Chapter Text
The journey to Murata village was long. Your trio had been walking since sun rise and the sun had long since set. You were tired and you wanted to stop for something more to eat, but you had a rendezvous to make. There was a shrine not too far from the village. The corps had received word that someone had survived a mass murder at that shrine and was looking to give more intel in person. The higher ups had reason to believe that it had something to do with the demon moons, so it was your task to gather information and take down the culprit.
You were no stranger to endurance missions. After all, long runs were part of the demon slayer corps training. You often had days when you sparred for hours on end without eating too, so being physically tired wasn’t the issue here; emotional fatigue was.
In your group were Captain Togata, leader of the reconnaissance unit, and another trainee, Kyojuro Rengoku. You had both started the corps at around the same time and you whilst you weren't quite strangers that didn't necessarily make you friends either. You were often training in the same room or eating at the same table, but you hadn't spoken aside from the odd “hi” and “bye”. He was the sort with red hot ambition, his drive made you work harder. You already had much to prove to both your father, who disapproved of you joining the slayers, and to the people of japan. You were a rare case after all, a foreigner. But Rengoku didn’t treat you that way. You sparred together as equals, competing to the best of your ability regardless of whom you were or where you were from. At some point you began to develop an internal sense of competition towards him. His blazing energy made you want to work harder. So whenever you had the chance, you'd do one more push up than him or run an extra mile than he did. Today was no different. In your heart, you'd decided that if Rengoku slayed ten demons, you'd just have to slay twelve.
Captain Togata led both of you up the hill, stopping at the summit to observe the landscape ahead of you. There was a small village with a single bonfire burning brightly towards the rear.
"Alright you two, see that river running by the city gates? That's where we're meeting our agent." He explained, drawing the route through town in the air. "They'll tell us what's happening in that shrine."
"Quick question," You raised your hand "Isn't it strange that we're meeting someone for information on the demon? I thought we received intel at headquarters before heading in. What if this is a trap?"
"All the more reason to look into it!” Rengoku replied with his usual bright tone.
"Right, it's our job as demon slayers to handle these things so civilians don't have to." Togata smiled proudly. "But that was a good question. Your perceptiveness is improving ______."
A smug grin spread across your face. Perception was definitely one of your strongest points. That was one thing you had over Rengoku. You looked over at him with a cocky grin only to receive a bright, cheery one in return. Admittedly, it threw you off. Usually, when you’d show off about your victories you’d be met with some kind of retaliation but Rengoku seemed genuinely happy for you. You shook it off as the three of you continued down towards the city as the sun nestled beneath the horizon. Aside from the small bonfire, there were no other lights and the evening air was quiet.
Too quiet.
You rested your hand on the hilt of your blade. There didn't seem to be any wisteria candles burning. You couldn’t smell incense in the air either. You did however have very sharp hearing.
"Is it just me," You spoke low and quiet, eyeing the surroundings "or are there more than just leaves in the trees."
Rengoku’s expression hardened. He stopped walking, intently eyeing down the horizon.
Togata assumed his stance, looking over his shoulder at you both his rich green eyes intent as he spoke. "Both of you listen carefully. No matter what happens you need to get to the rendezvous spot before the moon reaches its highest point. I'll stay here and handle this, mean while you-"
His final words trailed off into bloody choking as flesh and blood splattered across the floor. Had the wind not taken his cloak, you wouldn’t have believed what was happening. A demon thrice your size and equally wide towered over him. Its disfigured fist had ruptured through his spine taking some organs with it. Fear like you’d never felt before overtook you, circling you like a ravenous beast holding you captive. People died on missions, that was a given. But when someone died in front of you, and their innards lay strewn at your feet you were paralysed. You took two small steps backwards. Your eyes darted between the demon and the life slowly leaving your captain eyes. Your pulse blared loudly in your ears blocking out all other noise until;
"______!"
Rengoku charged forward. The sound of his blade colliding with the demons claws snapped you out of your trance. "_______, go!" He yelled "Get to the rendezvous point!"
Your throat was dry and weak as your voice clawed through the shock "W-what about you?"
"Don’t worry about me, I'll handle this and then follow behind you."
You nodded and steeled your resolve. Rengoku could handle this. You believed in him. He was much faster than the demon in front of him. He could handle it. In the meantime, you had to handle the rendezvous. If you missed the rendezvous window, this whole trip would be in vain.
Without hesitation you took off, securing your sword in your belt. The closer you got to the village, the stranger the whole situation felt. There were no candles lit. All the curtains were drawn. And there wasn't the faintest smell of wisteria. You slowed your pace as you neared the fenced gates. The untreated wood seemed to crumble the second you broke pace. Even if it was the dead of night, there was usually some kind of night watch in small villages, yet here there was nothing. You clutched at your sword, unsheathing it slightly. It seemed it was just you and the wind.
