Mochizuki’s."
"You are so sweet Otou-San," Yua replied with a smile.
"We are really grateful, Haruto-San. Nezuko and I enjoyed staying with your family and thank you for letting us research the archives," added Tanjiro.
Haruto nodded. "Of course, anytime. And be careful on your way back."
"We will, Otou-San" promised Yua.
Father and daughter hugged each other tight, putting all the love they had for each other in it.
They didn't know when they would see each other again.
As Tanjiro and Yua walked out of the mansion gates, hand in hand, the girl couldn't help but feel grateful for everything that had happened during their visit.
They had learned so much about their ancestors and themselves and had strengthened their bond as a couple.
She looked down at Tanjiro, who was smiling up at her with love in his eyes. She knew that whatever challenges they faced as Demon Slayers, they could face them together as partners.
Yua squeezed his hand tighter as they made their way back to the Butterfly Mansion, ready to continue their journey together.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
And with that, the little Arc is over, now we will get into the Demon Slayer storyline back again.
Also who all are interested in how the others reacted to Yua and Tanjiro being a couple...
“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”, shouted Zenitsu, as he watched how Yua and Tanjiro cuddle together in one of the beds of the Butterfly Mansion Patient Room. “HOW THE HECK DID YOU SCORE A GODDESS LIKE YUA-SENPAI?! WHAT IS YOUR SECRET TANJIRO, TELL ME, TELL ME, I MUST KNOW!”
The blond-haired boy crawled up to their bed, tears and snoot flying everywhere and was met with Yua's fist.
He crumpled on the ground like a cheap firework.
Inosuke hollerd, while Tanjiro tutted at his girlfriend.
“What, he was being annoying.”, she defended her action.
From the ground, you only heard pathetic groans.
“So you are mates?”, asked Inosuke to clarify. “Does it mean when mating season is you two will breed?”
The red Tanjiro turned needed a new name, while Yua just deadpanned.
“Boarhead, you don’t ask such things couple normally.”
Meanwhile from behind the door of the patient room the four little girls celebrated that their favourite couple, become one, Aoi was busy explaining to Kanao what was going on and Shinobu?
Giggling she put a hand on her mouth.
“Ara, are, what a nice surprise. I wish you, kids, the best.”
And if she thought about a certain Water Hashira, no one, but Shinobu needed to know.
Now we really are done!
So I beg you please leave A COMMENT!
The more comments I get, the faster you will get chapters ;D
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Also, I want to make clear, that we may be talking about sex, but I will never write smut for Tanjiro and Yua.
Both are minors.
Just no.
But we also know how horny and hormonal teenagers are and that most people, not all of course, have their first time as teenagers.
So if both one day will do the deed, I will only hit on it.
No smut.
Hope everybody is comfortable with this ^^
Now on with the story.
Season 1 ends and in the next we are in season 2!
Yuhu!
Chapter 13: The first steps in a new journey
There was tension in the air.
Yua felt how sweat dripped down her temple.
The honourable Hashira, Shinobu, just stood before her with a calm smile.
On the side were Aoi and Kanao, the four little girls, her boyfriend (still amazed her that Tanjiro felt for her so much) Inosuke and Zenitsu.
All were looking at the showdown and what was about to happen.
The day had started like normal, with rehabilitation training against Kanao.
Tanjiro had made incredible progress and out of 20 times, he could win 10 against Kanao. After he wanted to go on a run, trying to motivate Zenitsu and Inosuke to come with them (Yua didn’t need an invitation, she was always ready), Shinobu came into the training room.
At first, all thought she just wanted to check on the four Demon Slayers and their progress, but playful she had turned to Yua saying: “I heard from Aoi-Chan and Kanao-Chen how fast and strong you got, Yua-Chan. I would like to see for myself.”
So here she was about to be playing Tag with a Hashira. Yua had a feeling this was a test.
Maybe...maybe they were scouting her out to see if she was ready to be a Hashira?
The midnight blue-haired girl had worked all her life for this goal. How much sweat, tears and blood did she shed? It seemed nearly unbelievable that this could happen. She wouldn’t lie, after what had happened at home with her grandfather, a part of her wanted to pull a Noritaka and just leave the corps, another part wanted to show the old bastard who called himself her Grandfather she could become a Hashira.
Also, she didn’t want to leave, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke and also Zenitsu hanging. They were a team now. She would feel like a traitor if she left the Corps.
If this was a test to see if she was ready to be a Hashira, she would give her all against Shinobu.
Yua took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. She couldn't let her thoughts wander, not when she was about to play Tag with a Hashira. Shinobu's calm smile didn't reassure her, it only made her more nervous.
As they started running, Yua felt the tension in the air increase. She had to catch Shinobu as fast as she could. The boys and the four little girls were cheering her on from the side, while Aoi and Kanao were watching intently.
The Kinoto couldn't help but feel grateful for their support. They were more than just teammates, they were family now. And she couldn't let them down.
Shinobu was fast, but Yua was determined. She ran left and right, trying to anticipate Shinobu's next move. The sweat dripped down Yua's temple again, but she ignored it. This was her chance to prove herself.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of running and dodging, Yua managed to tag Shinobu.
The Hashira smiled even wider and patted Yua on the back.
"Well done," she said. "You have great potential."
The 17-year-old felt relief wash over her as Shinobu walked away with Aoi and Kanao following behind her. She looked at Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu before she was suddenly stormed by Ema and her friends. The little girls all hugging her.
“That was amazing Yua-Nee!”, shouted Ema.
She laughed and hugged each girl. Then she felt how someone picked her up and twirled her around.
It was Tanjiro.
“You were incredible!”, told her boyfriend. This made her laugh even more, hugging his neck tight, leaving kisses on his head.
The girls cooed, while Zenitsu mumbled to Inosuke: “Lucky Bastard. He has her amazing breasts in his face.”
“What’s so special about this?”
Zenitsu made a facepalm.
“I’m surrendered by stupid virgins.”
For that Inosuke hit him over the head.
“I have no idea what ya talking about Monjirou, but I have a feeling I must hit you!”
The blond faceplanted on the ground and only pathetic sounds came out of him.
***
Since they weren’t any more patients of the Butterfly Mansion, but guest the four Demon Slayers were moved into one of the guest rooms.
Tanjiro and Yua liked to share their futons, the girl often spooning her younger lover. For both, it was the best sleep they had in ages in each other arms.
Still...Yua was 17 years old and she had...erm...some urges..hust.
So it was a blessing and a curse that they shared the room with Zenitsu and Inosuke. You couldn’t do more...mature things couples do with an audition. Yua bet Zenitsu, the pervert, would enjoy watching them. Only kissing and cuddly and okay she may have given Tanjiro one or two hickeys, however, they didn’t do more.
In her head, Yua cursed Sayako out. Her cousin was right...she already wanted to go the next big step with Tanjiro...why was she such a horny individual?
Love did weird things to you, she decided. Also, she remembered that her parents were affectionate to each other, maybe she got it there?
Just...it was hard in words to express what she felt for Tanjiro...she was better with physical affection.
Maybe that’s why she wanted to do it.
However this was all just thinking, they were a fresh couple, and they had still months before this subject should come up.
So sleeping was just sleeping.
But today their peaceful sleep was interrupted by Kaguya, Yua crow.
“Morning children, morning Yua-Chan.”, cawed Kaguya.
Sleepy Yua raised her head from where it was buried in Tanjiro's hair, as her boyfriend sat up.
“What the heck?”, shouted Inosuke pissed.
“Huh? What’s going on?”, wonders Zenitsu also sitting up.
Yua turned on her stomach and held out a hand for Kaguya to sit on.
“Morning my princess.”, she kissed her crow on the head, which made the bird caw happy. “I assume you have a mission for us?”
“That’s right. The casualties of the Infinite Train are increasing. More than 40 are now missing. You are to join Rengoku Kyoujurou on-site. Head west at once!”
