The Good Demon [KNY]

Part 75: Surprises

Akai couldn't help but scream as he was bathed in a storm of blue and yellow bolts of lightning. It appeared as though dozens of people were attacking him at once, but they were only the afterimages left behind by Zenitsu's speed. Zenitsu flew out of the storm, screeching to a halt near nezuko.

"RUN, NEZUKO!!!" Zenitsu screamed. She paused, hadn't Zenitsu just beaten him?

"Now that's more like it!!!" Akai laughed maniacally and strutted out of the smoke. his shirt had been erased by the attack, but he had used morphing comet to defend himself from Zenitsu's onslaught. Despite the speed and quantity of Zenitsu's strikes, they were neither strong enough nor hot enough to get through his Nichiren flesh. A few large gashes in the metal were all that he had to show for such an attack.

"NEZUKO, GO!!!" Zenitsu shouted once again. Nezuko nodded this time and turned to flee, but Akai smirked and flicked his wrist, sending a tendril of blood onto Nezuko. She tumbled to the ground as the tendril snaked its way around her neck, choking her. Zenitsu's eyes widened and he leaned forward to get to her, but Akai cut him off.

"Eyes up here, blondie!" Akai swung for Zenitsu's head, but the slayer ducked barely and rolled backward. He cursed himself for blowing nearly all of his stamina on that initial attack.

"Second Fang: Slice!!!" Inosuke flew out of the woodline and opened a giant x-shaped gash on his back. Akai stumbled forward, and Zenitsu capitalized. 

"Thunderclap and Flash!!!" Zenitsu quickly sheathed his blade and burst forward, drawing it and beheading Akai in an instant.  Akai simply caught his severed head and whacked Zenitsu upside the head with it. He took the moment to stomp on Zenitsu's leg, earning a blood-curdling scream from him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!" Inosuke roared and charged toward him. 

"Get out of my way." Akai's face grew serious as he wound up his arm, setting his head aflame and throwing it at light speed, sending it careening straight into Inosuke's face. Akai's headless body ran forward and caught Inosuke's body midair, going into a jump and slamming him headfirst into the ground, burying his head.

Akai's head sighed when Inosuke went limp, his body slowly trudged over to it and picked it up, placing it on the stump and reattaching it without much fuss. He turned to Nezuko, who was still trying to remove the tendril choking her, but he was prevented from moving towards her when he felt a hand grip his ankle.

"Leave.. her... alone." Zenitsu uttered through gasps for air.

"I was certain you'd go into shock. Good job on staying conscious." Akai tore his foot from Zenitsu grip and roundhouse kicked his head, sending him rolling away, finally knocked out. 

"AKAI, YOU BASTARD!!!" Akai groaned with annoyance as Tanjiro charged out of the treeline with his sword drawn. Despite the fury on his face, he was too damaged to even attempt to use breathing techniques. Akai spun and bit down on Tanjiro's blade, snapping it in two. Tanjiro did not falter and punched Akai in the jaw as hard as he could, only managing to break his own finger on an iron jaw. 

"Seriously, stop." Akai said.

"NUAAAHHH!!!" Tanjiro rushed forward and punched Akai center mass repeatedly, while he didn't even flinched.

"Feel better?" Akai asked as Tanjiro buried his fist in his cheek. "Okay, good." Akai ignored the fact that Tanjiro had not become better in the slightest and threw a punch at his head. To Akai's surprise, Tanjiro leaned to the side slightly, allowing the fist to graze his temple. He came forward and jumped high, raising his head to bring it down onto Akai like a Warhammer.

KLANG!!!

Akai morphed his head into Nichiren as Tanjiro's head slammed into his. Akai stumbled back as Tanjiro fell to the ground. Tanjiro's head bathed in blood and Akai's with a sizeable dent in it.

"You''ll have to KILL me if you want Nezuko..!" Tanjiro said defiantly though all of his pain.

"...Aight." In an instant, Akai was on him, planting a fist into Tanjiro's head and burying it half a foot into the ground.

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Nezuko saw all of it. 

She saw him break Zenitsu's leg.

She saw him brutalize Inosuke.

She saw him crush Tanjiro into the dirt.

And she saw him turn to her with a cold, emotionless face. 

It reminded her of something.

Of him.

Of Muzan.

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Akai watched as she shot up, her demon art scorching away his tendril. She snarled and charged, barrelling into him. Akai grit his teeth as she pushed against him, but he dug in his feet and didn't move an inch. Her demonic strength paled in comparison to his. Akai sighed and grabbed her, flinging her off of him and sending her into the dirt. It surprised Akai, but it looked like Nezuko was knocked out then and there.

He sighed tiredly and regrew a new shirt. He limped over to the bodies of his friends. He crouched down and bit them softly, letting his demon art heal their wounds. The moment he was healed, Tanjiro shot up immediately and charged at Akai, but Akai caught his fist and gripped it.

"BASTAAARD!!!" Tanjiro screamed furiously.

Akai closed his eyes, inhaled, and spoke.

"It's just a prank, bro."

...

...

...

...

"Huh?" Tanjiro tilted his head, eyes still bloodshot.

"Listen and listen close. This was a test." Akai began. "I was pretending to go rogue, so you'd all fight me. I was hoping that you guys would have some sort of awakening during the fight, and you did." Akai explained. "You tapped into your breathing style more, Zenitsu absolutely erased his limits, and Inosuke... well, he's getting there." Akai said. "Every battle I had, I was driven to the brink of death, but I broke through my limits and pushed through. But at the cost of that none of you ever got to be a part of the climax of those battles. I was always the one who saved the day. You never got to experience the growth gained by overcoming a demon on the brink of death. So I became the bad guy you had to stand up to." Akai said.

"So... So..." Tanjiro was losing it.

"I wasn't actually trying to eat your sister." Akai said it for him. "You're welcome to hate me for the rest of your life. But I can live with it knowing you've gotten stronger." Akai said.

"Akai..." Tanjiro lowered his fist as Akai reached to grab a blood cup from his belt.

"I'll tend to Nezuko, make sure Inosuke and Zenitsu aren't de-wait... what the?" Akai looked down to his waist. One of his cups was missing. It must've gotten knocked off in the battle.

Then he froze.

"No..."

Why had Nezuko decided to tackle him? When she could have done any other kind of attack? Why had she clung to his waist so tightly? Why had she gone down so easily?

She stole the cup.

Akai tore his gaze towards Nezuko, but it was too late.

Nezuko was on her hands and knees, the empty cup next to her. Her body emitted steam as an alien glow emanated from her chest, and she was nearly double her normal size. She let out a vicious, ravenous exhale, steam billowing from her mouth.

She had downed the entire cup of his blood.

Akai froze like a dear caught in headlines. Like a mouse face to face with a tiger. 

Like prey.

As she slowly turned her head in his direction, eyes glowing blood-red.

"Oh... Sh-" 

Akai was cut off when his face was erased by a foot bathed in pink flames.

Akai was going to learn that Karma was a cruel mistress.