As you drew towards the south gate, you saw a figure. It was tall and slim and hidden behind a tree near to the river. That must have been the rendezvous agent. You quickly approached them, calling as you got closer.
"Excuse me, are you the one who asked for the demon slayer corps?"
But they didn't reply. They barely even moved. The wind wasn't strong enough to stop your voice reaching them so you called again. With your least dominant hand you tapped them. The body was cold and limp. Almost as soon as you made contact they fell down, crumbling into a lifeless pile beneath the moonlight.
"A corpse....?" You nudged it with the end of your sword. It seemed that person had been gone for a while. You knitted your brows closely together. The dead body, the empty village and even information that was offered to you, it must have all been fake. "Those demons have gotten real crafty to form a set up like this."
"Crafty?" A shaky, layered voice rumbled from behind "We prefer the term clever~"
"And I prefer it when your dead but I'm not here to argue semantics." A group of disfigured humanoid demons began to gather close to you. There were five if you’d counted right; all laughing and licking their lips in anticipation. "Is that all? I was expecting a bit more of a challenge."
"Cocky are we? You won’t be so smug when we skewer your yellow friend up there.” You narrowed your eyes at the threat. They must have been working in some kind of team. You didn’t think demons had the sense to plan so thoroughly; at least not the common ones. "Our boss will be turning him into fillet right about now. That means you’re all ours~"
You drew your blade, settling into your stance in one swift motion. The way they spoke, was their "boss" a lower moon? Only Hashira were strong enough to handle moons on their own. You two were still just grunts. If Rengoku was to fight a demon moon on his own… You had to get back and help him. If you didn't, there was a chance he wouldn't survive the night. Rengoku he couldn't lose here. You wouldn't let him. You needed him! Otherwise, who would you strive to compete against?
"Soul Breathing, First Form!"
You didn't have time to waste here. You clenched your teeth, hissing air through your lungs as you scouted the enemy. The demons in front of you were clever, but you were fast. You didn't give them a moment to breathe before slicing straight across them. One head rolled away as fists came at you in a flurry. It was four on one. You dodged and weaved rapidly. Each of your moves fluid and earthy as you dodged the assault. Your heart pounded hard. For each attack you avoided another two would land.
A heavy swipe dug into you, sending you flying into the tree with a heavy thud. Even if you were confident in your speed the most you'd trained with was two on one. Four sets of fists were way more than you knew how to handle. But there was no time to consider your pain. You dodged as another one came in. Each strike you took made you scrappier. You lashed out, form after form, strike after strike, over and over until you landed something. Another head rolled then another as you took strike to your spine. Fatigue began to set in but you couldn't stop. You pressed on, roaring and slicing until around you lay a sea of mutilated demon flesh.
You caught your breath, wiping some sweat from your brow. Your arms were sore. Everything hurt and you were certain you lost a litre or two of blood. That wasn’t important now, you told yourself as you wheezed back to the village. You had to get back to him, tell him what you saw, help him defeat that demon. You had to see him.
"Rengoku... hold on."
"Hold on to what?” From within the hutches, your fiery eyed partner approached. He held tightly to his arm compressing some bleeding but he held the same smile as always.
"Wildfire!” A relieved smile fell upon you. You checked him over as he drew near. "Are you alright? Did you take care of that demon up there?"
"Of course! It was very easy!"
"Listen, this whole thing was a set up. I just took out a pile of demons at the rendezvous point and they had even set up a corpse trap!"
"How awful!"
"Exactly. This place gives me the creeps... Let's just scout for survivors and get out of here before something else happens."
"Don't worry; I have cleared the village already. It was abandoned some time ago and there aren't any more demons around." He placed his hands akimbo. "Let's set up camp here. There are beds in these houses, besides you seem tired!"
You chuckled. "Well, we were walking for more than twelve hours." You nodded towards an empty hutch and the two of you walked in step toward it. "We ought to give Togata a burial of some kind. I'll have Pidge send word back to base."
"Mmhmm!" He took your arm over his undamaged shoulder, supporting your weight and led you into the hutch.
The place was small with a lone futon bed and an animal skin rug to kneel on. Each of you took one corner of the room each to relax in. With some concentration breathing, your wounds didn't hurt so much but you definitely needed a trip to the medical division later.
"I’m going to catch some water from the river," You announced as you dug around in the cupboards "Can you scout for wisteria candles?"