Yua looked at her boys and smirked.
“Looks like we are back in the game boys!”
***
Meanwhile, one Kocho Shinobu talked with Oyakata-Sama about how she had recommended Tanjiro for this mission and then about the Fire/Sun Breathing they had talked about and how maybe Rengoku Kyoujurou could help him.
“Now my child about the the favour I asked you about.”, said Oyakata-Sama in his calm voice. “What do you think about Mochizuki Yua.”
“Her strength and abilities are on Hashira Level no question.”, answers Shinobu. “Like you asked me Oyakata-Sama I tested her and she could bet me. I also sensed a change in her behaviour thanks to entering a relationship with Kamado Tanjiro. Both complement each other nicely, caring for each other but never forgetting their other important people.”
“This sounds all very good. She may be ready.”
“You mean master?”
The man nodded.
“I will wait how Kyoujurou is going to evaluate young Yua in this mission, but we may have finally found a new Hashira and the first of the moon.”
***
In the Butterfly Mansion of course no one knew what was going on in the Masters Mansion. The four Demon Slayers were more occupied to prepare for their mission.
Yua had already said her goodbyes, so she had taken Nezuko with her. They took a bath and then in Nezuko's room they got ready.
It felt good wearing again her Demon Slayer Uniform. It was such a part of her...maybe she was forced into this life, but...leaving it?
Maybe when Tanjiro and her would start one day a family...long in the future, hopeful there weren’t any more demons.
Under no conditions wanted Yua to birth a child into a world full of demons. Her and Tanjiro's children should grow up in a world without fear of them. Also, she was too young to be the mom of someone.
A big blush formed on her cheeks, which made Nezuko poke them in curiosity.
Did...did she really think she wanted to start a family with Tanjiro one day? Was she already that gone for him?
Again, love was so weird.
But beautiful.
To distract herself she braided two thin braids on each side of Nezuko's head and then together fixed them with a cherry blossom hair clip.
The demon girl cooed and touched her new hairstyle in wonder.
She was so cute, that Yua couldn’t help it and kissed Nezuko on the head. Nezuko started to purr and Yua now needed to cuddle her.
That’s how Tanjiro found them.
The two most important girls in his life are on Nezuko's bed cuddling each other.
“Hello love.”, greeted Yua with his pet name. She only used it when they were alone or with Nezuko. “Said goodbye to the others?”
“I did, dearest.”, he answered with his pet name for her. “Did you know that Kanao needed a coin to decide what to do? I hope I could help her make now-alone decisions.”
This made Yua sit up, while Nezuko still embraced her. She stroked the younger girl's hair.
“Yeah, I know it. We all just rolled with it. From what Aoi-San told me Kanao-San did not have the best childhood. You are amazing you know that. Always so helpful, I’m a disaster at these things.”
“Don’t say this.”, tutted Tanjiro, stepping towards them.
He petted his sister's hair, while he kissed his girlfriend on the forehead.
“You have your way of helping, you are kind and gentle and don’t try to deny it, I can smell it.”
Huffing Yua patted his cheek.
“Won’t say a thing. Now get dressed. We need to go.”
Tanjiro nodded and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek.
“Dearest, I like this new hairstyle, didn’t know your hair was so long.”
Grinning with a blush Yua stroked her hair. She had decided to keep the buns but left most of her hair free. Now one could see that it passed her curvy hips.
Soon the four Demon Slayer and one Demon in a Box were outside the Butterfly Mansion with Ema and her three friends.
Yua stood beside the little girls and watched how Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke blew into the big guards.
They all cheered them on, till the boys managed to make them explode!
This made the girls cheer louder.
“Amazing boys, you did it, I’m proud of you!”, congratulated them on their Senpai with a lovely smile.
The boys blushed under her praise. Some more than others.
It’s then Kiyo holds out a basket of rice balls to the four.
“Here you go.”
Tanjiro thanks her and Inosuke reaches for a rice ball, but Zenitsu stops him.
“Don’t eat it now!”
The four little girls chorus: “Please go out and defeat tons of demons.”
“We’ll do our best.”, promises Tanjiro, then he sees the Water Pillar Tomioka Giyuu and runs up to him, while Zenitsu and Yua try to stop Inosuke from eating the Rice Balls.
“Boarhead, stop it!”, shouts Yua.
“I told you not to eat it now!”, reminds him Zenitsu.
Inosuke only tells them to shut up.
An angry mark forms on Yua's head and faster than lighting she hits Inosuke on the head and catches in the some moment the basket with the rice balls. Inosuke is just a whimpering flat form on the ground. A little crater formed around him.
Zenitsu's mouth meets the floor and the little girls are in aww.
“Yua-Nee/Lady Yua is amazing!”
What strength!, thinks Zenitsu scarred to the bones. Yua-Senpai was strong when we met, but now she is a force of nature! I hope you never forget any anniversary Tanjiro or she will kill you!
Soon Tanjiro joins them, wondering where Inosuke got a new bump from, Yua innocent standing there with the basket and Zenitsu is terrified.
The red-haired boy can just smile.
Yeah, these are his precious people.
And he would do anything to protect them and Nezuko.
The Demon Slayers say goodbye to the little girls and make their way to their mission.
***
At sundown, they reach the train station.
It’s a while since Yua has been in the more modern parts of Japan, but she is excited to drive on a train for the first time.
Her excitement gets a bummer as she sees how Inosuke is freaking out about the train.
“Hey… Hey! Hey! Wha… Wh-Wha… What the hell is this creature?! I bet this is that thing! The master of this land! The ruler of this land! See how long it is? So intimidating! No mistake! It looks like it’s asleep right now, but don’t let your guard down!”
“Uh, no, it’s a train.”, deadpans Zenitsu at him and Yua the queen of Deadpanning is a tiny bit proud. “Haven’t you ever seen one before?”
“Shush! Calm down! I’ll lead the charge!”
Inosuke prepares to fight the train.
“Hold up, Inosuke!”, stops him Tanjiro.
At least her boyfriend isn’t some country bumpkin.
“Huh?”
“You never know, it might be the guardian spirit of this land. Also, you shouldn’t attack all of a sudden.”
Yua takes it back...and are these sparkles around Tanjiro?
“Tanjiro, babe...”, she says exasperated, rubbing her forehead. “A train is a vehicle for transporting people. It’s not gonna eat us.” (A sentence she would regret later)
“Both of them are country bumpkins, Yua-Senpai.”, huffs Zenitsu with crossed arms.
Well, she can’t say something against it.
It makes her feel dirty.
“Huh? A train?”, repeats Tanjiro surprised. “So is that what Kaguya was talking about?”
Suddenly Inosuke walks toward the station building, while his friends stare at him in confusion.
What is he planning now?
He charged the train and headbutted it!
“Stop it! Talk about embarrassing!”, scold Zenitsu and Yua together.
Of course, two station attendants saw all this and ran up to them. They start to shout for the police when they see all of the group's Katanas.
“MOVE IT GUYS!”, shouts Yua.
Fast she throws Tanjiro over her shoulder, while Zenitsu drags Inosuke by the arm away. They managed to hide from the station attendants and police.
The moon is raised as Zenitsu gives it to Inosuke: “Thanks to you, we went through hell, Inosuke! Say you’re sorry!”
“Huh?! In the first place, why did we have to run from the police?!”, he asked.
It’s Yua who answers him, hand on her hips. “The Demon Slayer Corps isn’t an officially recognized organization by the government. Walking in broad daylight with our Katanas out is dumb, it only gets us in trouble. We can’t tell the normal mass about demons, they would think us mad and probably look us up somewhere.“
"Even though we’re working so hard?”, ask Tanjiro a bit sad.
His girlfriend pats his shoulder.
“It can’t be helped, Tanjiro. It’s how it is. People don’t wanna know the truth about what lurks in the dark. Being ignorant is a blessing.”
