Dojo of the Rising Sun (On Hiatus)

I-III: Neo-Marxists

Taka felt her lungs reknit themselves.

She took a deep, sagging breath, and turned over to look upwards. Above her, shining streaks of pink flame glowed in the air, but instead of fury and destruction, like she had seen from orange fire, it was instead warm and comforting. She felt herself relax, her muscles recovering from their soreness, her panic calmed, and her neck mended. The stiffness was no more, and she could look to the left again.

And so she did look to the left.

There, the demon guard flinched away, flakes of his cheeks ripping off and exploding in pink charred death. Behind him, Kakume's body suddenly jerked up, his gut shining with pink flame as well. The life had been rekindled inside him. But she was not surprised. Instead, she slowly stood up, her mind comfortable. The glow of pink fire did not alarm her, for they were massaging her worries, giving her peace of mind.

And then the fire vanished.

Taka opened her eyes with an odd clarity, which was traded for her comfort. She looked around, and caught her gasp as she saw all six of the demon guards clutching their faces, which were smothered in pink flames. One of them managed to open his mouth.

"KAAMAAADOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

As the flames were put out, the other demons howled the same name.

"KAAAAAMAAAADDOOO!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAH! THE CRIMSON SISTER HAS RETURNED!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Crimson... Taka felt her mind search through her knowledge of demon lore, until it clicked.

Crimson Sister...

Nezuko Kamado herself!

She looked at the remnants of the pink flame, suddenly realizing their similarities with what she knew about the legends. Legends of deadly assassins, Nichirin-wielding predators than slew demons in the night, and the ones who 'corrupted their leader'.

"And the Crimson Sister woke..." Taka whispered, quoting an early passage from Tanjiro's Enlightenment, a lorebook of songs and poems she eagerly memorized. "And terrible flames appeared. Bright pink brilliance, the spider demon feared. Tanjiro Kamado, clouded by his human brain, water washing like darkening rain, sliced Rui's head with flashing haste, as fire surrounded him with horror, death, and waste."

But horror, death, and waste, was not what she had felt when the flame touched her. Instead, it was warmth, love, and protection. A sensation she felt she knew, a sensation that drew her mind back to a grey blob of time that she no longer remembered...

She heard a groan behind her.

She turned, seeing Kyusei rising up miraculously. His shirt, which she remembered was soaked in her brother's blood, was now spotless, at least if you exclude the streaks of dirt and soil. He stood straight, his eyes just as oblivious and clueless as she was, dazed, but almost refreshed.

And his eyes were still pink.

"What..." Taka stuttered. "What are you?"

Before Kyusei could answer her, the sound of clicking rifles caught her ears. She looked back, and the demons stood there with rifles at the ready. Kakume had already been seized and bound.

"Hands in the air!" one of the demon guards threatened.

"Wait!" Taka said. "My name is Taka Kanroji, I'm Mitsuri Kanro-"

"Hands in the fuckin' air!" The demon repeated, a more booming tone to his voice.

Taka was scared to silence, raising her hands up in submission. She looked back to check on her little brother, only to realize that his eyes no longer glowed pink.