"I'll go with you! Water buckets can get heavy! I'll help you carry them!"
You rolled your eyes "I can handle the weight perfectly well on my own. Why, you scared to be alone?" You teased him.
"No, I just prefer your company!"
A warm tingling rushed to your cheeks. You didn’t mishear that, he just specified your company. Yours! Your wounds weren’t so bad that you’d start mishearing things. You shook your head and cleared your throat, carrying on casually.
"I'm not going to be gone long, you get the candles sorted. I'll be back by then." You laughed awkwardly trying to hide any hints of a reddening on your face as you dragged out two wooden pales and started on your journey back to the river. He was right, the pales were heavy but you could just consider them part of your strength training.
Away from the ambush site was a small quay where the water was just shallow enough to catch some without it dragging the bucket away. Before becoming a slayer, you liked coming to rivers to calm down. The sound of the water was so relaxing and it helped clear your mind. Your father, Yasuke, was a great swords man. In fact, he was currently serving as one of the chief guard of the daimyo and even created the Soul Breathing technique that you practiced. He didn't approve of you becoming a slayer in the slightest. When you'd told him, he lost his mind. You couldn't exactly blame him. The two of you were the first people of colour in Japan and many already took you as a token of amusement. For one of you to be a demon slayer on top of that, it must have come across as a bad joke. But you couldn't just let people go on getting hurt. You were born fast and your feet were quiet. It was a gift that you had to use to help people.
You sighed heavily, gazing up at the night sky. You missed your father greatly. Hopefully when this whole fiasco was over, you'd be able to see him again. Maybe he would even reply to your letters. Once the buckets were filled you set them down and began preparing them for the journey back.
"______! Why are you sighing, are you hurt?" As you turned around you saw Rengoku stumbling in your direction. Blood wounds laced his flesh as he panted, propping himself up on his sword. His condition seemed to have exponentially worsened since you previously saw him.
You furrowed your brow, confused. "Forget me, what the hell happened to you? Was there another one?"
He shook his head. "That opponent was just too formidable is all. But I was able to take him down."
"That opponent… I thought you said you defeated the one at the entrance some time ago?"
"______, get away from him!" Panicked footsteps approached from the village gates as Rengoku, or rather another Rengoku, drew near. You blinked confused. There were two Rengoku Kyojuro's? "I won’t let you take another step, you imposter!"
“Imposter?! I should be saying that to you!”
The two Rengokus stared down at each other, glaring and growling impatiently. Almost in perfect synchronization they reached for their swords, preparing for their third form.
You blinked between them. Rengoku had a younger sibling, he’d told you that the two of them looked remarkably similar but for two completely identical Rengoku’s to be in the same place at the same time was very strange. Was this some kind of blood art? One of them had to be a demon. Or it was entirely likely that they could both be demons and that the real Kyojuro had been killed some time ago. If that was the case, then this had to be some elaborate plan to capture and torture you. The demons thus far had proved to be very conniving so it was entirely possible. Your eyes bounced between them as their sword collided with equal pressure again and again.
“Flame Breathing, First Form!”
“Flame Breathing, Second Form!”
“Your mimicry is impressive! Let’s see how you handle Flame Breathing, Fifth Form!”
You swallowed hard, unable to follow or distinguish the two. "Rengoku- I mean, Kyojuro stop! I suppose that doesn't help much either…" Both of them looked your way, teeth gritted tightly together. This had to stop. It was clear if these two kept fighting there would be no end to their combat. You dropped the buckets from your hands, going straight for your blade. "Look, I don’t really get who’s who and I don't care, both of you take two steps back! I’ll take you both down if I have to!"
And they both did with no hesitation. You cursed the night sky. It was so difficult to see details in darkness with the moon tucked behind the clouds. From where you stood they were identical, wounds aside. You had to make a choice right now, for better or for worse. The only question was how would you tell the difference? This was the first time you'd spent a great deal of time with Rengoku. You didn't know him that personally to have him confirm secrets only the two of you shared and with an hour until sunrise you didn't have time to waste dragging out a conversation. You steadied your breathing to calm the panic.
"Make the right choice, ______." One called over.
"Don't listen to that one, I'm real. We walked up here together remember?" Said the other.
"The journey was long and tiring for all three of us!"
"And we stopped for karaage part way!"
"I remember the exact order you made!"
The bickering went back and forth, loud and obnoxious. You shook your head, closing your eyes and stilling your mind. Slowly you began to block them out and when you opened your eyes again, your decision was made.
"Soul Breathing, Fourth Form."