“For now, let’s hide our Katana’s on our backs.”, adds Zenitsu.
The three hear how Inosuke giggles, then the wild boy stands up and shows them his back... where you can see his Katana’s clear as daylight.
All three are deadpanning. Yua feels again proud.
“You can see them. Put on some clothes, idiot.”, advises Zenitsu, still deadpanning.
However, they don’t have time to look for clothes since the train starts to drive away.
“Oh crap, they are driving away without us!”, shouts Yua.
“Are the police still around?”, asks Zenitsu.
“We’ll have to go even if they are.”, tell Tanjiro.
Like the maniac wild boy he is, Inosuke jumps out from their hidey hole and challenges the train to a race.
“Oh kami, that guy!”, shouts Yua, but races after him and the train. “Guys let’s go!”
She can hear how Tanjiro and Zenitsu follow them.
Inosuke, Yua and Tanjiro jump on the train while Zenitsu trails behind. He calls for his friends and the three manage to pull him onto the back of the train.
“Haha! Man, it’s fast!”, laughs Inosuke excitedly.
“I know what you mean.”, agreed Yua, her long midnight blue hair dancing in the wind. “That’s my first time on a train too.”
Zenitsu turned to Tanjiro asking him if it was right to bring Nezuko with them if she would be safer at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters. Tanjiro told him that it was fine and that no one would separate him and his sister.
The red-haired boy feels how someone takes his hand and squeezes it.
He doesn’t need to look to know it’s his girlfriend.
And what she is telling him with this.
I will be on your side too. Always.
He squeezes with the same feeling back.
And so the Mugen Train rolls into the night, the four Demon Slayers and a Demon Girl none wiser what nightmares they would encounter on it.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Next Chapter: UMAI! :D
Also, comments are delicious like food for me, feed me with them, feed me please I’m starving!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
So I made a pic of the passenger who entered Yua's mind and the rest of the Mochizuki family.
And as little treat how Yua looks in Inosuke’s dream.
I found a Beta-Reader the wonderful JayWalkerReal from Wattpad.
So it can happened that the chapter don’t come all two to three days but a bit later, till she corrects anything-
Hope you understand!
Now on with the Story.
Chapter 14: Beautiful Nightmares
Our four Demon Slayers enter the inside of the train.
Fascinate Yua looks around, as she had said she never had taken a train, so it was an amazing experience.
Inosuke thought the same and showing no manners like always, stormed between seat rows, scarring passengers, so he could look out the window.
“So fast! Hahahaha!”, laughed the wild boy in amazement.
“Sorry! We’re very sorry!”, said Zenitsu to the passengers and grasped Inosuke. “Forget that! Get over here, idiot!”
“So freakin’ fast! Hahahaha!”
“Boarhead, calm down. I know it’s cool, but show some manners!”, hissed Yua, as Zenitsu pulled Inosuke away from the window.
The quartet makes their way towards Rengoku.
“He’s a Hashira, right? This Rengoku person…”, ask Zenitsu Tanjiro. “Are you sure you’ll recognize his face?”
“Sure. He had this gaudy hairstyle, and I remember his scent, too.”
“That’s good to know, Tanjiro. My Aura-Sensing is useless if I don’t know what I’m looking for.”, tells Yua. “But in the next wagon is someone with a fiery Aura.”
“That could be him. I think I’ll know it’s him once we get close.”
Tanjiro prepares to open the door to the next train car. He only can open it to a slit, when all of sudden a loud shout of Delicious rattles even the windows!
This quiet shocks the four Demon Slayers.
Who has so much power in their lungs?!
They enter the train car, hearing someone shout Delicious over and over again. Yua feels a warm and fiery Aura coming from this person.
They stand now behind a young male with blond hair and red strikes in it, eating Bento’s to his heart contentment.
“Delicious!!”, again he shouts and it looks like all the Bento Boxes fly into the air!
Yua was disbelieving, (was that the Hashira?!), as was Tanjiro, while Zenitsu hides behind them and Inosuke looks curious.
“Is that the Flame Hashira guy?”, whisper-shouts Zenitsu. “Not just some random glutton?”
“The aura is in any case fiery and warm like a flame.”, answers Yua, watching in bizarre fascination how the Flame Hashira eat and shouts with any bite Delicious.
He is like a shouty black hole. She never met someone who could eat that fast and with enthusiasm.
Tanjiro tells them that this is the Flame Hashira they searched for. He tries to talk to Rengoku, but he just eats and shouts to his heart contentment.
“Uh, we really get that part already…”
“The people in Kyoto get this part, what a shout...”, mumbles Yua with crossed arms.
Two nice attendants prepare to discard a tall stack of Rengoku’s empty bento boxes, as the overhead light flickers.
“And you’re the kid from that day at the Master’s.”, say’s He finally something different and stopped eating.
Yua wasn’t sure he could.
“Yes. I’m Kamado Tanjiro.”, answers her boyfriend. ”And they are my fellow Demon Slayers, Mochizuki Yua, Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke .”
Zenitsu and Yua bow in greeting, while Inosuke just puts his hand on his hips and lets out a loud huff from his mask.
“It’s an honour to meet you, Rengoku-Sama.”, greets Yua. “Kocho-Sama only had good things to say about you.”
That her fellow Hashira was a shouty glutton she had left out.
“Now none of that young Mochizuki, we are all comrades here. Rengoku is fine.”
In agreement, Yua nods.
Then Rengoku turns back to Tanjiro.
“And inside that box there…”
“Yes. It’s my sister Nezuko.”
“Right! That demon we saw that day, huh? Since the Master has acknowledged her, I won’t say any word for now.”
The Flame Hashira pats the seat beside him.
“Have a seat here.”
So they all settle down.
Tanjiro beside Rengoku, Yua with Nezoko’s Box in the seat in front of them and Inosuke and Zenitsu settle for a seat nearby.
The wild boy is so amazed by the train that he pounds the windows, shouting how fast the lord is. Thankful Zenitsu grasps him and makes him sit down again.
“What are you four doing here? A mission?”, ask Rengoku Tanjiro and Yua, while facing forward with crossed arms.
Yua raises an eyebrow. Why isn’t the Hashira facing her or Tanjiro?
Anyway, she answers him. “My crow Kaguya gave us orders. “The casualties of the Mugen Train are increasing. Join Rengoku on site,” she said. And here we are.”
“Yes! I see now! Understood!”
He still wasn’t looking at them.
“Right.”, says Tanjiro. “Also, there’s one more thing. There’s something I wanted to ask you, Rengoku.”
In bizarre fascination, Yua watches how Tanjiro tries to get more information on the Hinokami Kagura Dance from Rengoku. They both take turns in talking so it’s like she is watching a Tennis Match.
In the end, the FLame Hashira has no idea about the Hinokami Kagura Dance.
What a bummer.
“Um, can you try to help me a little more?!”, begs him Tanjiro.
“Why aren’t you looking him in the eyes?!”, adds Yua curious. “My Kaa-Chan always said that’s super rude.”
“You should become my Tsugukos, my apprentices! I’ll look after you both!”
“Hold on a second! And just what are you looking at?!”, shouts the couple together in disbelieve.
What was going on?!
“Flame Breathing has a long history.”, begin Rengoku with a little history lesson. “In any given era, there’s always been a Flame and Water swordsman among the Hashira. Flame… Water… Wind… Stone… Thunder…Moon...Those are the fundamental breathing techniques, even if we only had one Moon Hashira till now. The other techniques were created as offshoots of those six. Mist is a fork of wind. Young Mizoguchi and Young Mochizuki! What color are your katana’s?”
“Huh?! My name is Kamado. And the colour is black.”
“Mine is white.”
“Ah, white, the Mist Hashira Katana is white too and Noritaka’s also. He is your uncle, right Young Mochizuki?”
“Erm, yes.”
“That means you have a calm and distant personality, fitting for someone who practices Moon-Breathing.”
