The Showdowns
The headless form of Akaza, who had continued to fight them long after the moment his head was taken, now finally stopped. He ceased to heal, and fell to his knees.
“Is he finally bitin’ the dust!!?” Sanemi cried. “Damnit Tomioka! I can't see with all this fucking blood in my eyes”
Giyuu was too stunned to answer at first. He had never fought such a powerful demon before, let alone one who continued to fight after his head had been cut off, and yet… for reasons he didn’t fully understand, Akaza ceased his attack, and his body began to crumble as he fell to his knees.
Giyuu walked over to him, flicking the blood off of his Katana.
“My name is Tomioka Giyuu,” he finally said. “I tell you this not out of respect for you, but for a friend of mine. Like you, he also enjoyed talking, he probably would have wanted to talk to you too even though you're a demon…” Giyuu suddenly felt light-headed, as though the talking had taken a toll on him. He staggered backwards until his back touched a large piece of rubble, and then he slumped down next to Sanemi. Akaza’s body began to finally disintegrate. It was only then that Giyuu finally turned to his friend and said “it's over”
“Fucking finally!”
Sanemi, Giyuu now noticed, was bleeding badly from a gash on his forehead, and a few broken ribs were sticking out of his exposed chest.
Giyuu knew that he wasn't much better himself. The fight had taken a lot out of both of them.
“Sorry Kocho,” he breathed. “I don't think I'll be with the rescue… par…”
He slipped into unconsciousness.
“They'll be aiight,” Sanemi slurred. “We've already taken out quite a strong one toge…ther.”
***
Even though Tanjiro could barely move, at the sight of Yoriichi; he wept. The other demon slayers watched in a stunned silence.
“Who the hell is this guy?” Genya asked.
“I don’t know,” answered Rengoku.
Obanai scowled with suspicion. “You said based on Sasori’s description he’s someone brought back by Orochimaru? As long as he is being controlled, he’s an enemy!”
Before Obanai could say anything else, Kokushibo had already lunged at the man! Screaming, and swinging his sword wildly! “Damn you Yoriichi! Go back to hell!!!”
Yoriichi dodged his strikes effortlessly, and began to draw his sword.
Everyone gasped! Before any pair of eyes had even seen Yoriichi’s sword leave its scabbard, Kokushibo was beheaded!
The demon slayers gasped, but he did not disintegrate. His body continued to tremble with rage, and the flesh over his neck began to bubble and regrow grotesquely. The new head that emerged from the mass of pulsing flesh and bone was far from the dignified visage Kokushibo once wore. The elegant lines of his human features were now twisted into an abomination of bloated, bulbous tumors. Jagged uneven horns protruded from the front and back of his head, hideously morphing the shape of his skull. Red crustaceous thorns ripped through his skin as they grew out of the carbuncles on his neck and shoulder.
He screamed in a voice that was slurred by his lopsided mandible and deformed tongue, but the hatred was unmistakable.
“YORIIIIICHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!”
Yoriichi raised his sword again… Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance....
Kokushibo’s body was hacked into pieces in a movement so fast that Yoriichi’s movements appeared just as a blinding glow.
The demon slayers all watched in a stunned silence, as Yoriichi’s head now turned slowly to face them.
“He’s one of Orochimaru’s reanimated soldiers!” Tengen cried urgently, “the sealing scrolls that the puppet master gave us! Get them ready!”
Yoriichi’s expression seemed pained, and his body shook, as though he were fighting against the instructions placed upon his seal by the reanimator. “Get… away…” He warned.
The more experienced demon slayers needed no second warning. Himejima grabbed Genya and tackled him out of the way, but even for his less experienced student, things seemed to be moving in slow motion. He did not resist, as he saw Rengoku make a mad dash to protect Kanao and Muichiro. While Iguro Obanai stood his ground, Uzui Tengen aimed his prosthetic arm at Yoriichi, and his hand detached from the wrist before firing a spherical projectile like a hand cannon… and even as Genya watched this unfold in slow motion, Yoriichi alone moved more swiftly than they eye could track!
In a blur, he sliced the poison-smoke bomb in half, and swung for Tengen! Had it not been for the enhanced visual perception provided by his mechanical eye, the sound pillar would have lost his head then and there!