Within seconds you were in front of him. Your eyes met briefly for a second and then separated as his head rolled across the floor. You held your form tight as it crumbled down into black dust and as the sun crested over the mountains, you sheathed your sword turning to Rengoku; the real Rengoku.
"Come on, let's get some rest."
You took his arm over your shoulder and began walking back to the hutch. Once there you set him down and immediately began searching for any kind of bandage for his bleeding wounds. You weren't exactly top ranking medical division personal but you knew the basics of bandaging and disinfecting wounds.
Rengoku looked over as you riffled through the supplies. You were quite the interesting one. After all you had your own wounds. It wasn't hard to spy the blood stains across your uniform. Every time you stretched or bent too far you’d screw your face or grunt in discomfort. And yet you were spending your energy trying to help him. You were so selfless and kind, he thought. Had his condition been less severe, he would’ve stood and offered you some assistance but that demon had really done a number him.
“______.”
“Hmm?”
“How did you know which was the demon and which was really me? I’m curious.”
You hummed in thought as you knelt down and dug through a storage box. “Well it wasn’t exactly hard. He didn’t have karaage grease on his collar.” You snickered.
“Ah! I see!” The flame swordsman began to laugh loudly along with you. He didn’t seem to notice how it irritated his lesions, or perhaps he was too happy to care.
“But… There was something else to it…” Your voice was soft, but a mumble as you continued. His laughter slowed eventually but you couldn’t bring yourself to explain furthur. You rested your hand on the slowly growing pile of cloths, lips pursed tight.
“There was? Tell me!”
The room fell silent. He waited patiently for you to speak, to further explain only to receive an “I’m going to wash these.” in return.
You knelt by the river side, aggressively scrubbing the towels in a display of frustration you couldn’t quite place. You felt ridiculous. It shouldn’t have been hard, telling your that rival that his eyes gave it away. The demon may have copied everything about Rengoku down to the finest hairs on his head but he couldn’t master his piercing hot gaze. The intensity, warmth and brightness of his eyes weren’t something an empty soul could just mimic with weak magic. It shouldn’t have been hard to tell him that when you looked into the fakers eyes and didn’t feel fire and passion inside that you knew it wasn’t him. Yet you found yourself tongue tied, embarrassed to confess such a thing. To your rival!
Maybe he didn’t hear it. Maybe you could just tend to his wounds and call it a day. Maybe you just go past that. Part of you shrivelled at the concept but you could just consider it a win for Rengoku and move on. It was strange though. Resolving your half-finished announcement to a simple win/lose felt odd and unsatisfying. With a shake of your head, you gathered your materials and dismissed the thought.
You returned with some alcohol and clean rags after a short while. You even had a few wisteria candles and both buckets of water in tow. Around your neck was the headscarf you previously had around your Bantu knotted hair.
"Alright, take your shirt off." You instructed Rengoku as you set the minimalist first aid on an up turned woven basket. You noticed him staring after a while, eyes locked intently on you in a way you'd never seen before. "What?"
"You're always going around in those pretty head scarves, I was under the impression you had no hair!" He stated plainly.
"Oi!" You soaked a rag in alcohol and slapped it onto an open cut earning a peep of pain followed by chorusing laughter "I only wear them because I don't want blood in my hair! Besides, I’ve got to put something over that gash of yours and these teeny rags are too small to go around your body!"
"I see!"
You huffed and wiped at the damage. It was long, running across his shoulder and down onto his chest. From what you could tell it wasn't too deep. Good thing too since you had no way of stitching it. You could feel him tense a little beneath your touch but he never once complained.
"You called me by my first name earlier." He said after a while, his tone softer than you'd heard it before.
"I did?"
"Yes, you did."
"Sorry about that, I should keep it professional." You flashed the creases out of the scarf, measuring it to the right width and folding it down.
"Not at all, familiar is fine! I prefer it!" He grinned widely as you began to wrap the Kente cloth around his body tightly. "To think we're on a first name basis and you're also giving me your scarf, this could be romantic!" He gave a hearty chortle causing your face to heat up again.
"Would you stop that and do your concentration breathing! You're going to start bleeding again!" You knotted the scarf and pulled his shirt back over his shoulders before wringing out a fresh cloth wiping at the other scratches on his face. “Geez, you’re a handful…”
Almost immediately he took your wrists in hand, a serious look in his eyes as he pulled you to his level. "I'll be fine now. You ought to take care of yourself."
"But Ren-... Kyojuro, you have other bruises." His gaze hardened and his grip remained tight. He had no intentions of letting go until he heard the words he wanted to hear. His eyes were strong and bright. They drew you in like black hole, unmoving and powerful. The longer he had you there, the stronger the burning inside of you became. You swallowed hard as the fire become near unbearable. "Alright fine! Just… turn the other way or something."