“Erm, thank you?”
The midnight blue-haired girl wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“A black sword, huh?”, Rengoku turned to Tanjiro. “Well, isn’t that unfortunate? Hahahaha!”
“For real?”, asked Tanjiro in disbelief.
“I’ve never known a swordsman with a black sword that became a Hashira. On top of that, I hear that they have no clue which style to master. Come to me, and I’ll train you! You can rest easy now! You also Mochizuki, you will be the second Moon Hashira we have in the corps.”
“No… No, thank you! And just what are you looking at?!”, chorus Tanjiro and Yua.
Silence falls over them and Yua takes the chance to do a good Aura-Sensing of the Flame Hashira.
Yes, indeed, like she had noted before fiery and warm. Also caring and just. He really cared for her and Tanjiro and wanted to help them.
Yua decides, that Rengoku might be a bit weird, but his Aura shows clearly a good heart and soul.
Meanwhile, Inosuke tries to jump out the window to try to race the train (Idiot!) and Zenitsu tries his best to not let him jump out.
“That’s dangerous.”, warns Rengoku. “You never know when a demon might appear.”
And that was the thing Zenitsu didn’t want to hear. He thought they were travelling to the demon and not that the demon was in the train as Rengoku explains.
Of course, the blond freaks out and wants to get off.
“If you wanna jump out a driving train be my guest.”, deadpanned Yua with crossed arms. “But I don’t think you would survive it Agatsuma.”
The scarred boy only shakes and whines more in fright.
Tanjiro sends his girlfriend a look and she shrugs her shoulders.
She was just telling the truth.
Yes, but you could say it nicer, it’s clearly written in Tanjiro's face.
A train crewman enters the train car and begins walking along the aisle
“May I… see your… tickets, please?”
“What’s he doing?”, wonders Tanjiro
“The conductor is going to check your ticket and punch a hole in it.”, explains Rengoku.
The conductor punched a hole in each ticket of the Hashira and the four Demon Slayers.
When he is done with Yua, the light flickers again.
Suddenly Yua feels how her Aura-Sensing goes crazy, but before she can check what caused this all turn dark around her...
***
She is underwater.
She is drowning.
Deeper and deeper.
There was something.
Something important!
Yua tries to swim, but her arms haven’t the strength.
She sinks deeper...
***
Yua is leaning on the Nezuko box. Tanjiro leans on Rengoku and Inosuke is drapped over Zenitsu.
All of them are sleeping.
None of them knows in which danger they are now.
***
Something is tickling Yua's nose.
With a little sneeze, she wakes up and looks around.
Huh?
The sun is shining warm down on her as she lays in her family garden.
“Strange...”, she mumbles. “Wasn’t it night? Wasn’t I somewhere else?”
Confused she scratches her head. There she notes how utterly long her hair is, even her bangs now reach her hips?!
What the...?
Why did she let her hair grow this much?
It will be a huge hassle in a fight with a Demon.
“Blossom.”, calls a sweet voice for her.
Immediately tears spring into her eyes and she stands up.
No.
It can’t be.
She hadn’t heard this beloved voice since she was 14 years old.
But...but there she is.
Wavy light pink hair.
Big red eyes.
A soft lovely smile on her hips.
Wearing her favourite cherry blossom Kimono.
In her hands a little tablet with a cup of tea probably.
It’s her mother!
But mother...but mother...wasn’t she...?!
“Blossom?”, calls again Kaa-Chan worried. “Is something wrong?”
With a shout, that resembles more of a wounded animal, Yua races up to her mother and hugs her tight. The tablet with the tea fell down on the ground.
“Mama! Mama! You are here!”, cries Yua, gripping her mother so tight, scarred she would leave her. Her tears wet the kimono of her mother.
“My sweet blossom, where else would I be?”, coos Mama, hugging her back and kissing her forehead. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“Yes this must be it.”, agrees Yua, still hugging and getting hugged by her mother. “Just a long bad dream...”
***
In the real world on the Mugen Train, Yua sheds tears.
She isn’t the only one.
Tanjiro dreams of his dead family and cries about being reunited with them.
Rengoku dreams of his family, especially his beloved brother.
Zenitsu dreams of his beloved Nezuko.
Inosuke has a wild adventure with a bunny Nezuko, a deer Yua, a raccoon dog Tanjiro and a rat Zenitsu.
They don’t know and feel the five people who bind themselves to each of them with a robe so they can enter their dreams.
And kill them from within!
***
All is so perfect, Yua can’t believe it.
Grandma Junko is fine! She didn’t die when she was a little girl and is now clan head.
It was her grandfather who had died.
Good riddance.
Under Grandma Junko's lead, the Mochizuki have abandoned the Demon Slayer Corps forever and are now just a big happy family.
Everyone living their dream job.
Aunt Chiyako has opened up a dress shop in the nearest city, selling beautiful Kimono.
Uncle Hansuke helps out his wife in the shop and works as a merchant.
Cousin Taiga, the oldest, who Yua had thought die, facing a Demon, is working as a wood carver. He always liked to make them little figures out of wood, she is happy her older cousin could make out of his passion a job he liked.
Cousin Daku goes to school and it seems like he will go to the university in Tokyo! Studying Physic he likes so much.
Cousin Kaito is enjoying for now kindergarten, but he likes to build houses with his wood blocks. Maybe he will be an architect?@
Her father Haruto has opened up a bookshop, sharing his passion for books with everyone.
Her mother and she help him out with it.
Yua isn’t sure if she wants to continue her father's work, but she enjoys the tranquillity of the job.
Uncle Keitaro became a fisherman, turning his hobby into his job. He isn’t often at home, but he lives his dream.
His wife Aunt Miwa decided to stay home and raise the kids.
Sayako, her beloved pain in the butt of a cousin, has an apprenticeship with the local pharmacy and is on the best way to take it over.
Hikari enjoys also kindergarten. The youngest is still too little to have a future job in mind besides becoming a princess.
And then...there is Uncle Noritaka.
Yua grins at her favourite uncle as he cleans his face from the theatre makeup from his last show.
His uncle always wanted to be an actor.
And he was it now.
“Peach, you seem so happy, it gives me the creeps.”, jokes Noritaka, ruffling her long hair.
“I’m just so happy...we all are free from the curse of the Moon Breathing. It’s amazing!”, she chirps and hugs her uncle.
“Yeah, maybe we are egoists, but our family has done enough for the Demon Slayer Corps. They can do just fine without the cursed Moon-Breathing.”, he agrees and hugs her back.
“My bitch.”, calls Sayako for her. Her cousin enters Uncle Noritaka's bedroom with a shit-eating grin. “Your little coal lover boy is here.”
For a second Yua doesn’t get what Sayako means-
***
She opens her eyes.
She is underwater again.
Something is wrong!
Something is wrong!
She needs to get out of the water!
It only drags her down more...
***
-Till she remembers again.
Oh right, her love Tanjiro.
Tanjiro and his family moved two years ago and started to sell coal around the city and to them.
They had become friends and now after years of pinning a couple.
“Thanks, you slut!”, she gives Sayako a kiss and runs out of the house.
There is Tanjiro waiting for her with Nezuko on his side, enjoying the warm sun.
...Something is not right.
Something tells her Nezuko shouldn’t be out of the sun.
Then her future sister-in-law smiles at her and she forgets the thought.
“Yua-Nee, nice seeing you.”
Both girls hug each other before Yua kisses Tanjiro's cheek and the couple embrace.
“Hello, love.”
“Hello, darling.”
“Okay, I will let you be happy for half an hour and then we need to get going alright, Nii-San.”
“Thanks, Nezuko.”, the couple chores and doesn’t even look how the other Kamado enters the Mochizuki Mansion.
They both are more invested in each other.
Their lips met a tender and passionate kiss.
***
Yume herself wouldn’t say she is bad.