With cat-like reflexes, Tengen threw his body out of the way, still sustaining a deep cut to his neck, as Yoriichi continued forward, and the eyes of all watching widened as it became apparent who he was targeting.
The descendent of the Tsugikuni bloodline, the now helplessly immobile Tokito Muichiro!
Kanao courageously stepped forward, planning to intercept the reanimated Yoriichi, and in that moment, she felt herself prepared to die, when she felt a firm hand grab her by the back of her shirt, and yank her away!
Kanao felt herself go airborne as she flew backwards through the air. She saw Rengoku rush in to take a stance on the spot where she had previously positioned herself. His aura radiated every ounce of strength and power that he had as he prepared to intercept his opponent.
Light like the rays of the sun danced along the reflective metal of Yoriichi’s blade as he brought it down.
ENBU!
Rengoku’s blade was sliced in half, and blood spattered from the vertical slash from left shoulder to right hip. The flame pillar fell to his knees. Kanao’s eyes welled up with tears.
So did Muichiro’s and Tanjiro’s, but Himejima roared with rage, as his ball and chain was swung at high speeds at Yoriichi’s head!
Yoriichi simply vanished from the spot, and reappeared a short distance away.
“All of you get running!” the stone pillar bellowed as he shoved Genya away, “I’ll hold him off!”
Tanjiro now began to struggle to his feet. “I’m not leaving Himejima-san!” he cried. “I can’t explain how, but I know this man! And I’m not going away until…” Tanjiro’s eyes welled up with tears of indignation. “Not until his soul can rest in peace again!”
“Tanjiro! Stand down!” Muichiro cried with desperation, “You can barely move!”
“Please do as Muichiro says!” Kanao cried, tears streaming down her face. It was not only Muichiro and Kanao, his own body screamed in protest with every movement, but he refused to stop.
“Forgive me, Kanao-chan” he prayed as he ran staggeringly forward. “I have to do my part as well, so please… please escape while I hold him off”
Tanjiro raised his blade as he approached Yoriichi, and breathed in the way he had learned from watching his father imitate the Hi-no-Kami… Yoriichi raised his blade with the same breath, and Tanjiro knew, that he would not stand a chance, but if his friends would use this instant to escape, then it was a price he would gladly pay.
A third blade came to intercept Yoriichi’s strike with a metallic clang that rang reverberated through Tanjiro’s screaming bones even with the extra assistance, but it was enough to save his life. Tanjiro’s eyes shot open in shock, and there beside him was Iguro Obanai, his aura blazing with determination. “Do you think Kanroji would forgive me if I let you die boy?”
It was in that same instant that Gyomei’s chain wrapped around Yoriichi’s body, halting his movements!
“The sealing scrolls!!!” bellowed the stone pillar. “Do it now!!!”
Yet Yoriichi had already begun to move. Muichiro did as well, determination propelling his broken body forward despite his fears. He gripped his blade tightly, determined to do something, anything to help his comrades. Even if it was the last thing he did… Kanao and Genya, followed closely behind him.
“Genya!” Himejima cried. “The Dazu Huike maneuver!
Upon hearing the name of the Buddhist martyr, Genya understood, his master’s final orders…”
Yoriichi’s sword swiftly cut through the chains before they could bind him, but Himejima was not finished! He threw the ball at Yoriichi as he charged, and had barely even closed distance when Yoriichi had cut it in half and prepared to intercept him.
Himejima converged on the strongest swordsman, knowing that even with his massive body and reach-advantage, he stood no chance, and yet, as the shot rang out, the stone pillar smiled. Genya’s shotgun slug had ripped through Himejima’s stomach and into Yoriichi’s chest!
Yoriichi’s reflexes and speed were enough to stop the slug with his sword, but in doing so, he was unable to protect himself from the stone pillar’s ax! With that impeccable timing, Himejima’s ax was brought down onto his opponent! Yoriichi’s blade which would have severed the giants arm had it not been for Genya’s interference, now only managed to block the ax!
Himejima’s spare hand grabbed Yoriichi’s neck and held onto it like a vice as the two of them tumbled to the ground!
Even as Yoriichi twisted the sword in his grip and plunged it into Himejima’s chest, the giant did not let go of Yoriichi’s neck and wrist.