"Of course!"
Something about the way his touch faded away as he lay down and closed his eyes almost made you wish he held you longer. Perhaps it was how his eyes didn’t release yours until they fully closed, or how his fingers brushed over your hands in the final moments before he lay down. Whatever it was, part of you wanted to be that close again. The other part that wanted to keep him as a rival seemed to be dying down the more time you spent together.
As you took to the other side of the room, the sky began to warm in hue. Ideally you would've liked to set out around this time, but in both your conditions rest was the main priority. You sent Pidge, your messenger pigeon, back with news of the mission report. When he came back, you'd set off on your journey home. With a final peak over your shoulder to ensure your privacy, you neatly folded your shirt and began treatment. Your wounds were many, but compared to Rengoku’s they were fairly mild. That didn't stop you from flinching with each drop of alcohol though. The lack of a mirror wasn’t much help either. Most of the damage was done to your back and sides. You could move around well enough so you assumed no major damage was done. The medical division would be able to give the final verdict on that though.
"Are you finished?" The sound of Rengoku’s voice made you jump. You'd assumed he’d be fast asleep, but by the sound of his voice he'd been patiently lying awake for you to finish.
“You’re still awake?” You buttoned your shirt back up and nodded. "I was about to look for another futon."
"No need!" He shuffled aside beneath the heavy blanket and peeled it open. "This is plenty wide enough for two!"
"Are you serious?!"
"Of course!"
"I could just put one next to yours."
"It'll be warmer if we share!"
"But that would be..." Your lips pursed again, that strange sense of dry embarrassment washing over you. Even though his eyes were still closed, you knew if he was looking he'd have that same bold look in his eyes. He didn't care that you'd only properly met today; his only concern was your comfort and safety.
"You've done enough. Come, rest now. We'll have to depart soon, better to rest now than spend energy on other things."
He was right. And you were tired. So without much arguing you slipped in beside him. His eyes stayed closed as you settled in beside him. Once he felt you settle into position, he closed the futon around you. He pulled you in securely before returning to his side, seemingly passing out straight away. He was right, it was warm. His body was like an oven, even without being directly against it. You chewed your lip as you looked over his frame. Your mind ran over the brief seconds his arms were over you, the security and comfort of his embrace. He was so close now; to put your arms around one another would hardly be a chore. Besides, you were trying to keep warm! For a moment whilst you slept, you could stop being rivals… That would be alright, wouldn’t it…?
The two of you slept soundly until Pidge returned. The round bird had cooed loudly at the two of you sleeping and pecked at you with a judgemental look in his small red eyes. You hurried to hush him, bartering with seed to make sure he wouldn't spread any unnecessary gossips upon returning to headquarters. Rengoku awoke in short order, and after helping him up the two of you set up a stone grave for your past captain. Then, with rations shared and the mission complete the two of you started the long trek back home. Rengoku insisted on buying something from every street food vendor you went passed. Initially, you were worried it’d impede on your travel time but he always bought you something so after a while you let it pass. The cycle of walking, eating and rest repeated until eventually you reached headquarters.
"We're finally back!" You grunted, stretching your arms as the demon Slayer residence peaked over the horizon. "And not a moment too soon. I cannot wait to take these shoes off and bathe.”
"And eat a full meal!" Rengoku added, with his usual bright airy grin.
"Another? We just had oden.” You chuckled at his resilience “You should head to the butterfly residence before you fill up again, make sure nothing too serious happened."
He gave a hum of agreement. "You should come also!"
"I will. I'm going to stop by the sewing department first. We're both going to need new uniforms. I doubt these stains are coming out any time soon."
"I see!" He nodded and almost immediately started at his shirt, fiddling with the scarf bandage across his wound.
"What are you doing!?" You panicked, rushing toward him and pulling his wrists away. "Leave that alone!"
"I should return this! It’s yours after all!”
"No, you need to keep that on until the medical team gives you the go ahead. Besides, I have others." You waved a dismissive hand and met his eyes with a light grin. "Keep it."
He blinked, surprised for a while, taking in your smile beneath the autumn sun before nodding and giving a hearty "Mmhmm!"
After that you went your separate ways. You had separate rooms in the butterfly residence but you once in a while you’d have physio at the same time. It wasn’t long after you recovered that Rengoku was transferred to another division and once again you two went back to how you’d started. Your quiet rivalry continued on and Rengoku watched over you from a distance. You weren’t quite friends and you weren’t quite strangers. However this time, the two of you were joined by a spark.