Yes her actions are bad.
However, she isn’t bad.
Born from a prostitute mother, who stayed pregnant with her, a child with natural blond hair, she hadn’t had an easy life.
Her mother was abusive.
She saw in her the foreigner she had made Yuma with.
The foreigner who had promised her to take her away to the far land of England to marry and raise their child together.
All men were the same.
Only promise and nothing following up.
Yume had experienced the same.
Thanks to her exotic looks the boys swarmed her.
And she listened to their promises.
Opened her legs.
She had her first child at 13.
Thankful it was a stillbirth.
Or her mother would have killed her to bring another mouth to feed at home.
Then she ran away because she couldn’t take any more of the hate of her mother and did the same job as her.
Used, used and used.
The blond was only a thing to play for people.
Then a client gave her Syphilis.
And her life would have been over, hadn’t she heard about the Mugen Train.
She didn’t have the money for the cure, so dying in a beautiful dream sounded way better.
That’s why she helped the demon.
The blond-haired woman watched emotionless behind a tree how the female Demon Slayer dreamed about being together with the red-haired Demon Slayer.
All been cutesy and coupley together.
Something she never had the luck to experience.
It disgusted her.
Silently she turned around and searched for the border of the dream and the subconscious. She found it at the edge of the little Wisteria Forest.
With an ice pick, she destroyed the border and entered the subconscious.
In it, all air left her lungs.
What kind of subconscious was that?
The floor was silver with graters, and over her a bright night sky with a million stars, the sun shining warm down on her.
Yuma walked around.
Where was the spiritual core? Only if she destroyed it, the demon slayer girl would die and she would get her dream from the demon.
This landscape was so alien, yet so incredibly beautiful.
“I’m...on the moon?”, asked Yume herself.
It made sense somehow.
She seemed to walk for ages.
A never-ending silver landscape, only the sun taking vigil over her.
Then she found it finally.
The spiritual core.
It was all silver and white, reminding her of a pearl.
“Beautiful.”, she gasped. “A shame I have to destroy it.”
She raises the Ice Pick ready to stab it!-
***
Yua is floating down in the water, till all of sudden her Aura Sensing goes crazy.
She opens her eyes and screams!
The water vanishes.
***
The intruder in Yua's subconscious never gets to change to stab the spiritual core, since the floor breaks under her and she falls screaming into the darkness.
***
With a jerk, Yua wakes up.
Huffing she blinks frantically with her eyes.
She is back on the Mugen Train.
What the heck had this all been?
“Yua!”
“Mmh!”
The girl looks up and sees Tanjiro and Nezuko awake. Rengoku is in the background, still sleeping, choking some random girl, while Zenitsu and Inosuke sleep too.
“Tanjiro! Nezuko!”
She rises from her seat and hugs her boyfriend and her future sister-in-law. They hug her back just as tight.
“What is going on?”, ask Yua them.
Her boyfriend explains how they got pulled into a Blood Demon Art thanks to the train tickets. Then the people who hang them with robes have also a demon smell on them. They surely were sent into their dreams to harm them in a way.
Nezuko burns Yua's robes and then after Tanjiro asks her she burns the others because Yua notes that it would surely be a bad idea to just cut the robes.
They had a very strange aura around them.
So the two awake Demon Slayers try to wake up their sleeping comrades.
Tanjiro tries to shake Zenitsu awake, while Yua just slaps Inosuke. Hard.
“Okay, not even my bitch-slap helps.”, notes Yua dry.
What should they do?
What could they do?
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
My loves I’m sorry the chapter came out so late. I had written the first version but forgot to save it. *facepalm*
Then it needed to be Beta-Read.
But here you have it now. :D
Check out my DeviantArt or Wattpad to see some AI Pics of Yua ^^
Chapter 15: Lower and Upper Moon
Long the couple can’t try to wake up their friends, since they get attacked!
Thankful both Yua and Tanjiro sensed it by a mile and jumped to safety with Nezuko.
The one who attacked them was a girl in a green kimono with two braids holding an ice pick.
What the...?
“What are you doing?!”, shouts Tanjiro confused.
Why is a human attacking them?
“Get out of our way!”, growls Braids. “Thanks to you guys, we won’t be able to have dreams!”
Soon she is joined by a boy, and two other females, one being blond, the other wearing a bow in her hair.
Are they controlled by the demon...or acting on their own free will?
“What do you think you’re doing? If you’re awake, you’d better help us out!”, yells Braids to a sickly-looking boy. So they do it of their own free will, but why wonders Yua? “You may have tuberculosis or whatever, but if you don’t do your job, I’m going to tell him, and then he won’t show you any dreams, you hear me?!”
Ah, the man is sick and his fellow passage might be too or have another tragedy they want to forget in the beautiful dreams the Demon creates.
Yua and Tanjiro share a glance.
They can understand them, however...
“Sorry. We have to go fight.”, says Tanjiro for them.
Fast as lighting the couple takes out the four hostile passengers with a chop on the neck. Only the sickly boy remains.
The couple looks sad down at the fainted passenger. This was not fun at all.
“You want to stay inside a happy dream, don’t you? I know. I wanted to stay inside my dream, too. If only this was the dream…”, signs Tanjiro.
Fast Nezuko run up to her brother, as Yua takes her boyfriend's hand.
“I understand you Tanjiro, but my mother once told me happiness and tragedy are the same sides of a coin. Without tragedy we wouldn’t know happiness, without happiness, we wouldn’t endure tragedy. The world is cruel and yet so beautiful.”
Her boyfriend gifts her a soft smile, tears sparkling in his eyes.
“Thanks, Yua, I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime.”
Then they turn to the sickly boy asking him if he is alright. He seems okay, even thankful, from what Yua can sense of his Aura. He won’t attack them.
He even wishes them Good Luck.
Whatever he experienced in Tanjiro's dream/soul/subconscious changed him.
The young woman could understand this well, Tanjiro already changed her a lot first with his friendship, now with his love.
With Nezuko they leave the cart in search of the demon.
Out of it, Tanjiro can smell him and Yua feels the demonic Aura formally twisting in the air.
Surprisingly, they didn’t sense that demon before.
“Tanjiro, I bet with you this must be one of the 12 Moons.”, shares Yua her theory. “We have to be careful from here on.”
“Right! Nezuko, don’t come here! Stay away from us and wait! Go wake everyone up!”
As the demon girl does as her brother says, the couple swings themselves onto the roof of the train car.
They run along the roofs, till they find the suit-wearing demon with a bobcut.
He turns to them, in his eyes are the Kanji for Lower Moon 1.
At least not an Upper Moon.
The Demon is surprised to see them and even has the gall to greet them friendly with a Good Morning.
Both Demon Slayers get their Katanas ready.
“Why did you two wake up? Didn’t I show you sweet dreams?”, wonders Lower Moon 1. “I could’ve shown you a dream where your families were being slaughtered. Would you have liked that one better? No, of course not. Too distressing, right? All right, next… why don’t I show you a dream where your father comes back to life? And you girl I show a dream of the sibling you always desired.”
“Don’t you dare intrude on our souls! I won’t let you… get away with this!”, shoots Tanjiro back.
“You disgust me.”, states Yua simply.
That’s when the Lower Moon notes the Hanafuda-Earrings of Tanjiro. He gets all excited since the Demon King told him to kill Hashira and Tanjiro. He talks about how he will get more blood from his master if he brings him their heads so he can challenge an Upper Moon for their position.
“Enough with the monologue!”, decides Yua and starts to run up to the Demon. Her attacks work best close to the enemy.
Tanjiro behind her gets ready to with Water Breathing… Tenth Form… Constant Flux which forms a giant water dragon that follows him.
Lower Moon One counters them with his Blood Demon Art....and Yua is back in the dream Mochizuki Estate.
“Damn it!”, shouts the midnight blue-haired beauty. “How can I wake up again? Before, something triggered my Aura-Sensing, maybe like this...?”
