The Scorch Queen || Rengoku K. || (Book One)

The Infintiy Train Pt.3

"Inosuke! You've found the demon already!" Tanjiro yelled from the car below.

"Yeah. It's at the head." Inosuke yelled.

Both boys however were outran by the human bulldozer that was Kana. She was enraged. Her self control faltering.

She arrived at the front of the train and blew open the whole car in a flew indecipherable slashes. Her reflexes resembled a god and her defined muscle tone and movements were otherworldly. Her murderous aura was enough to scare a blind man.

She raised her blades preparing to give the demon its final blow. However she was halted. An eye opened in front of her, it read 'sleep'. Kana's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell backwards.

~~~~~~~~~

Kana shivered, this place was familiar. Her legs went limp when she finally realized where she was.

"Kana please run!" He mother yelled at her.

She was right back where it all started.

"Scorch Breathing, Eleventh Form: Flaming Cyclone."

Kana let out a small cry as she watched her younger self become consumed in rage and fire. She was only 10 at the time. 10 years old, fighting the second strongest demon in existence with no fear.

Her fear wasn't for her life. It oddly had no value to her. Her fear was of the monster she was. The monster she'd always be. She looked at her mother, she wasn't worried. She was afraid. Afraid of Kana.

She collapsed in front of her dying mother. She watched the fear dancing in her irises with the reflection of Kana's flames.

This was her fear. The fear that she wasn't human. The fear that she was no better than the monsters she fought. The fear that no matter how hard she tried at the end of the day she was still the nightmares children had. This thought alone terrified her into a state of total immobility.

She starred at her mother, eyes unable to peel off of her. How could she scare her.

The tears on Kana's cheek fell with gravity and rejoined the earth. Kana held her head in her hands and sobbed violently. She wanted it all to end. She was so tired. Demons this, dead friends that. She couldn't do this anymore. But she had to press on for humanity, for her comrades, for Kyojuro.

They all had futures. She had to protect them.

She was on a train, she knew this now. Once again she raised her sword to her neck. In one quick motion she sliced.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Kana's eyes shot open and they locked on Tanjiro's crimson orbs. She relaxed a bit and he helped her to her feet.

"We tried to cut its neck but it'll take both of us to do it." Tanjiro said defeatedly.

"I see. I've got this." Kana said reassuringly.

Kana took her stance and she closed her eyes. She knew when she tried to strike the nape, the eyes would return.

Just as Kana was about to kill the demon she felt it. An intense murderous aura from behind. Kana opened her eyes and in the Knick of time shoved Inosuke out of the way. Kana's abdomen was impaled. She cried out in pain as the man pulled the pick from her stomach. In a flurry of rage she slammed her leg into his side kicking him into the back wall of the train car.

She steadied herself and resumed her stance.

"Protect me from the tendrils. I'll do the rest." She said, he voice growing husky. She steadied her breathing and began to use her eleventh form.

"Scorch Breathing, Eleventh Form: Flaming Cyclone."

In a flash of heavenly fire Kana's blades struck all of the eyes surrounding her and she flew into the air with the grace of the wind. She twisted at the apex of her ascent and began to free fall.

"Scorch Breathing, Seventh Form: Asiguri."

Her blades dug through the bone in an x shape and she was thrown away from the train. She struck the ground hard and reopened the wound she'd worked so hard to seal. She slipped out of consciousness.

"Kana!" Tanjiro yelled as he ran to her side. He placed her head on his lap and sighed. She was still breathing.

"What happened here?" Kyojuro asked. He was holding a still unconscious Misumi. She still wasn't waking up.

"The conductor stabbed Kana. She also got thrown out of the train and I think she hit pretty hard." Tanjiro said with a worried expression.

Kyojuro's eyes flashed between Kana and Tanjiro trying to decide how to proceed. His head sunk and he placed Misumi down.

"What happened to Misumi?" Tanjiro asked. He was becoming frantic.

"She still hasn't woken up." Rengoku stated, his tone indicated concern but his eyes stayed focused on Kana.

Tanjiro however was mortified. He knew now what the man had meant when he said he'd killed Misumi. He was shaking from the shock and pain. The thought of losing her stayed pungent in his mind.

Kyojuro was in a similar place, watching Kana's chest fall and rise. The ocasional wince causing him immeasurable pain. He sighed and sent for Shinobu. Neither was in any condition to travel without treatment.

"Young Kamado, don't worry. These two are a bit more resilient than you give them credit for." Rengoku said, more so trying to convince himself than Tanjiro.

Tanjiro nodded and subtle nod and his posture relaxed. Inosuke appeared, conductor in hand and shoved him in front of the flame Hashira.

"So what? Do we kill him or?" Inosuke asked.

He was met with silence. Inosuke sighed and grabbed the conductor.

"If you two won't do it I certainly will." Inosuke said. "A good leader gets revenge!"

Inosuke was halted and he was shocked to see it was not Tanjiro this time. It was Kana.

She grabbed his leg and tapped him as if to say 'stand down'

Inosuke looked directly at her tired expression and tossed the conductor away. Kana beamed at him and simply said "We aren't the monsters, remember?"

Inosuke first shocked then slowly nodded.

The atmosphere changed. Kana's stomach dropped. She knew what had happened. She knew who was here. She tried to stand but received a crushing blow to the stomach from Kyojuro.

Her eyes widened the fluttered shut. "It's for your own good." He said sweetly. She couldn't hear him. She had passed out.

Kyojuro turned to face his new opponent. He was drained from the amount of attacks used to save the train but still nevertheless stood strongly. There was a new problem to be dealt with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 4 will be up tmr....