Kanao and Tanjiro were on the scene with the sealing scrolls almost immediately, and Sasori’s technique which he had imbued them with caused them to target the subject of the Edo Tensei on their own, wrapping around Yoriichi’s body.
With the seals firmly in place, Himejima relinquished his grip...
“Himejima-sensei!” Genya cried, rushing over to the man who had mentored him. Genya’s demeanor was as firm and stolid as a brick wall, until the moment he reached the stone pillar’s body, and knelt down beside him.
“Genya…” Himejima said weakly, “You did your task splendidly… be proud… you’re brother deep down… also acknowledges… you’re strength…”
Tears began to well up in the corners of Genya’s eyes, as Himejima Gyomei, closed his eyes, and died with a proud smile on his lips.
Yoriichi’s skin became the color of clay, and began to glow as his aura left his body. “Forgive me, younger ones,” he said, as Muichiro, Kanao, Genya, Tanjiro, Obanai, and Tengen listened with their heads bowed. “My past failures have led you to this moment, and caused all of you so much suffering. Even in death, my soul was not spared the evils of this world, and turned into a weapon against my own family…” Tanjiro choked back a cry, as loud sobs threatened to escape him. Yoriichi turned his head, facing Tanjiro. “You who carry my light, and who carry my will… Please continue to protect it. My dream of ridding this world of the demons, is within reach…” The form of the swordsman flaked away, revealing the sacrificial body of the swordsmith that Orochimaru had used to create him.
There was a heavy silence in that room in the infinity castle, and then Tanjiro’s breath came in ragged gasps. "Why…?" His voice cracked. “Why would someone do something this wicked?...” He remembered Rengoku’s warmth… Himejima’s gentle strength…. Yoriichi would have loved both of them, and yet…
"Orochimaru!" Tanjiro spat the name like venom. "You forced Yoriichi, someone who stood for justice and light, to become your weapon! As though his life… all he had lived, and all he had suffered, didn’t matter as long as you could just…. TOY WITH HIM!!!!" Tanjiro slammed his fist into the ground, tears streaming unchecked down his face. "I won’t forgive you for this!! I’ll never forgive you! Even if you aren’t a demon, even if you’re human, you deserve to die! Do you hear me!!!!?”
The echo of his voice was all that responded to him.
***
“I’m sorry Uzui-san,” Kanao whispered after he winced while she stitched close the wound on his neck. “I’m almost finished.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Tengen assured her gently. “This doesn’t hurt at all.”
He was not bragging like usual. His voice was calm and somber, as he attempted to ease the young girl’s pain.
Kanao did her duty, raised higher on her knees to reach the tall sound-pillar’s neck, even though he was sitting down, and then, with an inexplicable feeling weighing on her back, she slowly made her way over to Obanai, who was changing the now unconscious Muichiro’s bandages.
He worked in silence, until Kanao was right next to him. He turned to her, his yellow eye falling onto her, as though waiting for her to tell him what she wanted.
“Iguro-san,” she said bowing. “Would you please… allow me to…”
“You want to leave this place?” He asked, finishing her thought.
Kanao nodded shamefaced. “Please forgive me for such a selfish request. While we have so many wounded here, and I-”
Obanai held out a hand to stop her. “Please don’t mention it. Kyojuro and Gyomei joined the corps prepared for this fate, as we all did. Despite his words, the ache in his voice was still unmistakable.
“And there are so many wounded too,” Kanao said softly, “and even though I’m weak, I know I am needed to help you protect them, and yet I don’t know why but… I feel as though… they need me… Shinobu… I… I haven’t seen her since she was kidnapped, and I…”
“It’s quite alright,” Obanai breathed. “I would prefer it this way, since Shinobu may need you more than she needs Uzui or myself. He and I, along with Genya, are still capable of handling things here.”
“Thank you! Iguro-san!” Kanao cried, bowing with gratitude. “Tanjiro,” she said now turning to her wounded comrade. “I’ll come back to you, I promise.”
Tanjiro gave her a hopeful smile. “I know you will, now hurry to Your sisters, Kanao-chan.”
Kanao’s face flushed red, as Tanjiro affirmed the feelings she held for Shinobu and Kanae, that she herself was too timid to express.