She concretes and tries to feel for Tanjiro's familiar, warm, beloved Aura and the repulsing, narcotic Aura of the Lower Moon.
It takes her a few seconds, but she wakes up.
Yua is sitting on the roof and watches how Tanjiro decapitates the demon.
However, she jumps up and gets herself battle-ready.
He didn’t turn to ash.
This is not a good sign.
“Tanjiro, get ready!”, she alarms her boyfriend. “This is isn’t over yet!”
And she was right as a mass of flesh forms under the Lower Moon Heads.
Cackling the demon tells them how the body they saw, wasn’t his body anymore and he managed to fusion with the train.
Now he makes clear how the passengers in the train aren’t not only his food but his hostages.
He formally challenges them to protect them all from him.
Tanjiro tries again to decapitate him, but sadly the head and mass just vanish into the train.
“Tanjiro, you go after the Demon, I will take care of the wagons!”, tells Yua her plan.
Her boyfriend looks astonished at her.
“Yua, these are too many wagons for you alone to protect! You can’t keep an eye on the whole train.”
She grits her teeth. He is right of course.
“Yes, but I can protect at least 5 alone, this is better than nothing. Someone of us needs to go and end the Demon or this nightmare never ends.”
Anyone could see on Tanjiro's face how he didn’t like this plan, yet what else could they do?
They were only in two.
However, it seemed the kami wanted to help them.
A train roof breaks open and Inosuke jumps out of it!
“Follow me, damn minions! All right! Explosive awakening!”, hollers the wild boy. “Comin’ through! Lord Inosuke’s comin’ through!”
It’s like a giant weight falls from their heart.
At least they are in three now.
“Inosuke! It’s not safe anywhere on the train anymore! We have to protect the sleeping passengers!”, informs Tanjiro. “This whole train’s turned into a demon! Can you hear me? This whole train is a demon!”
“I knew it! So, I was right on the money! That means I was a total stud as a leader!”
“Yes, yes, now help us to protect the passengers!”, deadpans Yua.
You don’t have to tell this the wild boy twice and he jumps back down the hole he came from. They hear how he slices something fleshy.
Yua lays a hand on Tanjiro and makes me take some steps.
“Inosuke can alone protect the two. You go five wagons up. I will take care of them.”
Her boyfriend nods, squeezes her hand and starts running.
Elegant Yua kicks in a window and gets inside the carriage.
Already it’s consumed in the flesh mass and fleshy-like tentacles reach for the passenger.
Like she is a whirlwind Yua cuts through any tentacles she sees. She runs her five wagons up and down, cutting tentacles on her way, using her Breathing Style in the best and most efficient way.
She feels at one point a thunderclap, this surely means Zenitsu is awake now too.
But she can’t miss a bit or her passenger are meals!
So she continues with her task.
Suddenly an explosion gets off, sending Yua tumbling. She can catch herself in the last moment.
“What the???”, she asked out loud confused.
What was that?
“Young Mochizuki!”, yells surprisingly Rengoku in her ear and okay she jumped a little.
The Flame Hashira stands beside her, grinning.
“I see, you protected five wagons on your own. The yellow guy and the demon girl are taking care of the three. I shall proceed with the remaining five. Young Mochizuki, let me tell you how proud I am of you and I will pledge to our Master to make you a Hashira.”
The young woman doesn’t even get a word out before Rengoku vanishes as fast as he came.
Blinking she looks at the dust cloud and writhing tentacles he left behind.
Slowly she registered what he said to her.
“THANK YOU!”, she shouts back, then gets back to her work.
If she had to tell you, You couldn’t tell you how long and how many times she ran up and down her five wagons sliced up tentacles.
It seemed like an eternity.
Then all hell broke loose!
A giant explosion occurred and the train jumped off the trails.
Gritting her teeth, trying to stay on top, Yua has her hands full with keeping her passenger safe and sound. She uses some of her Breathing Techniques to catch them or to destroy harmful things.
Finally, the train stops!
“Oh thank Tsukuyomi!”, she gasps happily.
She was getting worried she couldn’t keep up anymore.
Careful she checks on her passengers. Slowly she helps them up, gives the wounded First Aid and then helps them get out of the train.
Out of the train, Yua lets out a deep breath, looking up in the sky. The sun will be up soon and it seems the Lower Moon is history.
This long nightmare has found an end.
Now she can try to find her precious people.
The first ones she finds are Nezuko and Zenitsu sleeping side by side near the train. After checking that both of them are alright, she lays her dark blue haori with the big crescent moon on the lower sleeve over them.
She will let Zenitsu sleep, he isn’t touching Nezuko in any way that isn’t okay, so she will let them.
Next, she meets Inosuke and he tells her all about how he and Tanjiro managed to behead the Demon Train.
Then he tells her that her boyfriend is wounded.
And from Yua, you only see a dust cloud.
Inosuke runs after her.
However, the closer she gets where Tanjiro is, the more she feels Rengoku Aura, wild and fiery, against a powerful demonic Aura.
No...it can’t be.
After the Lower Moon an Upper Moon appeared?!
The young woman ran faster!
She needs to check on Tanjiro and help Rengoku!
Together with Inosuke she reaches Tanjiro and sees Rengoku against the Upper Moon fighting.
Yua kneels, helping Tanjiro sit upright.
They look into each other eyes, they don’t need words to tell the other that they are okay or in Tanjiro's case okay-ish.
Then she stands up and wants to unsheathe her Katana like Inosuke, but Rengoku calls out to them: “Stay where you are! If that wound reopens, it’ll be fatal! Stand back!”
“But Rengoku-San!”, protested Yua.
“That’s an order! Mochizuki, you hear me?!”
Gripping her Katana Yua doesn’t know what to do. Can she help Rengoku? He told her he saw a Hashira in her, but now he wants her to stay out of the fight.
What should she do?
Meanwhile, the Upper Moon mocks Rengoku telling him he shouldn’t waste his time with weaklings.
Upper Moon moves to hit Rengoku’s eye, but Rengoku knocks him back. Rengoku slices at the Demon again. The two are locked in battle, and Rengoku sends Upper Moon flying into the forest. He goes after him.
The three younger Demon Slayers call out for Rengoku as he comes flying out of the forest!
“Rengoku!”
“Ol’ Google-eyes!”
“Rengoku-San!”
The Upper Moon tries to sway Rengoku to his side, he should become a Demon, but, Rengoku makes clear that he won’t.
They fight longer and harder.
Yua shakes from nerves.
It was to stay down, but...she had a feeling if she didn’t help Rengoku he would die!
What should she do?
After a long and hard beat down, both opponents jump away from each other.
With the last attack, it seemed Rengoku got the demon.
“Ohh… Did he do it? Did he win?!”. ask Inosuke.
The only girl checks the Aura of Rengoku and gasps.
“Oh no!”
“Oh no? What’s wrong Yuna?!”
She doesn’t need to answer as drops of blood stream down Rengoku and he breathes heavily.
“Okay, enough!”
She ignores Tanjiro and Inosuke shouts to not do it as she runs up to Rengoku and the demon.
Surprised the demon looks at her and...is that hesitation in his eyes?
Whatever, Yua will stop!
“Moon Breathing! Sixth Form: Everlasting Night, Populous Moon, Intermittent!”
She rapidly performs a multitude of curved slashes several meters in front of her that release a wild barrage of crescent moon blades capable of slicing up the surroundings.
The Upper Moon can dodge some of her blades and heal himself, however, he doesn’t attack her.
Why?
“Young lady, my fight is not with you.”, tells her the demon. “Please, leave.”
“You made it my fight when you attacked my Senpai!”, she growls and runs up to him.
She tried to slash him, but he only dodged her, never attacking.
What is going on?
“Why aren’t you fighting back?!”, she shouts. “I’m not worth it, you sexist demon?!”
The Demon grits his teeth.
“I don’t fight nor do I eat woman. This goes against my code!”
“You are a demon, an Upper Moon! And you tell me you have an honor code?!”, she screams, slashing widely, getting a few cuts in. “If you don’t fight back your head will be mine!”
He jumps back from the big slash she wanted to perform on his head, while Yua again uses her Moon Breathing.
“Moon Breathing! Tenth Form: Moon shines on the Bambus Cutter!”
She creates three rotating circular saw-like slashes with crescent moon blades following their path.
They managed to cut the arms off the Upper Moon, so she jumped high in the air, aiming for the head, while he dodged the saw-like slashes.
Her Katana finds his neck!
Yua growls and tries to sink it deeper.
It slices a quarter of the neck.
The Upper Demon, also known as Akaza, knows if he doesn’t do something the young woman will take his head!
But he doesn’t hurt women.
Never will he do this!
And the sun is nearly up! he thinks rapidly. I will be as gentle as possible...
Surprised Yua feels how the Demon grips her under her arms and throws her away. He throws her so away that she lands in a bush, not hurting at all.
“What the hell?!”
“He is running away!”, yells Inosuke.
Yua tries to get out of the bush, however, the branches are twisted in her clothes.
The Upper Moon got away.
Angry Yua lets out a scream.
***
The Kakushi have finally arrived and are giving all the Demon Slayer First Aid before they move them to the Butterfly Mansion.
Rengoku, Yua, Tanjiro and Inosuke lay side by side to get the treatment.
The sun shines warm down on them.
“That was dumb and unnecessarily risky if you, young Mochizuki!”, scolds her Rengoku. “You have gone against my orders.”
“With all due respect Senpai, but you weren’t anymore cable of fighting and I will be damned if one of my brother or sister-in-arms dies when I can prevent it.”, rebuts Yua.
She feels how Tanjiro grips her hand to calm her down.
“Young Mochizuki I respect your passion and blazing heart for your comrades, but you have gone against my order!”
“You would have done the same for us!”, she shouts back, which makes Rengoku stop. “It said that People who don’t follow the rules are trash, but I think the one who doesn’t help his friends is worse than trash!”
It’s still for a few minutes, only the Kakushi talking, before Rengoku lets out a quiet laugh. “I suppose you are right, young Mochizuki. My worries for you young ones have made me forget how we all would lay down our lives for our friends. You will make a formidable Hashira.”
A little blush forms on her cheeks and she thanks him.
“I’m happy that we all are fine!”, cries Zenitsu who sits beside them with Nezuko's box. “After a Lower Moon and an Upper Moon, this was too much.”
“At least we all are alive and none of the passengers die.”, adds Tanjiro, also crying.
Loving Yua strokes the back of the hand with her thumb.
“Still, I wonder why the ball head didn’t want to fight Yuka.”
“Maybe we will never find out this, young Boar Boy, but we all did our best. I don’t think I can be Hashira for some time with only one eye left, I have to adapt to that, so I think young Mochizuki here will be an amazing addition to us.”
“You honour me with your words, Senpai. If Oyakata-Sama makes me a Hashira I will thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s all nice and stuff.”, interrupts Sayako in her Kakushi uniform. “But you guys are ready for the Butterfly Mansion, you can be sappy there.”
“It’s always a joy with you, Yako.”
“Just telling how it is YuYu. Just telling how it is.”
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Rengoku is alive, Rengoku is alive!
He will be out for a while as Demon Slayer but I think when we get to Infinity Castle he will be back :D
This is the first big canon divergent of the story, let’s see what else will change.
Until next time my loves!
Here are the Pics!
Maiden of the Moon
What if Kokushibo had a pupil, whom he taught the original Moon Breathing before he deserted the Demon Slayer Corps?
Mochizuki Yua was born only for these reasons: To become a Hashira and make her family a respected one in the Demon Slayer Corps.
But if you only live for the expectations of others, who are YOU truly?
What will it take to find yourself?
A long, hard journey awaits.
!!!!PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
Chapter 16: Hashira
Yua’s heart was beating so fast, that she felt it in her whole body.
Nervous sweat was forming on her forehead, and her hands felt clammy, as she sat in perfect seiza before Oyakata-Sama.
The head of the Demon Slayer Corps just gave her a gentle smile.
It did calm her down a bit.
“My child.”, began he in his soothing voice. “Since you have become part of the Corps you have been an incredible swordsman. Bringing honour to the corps and your family. I heard what outstanding progress you even made these last months. You may be even stronger than dear Noritaka.”
The young woman bowed in thanks to Oyakata-Sama.
“You honour me, Master. It did what was right. Protect humanity and the people who are dear to me from the Demon Treat.”
“You did outstanding well. I fear we would have lost Kyoujurou if it wasn’t for you. Mochizuki Yua, your strength and determination are admirable. So it’s my great honour to raise you to the Rank of Hashira. The second Moon Hashira we ever had. Do you accept this honour and the duties it comes with?”
For a second Yua closed her eyes.
This was it.
This is what she had worked on her whole life.
First only to make her Grandfather proud and accept her, however, she had started to think for herself.
Thanks to Tanjiro and all the friends she had made.
There was only one answer.
***
Tired Yua opened the door of the Butterfly Mansion.
The whole Mugen Train Mission had been a whole week ago and she may not have any heavy wounds, but she had still had strained herself.
The neck of an Upper Moon was hard!
She was happy to be back at the Butterfly Mansion to get cures and rehabilitation training. She would need it.
“It’s really quiet.”, she noted out loud.
Normally at dinner time, you would hear Inosuke and Rengoku shouting over each other for food/how delicious the food was and Aoi-San chastising them.
Not even Shinobu-Sama's laughter could be heard.
Confused she took off her white-silvery booths and walked to the Dining Room.
Why was it dark in there?
“Hello anyone there?”, she called into it.
Then suddenly the lights flicked on and you could hear loud shouts of Congratulations from every corner.
Astonished Yua looked at the people inside the dining room.
Ema and her friends were holding up a banner with Welcome New Hashira. Aoi, Kanao and a woman with pink-green hair had sparklers in their hands. Shinobu-Sama and the Water Hashira were applauding, while Tanjiro, Rengoku, Inosuke and Zenitsu were throwing confetti into the air. Nezuko was waving around with two little flags with her face on it.
“What the?!”, Yua couldn’t help but shout and laugh at the same time.
“We already heard the news!”, called Shinobu-Sama over, as Yua was stormed by the little girls and Nezuko in a hug. “This is a little party for our newest Hashira!”
“Oh my Tsukuyomi you guys are crazy!”
“You deserved it, young Mochizuki!”, laughed Rengoku.
The little girls chorused a big yeah.
Yua laughed, hugged them and then Nezuko took her hand.
Her sister-in-law dragged her into the room.
In one instant she found herself in the embrace of the unknown pink-green-haired woman.
“Aww, it’s so great to meet you, Yua-Chan!”, cooed the woman. “I’m Kanroji Mitsuri or just Mitsuri the Love Hashira! I heard only good things from Shinobu-Chan and Kyoujurou-Senpai about you! I hope we can be good friends!”
Kanroji Mitsuri made her title Love Hashira all honour, Yua could see it in her pink and red Aura how sincere and loving she was.
She hugged her back.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mitsuri-Chan. I would love to be your friend.”
A little happy Kyaah came out of Mitsuri and she hugged her tighter.
After they let go of each other Shinobu with the Water Hashira stood before her.
The Water Hashira made a little bow in her direction.
He introduced himself as Tomioka Giyuu and gave her his congratulations.
She returned the bow, hoping they would work well together as Hashira.
Then Aoi with Kanao hugged her, Kanao managed even to congratulate her all alone without throwing her coin, which made Yua proud of her.
Rengoku, with his now eyepatch, ruffled her hair and told her he couldn't wait to work with her.
Finally, she reached Tanjiro and the guys.