As she turned to leave, she heard Obanai’s final words of counsel. “You’re not weak Tsuyuri Kanao. I wouldn’t have let you go if you were. Use every last drop of your strength to bring Kocho back alive!”
“I will… Thank you so much… all of you.”
***
The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by the flicker of candles lining the walls. The faint smell of resin and sawdust lingered in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of tools scattered across the wooden workbench. Sasori, no older than six, sat on a raised stool, his tiny hands meticulously threading chakra strings through the joints of a wooden puppet. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his fingers moving with a precision far beyond his years.
Chiyo of the sand stood behind him, her sharp eyes observing every motion with a calm but critical intensity. The silence in the room was heavy, broken only by the faint creak of the puppet’s joints as Sasori tested its movements.
"Too tight," Chiyo’s voice cut through the quiet
Sasori harkened to the critique, adjusting his technique until he heard his grandmother’s hum of approval. finished attaching the final joint and slowly guided the puppet to its feet. It stood perfectly balanced, its wooden limbs moving fluidly under his control.
He turned to Chiyo, his dark eyes searching her face for a reaction. "Is this better?"
Chiyo stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the puppet with the discerning eye of a master. She reached out and gave the arm a slight tug, testing its range of motion. "Adequate," she said at last. "Do it again."
"Yes, Chiyo-baa-sama," Sasori replied, his voice steady, though his disappointment lingered.
As he disassembled the puppet with swift, practiced hands, Chiyo paused at the shelf. She reached for a small jar of salve and placed it on the edge of the workbench, her movements almost imperceptibly softer. "For your hands," she said without looking at him.
“Sasori-san?” Kanae’s voice gently brought him out of his daydream. The expanse of the infinity castle had narrowed to a more solid, stable floor. The maze was still there, with many doors along the angular corridors, and yet, Kanae, Shinobu, and Sasori, felt that they were getting closer to where they needed to be.
They had come to a room that looked as though it were shaped like a massive and jagged pentagon, and yet the light was so dim that they couldn’t see the doors that lined the walls. “Sasori-san? Do you sense it?”
“Yes Hashira, I do.”
“Someone’s coming,” Shinobu said sharply. She breathed through her teeth. After all that had been done to her, she was angry… and yet, Sasori himself was not prepared for the figure that came out of the darkness. Unlike the last time they met, he felt as though this time was intended for the showdown.
The man walked silently, so that his footsteps could not be heard, and yet when his white face emerged from the dark shadows, Sasori grit his teeth.
“Nufufufufu, Sasori-kun, you have become so pathetically… human”
“Orochimaru…” Shinobu snarled, shaking with anger. It came as a shock to her, when Sasori shoved her away!
“Shinobu, get out of here! You cannot face this man!”
Shinobu was too stunned to speak, when Kanae rushed to her and took her by the hand. “Sasori-san, we will leave this demon to you.”
“Nee-san! We must stay and help him!”
“Get her out of here Hashira!” Sasori ordered.
The uncharacteristic severity of Sasori’s voice snapped Shinobu back to reality…
The realization that her anger-driven decision might have cost her and her friends, stunned her into silence. “Lets go Shinobu,” Kanae said gently.
“Yeah,” Shinobu muttered. She and Kanae began to sprint rightwards, away from Sasori, and yet Shinoibu could not help but look back over her shoulder so many times, her hair whipping around as she constantly turned her head. “Please be safe, Sasori-san…”
“Sasori-san,” Kanae said to herself. “I will still want to have that talk with you when this is all over.”
They continued to run down the dark corridor, until Sasori and Orochimaru’s fainter forms disappeared into the darkness.
Kanae led the way, coming to a door, and opened it leading the two sisters into a much lighter room.
But the light revealed a sight that made Kanae freeze with fear. “Shinobu…” she said in a shaky voice. “You need to run…”
Shinobu opened her mouth to object, but no words came out.
The room seemed to spin, as though the direction from which the two girls had entered was not the direction they now faced. The demon alone stood as the unmoving center.
“Hello, and welcome you two,” he said in a friendly, casual manner, as he politely removed his hat, revealing a blood-colored mark on the top of his silver hair.