In the loving arms of her boyfriend, Yua felt at home.
Tanjiro chastely kissed her cheek, telling her how proud of her was and he knew she would become a Hashira.
Nearly anyone in the room awed at them.
Zenitsu and Inosuke gave their congratulations too and finally, they all could sit down to celebrate.
Shinobu-Sama told her to drop the Sama. The Insect Hashira told her the other Hashira couldn’t come, but they sent their congratulations too and would surely meet her in the next few days.
Yua accepted it, what else could she do, Aoi served the food.
The dinner party was filled with laughter and joy. Yua couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such wonderful friends and colleagues.
She had always been a bit of a loner, but since meeting Tanjiro and his friends, she had found a sense of belonging that she had never experienced before.
As they ate and talked, the grey-eyed girl felt herself relaxing for the first time in a week.
The mission on the Mugen Train had been incredibly intense, and she had pushed herself to her limits to protect her friends. But now, surrounded by people who cared about her, she could finally let go of some of that tension.
After dinner, they all gathered in the courtyard to watch fireworks.
Mitsuri had brought them as a surprise for Yua's promotion, and they were absolutely beautiful.
As they exploded overhead, Yua felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.
She was so grateful for everything that had led her to this moment - for her family’s teachings (Besides her Grandfather with his toxins), for Tanjiro's kindness and support, and for all the friends she had made along the way.
As the night wore on and everyone started to drift off to home and/or to bed, Yua found herself walking hand-in-hand with Tanjiro through the gardens behind the mansion. They stopped by a koi pond and watched as the fish swam lazily through the water.
"I'm so proud of you," Tanjiro said softly, breaking their comfortable silence.
Yua smiled down at him. "Thank you."
"You know," he continued after a moment. "I never really believed in fate or destiny or anything like that before I met you."
The girl raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"But now," he went on, "I can't help but feel like we were meant to find each other. Like our paths were always leading us here."
“You know what made me accept being a Hashira? It was the dream I had on the Mugen Train.”, she confessed.
Surprised Tanjiro looked up at her, leaning his head on her shoulder.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“I dreamed of a world where no one in my family had to be a Demon Slayer anymore. All were so happy living their dreams. You and Nezuko were there too, your family also living the best life. I wasn’t sure what I would do, but I know I wanted to be at your side and find out who I am.”
“You were in my dream too.”, he confessed also. “You and your father had left the Mochizuki to live a simple life. You seemed so happy just to live normal.”
Grinning she kissed his temple.
“This sounds nice, but what I wanted to say is this. All my life I was told I had to become a Hashira to clean the Mochizuki name from the sins of our ancestors. I didn’t believe in the Demon Slayer Cause, because for me it just was a task I had to finish. Now after I saw what a world without demons could be...Now that’s my dream. To kill every last demon so that my family can be free and live their life how they want. To be free myself and choose the path I want to walk in life. That we all are free from them and can live simple but good lives!”
She felt how Tanjiro lay a hand on her cheek, so he could turn her head down to kiss her lips.
They shared a soft, tender kiss.
“This sounds wonderful, dearest.”, told her Tanjiro. “Besides making Nezuko human again, I want this too.”
“So we walk this way together?”
“Of course!”
Laughing their lips found each other again.
The star twinkled and the moon shone softly down on them.
They continued to walk, hand-in-hand, through the gardens, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
As they strolled along, Yua couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over her. She had achieved her dream of becoming a Hashira, and she was surrounded by people who loved and cared for her.
It was a feeling she never wanted to let go of.
As they neared the end of the garden path, Tanjiro stopped and turned to face her. "Yua," he said softly, taking both her hands in his. "I know we've been through a lot together already, but I want you to know that I'm here for you no matter what happens."
She looked down at him with a pretty smile on her red lips.
"I know," she whispered. "And I'm here for you too."
He smiled at her and leaned in for another kiss, this one more passionate than the last. They stayed like that for a few moments before breaking apart and continuing on their way.
As they walked back towards the mansion, Yua felt more confident than ever before. She knew that there would be challenges ahead as a Hashira, but she also knew that with Tanjiro by her side, anything was possible.
Together they would fight to rid the world of demons and create a better future for all those they held dear.
As they walked into the warm glow of the Butterfly Mansion's lights, Yua knew that this was where she belonged - among friends and family who loved and supported her every step of the way.
***
Dear Father,
I’m terribly sorry that I couldn’t write sooner or come home.
The family probably heard how I was raised in Hashira four months ago.
I bet grandfather is gleeful, but I took the position not for him, but for us all.
That one day no Mochizuki has to take a Katana in his hand and fight demons.
With the help of my love and friends, we will rid this world of demons!
I promise you this.
Since I’m a Hashira now, I get the toughest missions in the Corps.
Sometimes alone, sometimes with other Hashira’s.
I found good friends in them like the Love Hashira Kanroji Mitsuri and others who are a special breed like Shinazugawa Sanemi. That guy has no eyebrows, it freaks me a bit out.
But mostly I get along with my Hashira colleagues.
I always return back to the Butterfly Mansion for cures and rehabilitation training, before going back out on missions.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke are also back in action.
When we all are back together we train like crazy.
The boys are getting stronger with every day.
I’m proud of them.
Kyoujurou-Senpai has returned home to be with his brother and teach himself swordsmanship with one eye.
It will take a while before he can fight demons again, however, I’m sure he will manage.
The day Tanjiro visited him to search for more clues about the Hinokami Kagura Dance had been something.
Your future son-in-law headbutted the ex-Flame Hashira, Kyoujurou-Senpai's father because he had talked bad about his children.
At least we learned a little more about the Hinokami Kagura, who apparently is Sun-Breathing the first-ever breathing technique from which all others come.
Did you know this?
It’s so crazy to think about it.
Anyway, I hope at home all is good.
When I can manage I will come back with Tanjiro to visit you all.
I miss you all so much.
Besides Grandfather, but you know this.
I will wait for an answer with a hopeful heart.
With Love, your daughter
***
Frowning Yua stared at the letter she had written.
It seemed so little, however, she couldn’t tell more about her missions.
Being a Hashira include also being secretive.
Kaguya beside her on the desk cawed.
“You are right my princess.”, mussed Yua, giving the bird pats. “More I can’t do, it’s a wonder that I’m able to write finally a letter. So, off you go.”
She gave her trusted crow the letter and Kaguya flew towards the Mochizuki Estate.
Signing Yua leaned on the chair she was sitting on.
She was as only one from their little group back in the Butterfly Mansion.
The midnight blue-haired beauty hadn’t seen her boyfriend in a good three days, she formally ached for him.
Blushing she scratched a cheek of her.
They were now together for a good six months...Yua felt that she was ready to go the next big step with Tanjiro...they already started to get more handsy with each other...should she talk with him about this matter when he returned?
That’s when she heard a loud ruckus coming from outside the Mansion.
“What the?”, she grasped her Katana and ran out of the room.
As she came nearer the ruckus, she felt familiar Aura’s.
“Tengen?”, she mumbled confused. “What is he doing here, where are his wives?”
Also, she noted happily that Tanjiro and Nezuko were back, as Zenitsu and Inosuke.
“What is going on!”, she shouted as she finally was outside.
The picture before her was priceless.
Ema and her friends hissed at Tengen's pervert. Aoi seemed ready to murder someone, Kanao was unsure but standing protective before the other Butterfly Mansion girls.
Her boyfriend and her two male friends had drawn their Katana at Tengen, while the former Shinobi just deadpanned at them.
“Oh Yua, it’s you.”, greeted her Tengen. “I actually want to have you with me on this mission with these three unflashy guys.”
“What mission and where are you wives?”, she asked back confused.
“The number one spot in Japan that’s dripping with lust and desire, a super-flashy place… the Entertainment District where demons reside.”
Why did Yua get the feeling that it would be a really hard mission?
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