ʟᴇꜰᴛ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ//ᴋɴʏ (ᴀᴜ)

T h i r t y - t h r e e

Kota's POV

"I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings!" Dad apologizes. I shake my head.

"I don't even remember her, so I don't know how to feel. But they still killed her, so..." I answer the best I can. He smiles and nods.

"Okay~! You ready?" He asks, taking out his fans. I nod, raising my sword. He places his hands on his back. "I'll try not to kill you~!"

I laugh nervously. "Yeah, maybe just keep me alive for now-"

Kokushibo-dono just stands in the corner, studying our movements. 

I charge dad, making sure to make my movements sharp like icicles. I aim for his shoulder, because that's the closest I can get to his head. I don't want to behead my own father, duh. 

He manages to dodge, not even moving his arms. I react quickly and dash around to his back, and cut off one of his fingers. 

He regenerates it in a blink. "Hee~! You're not bad!" He compliments, moving his arm back to the front. "I guess I can actually use some movements this time!"

He's too strong for my level, literally. I take a deep breath. I'll move smoothly like the ice's surface this time, see what happens. 

This smooth movement makes the opponent unable to sense where I am going. It's like creating an illusion. It makes me look like I'm still standing far away, when I'm up close to them. Sadly, it only works for vision. They can use any other senses to locate where I am. 

Dad blinks. "Very good technique! It messes with my vision." 

I smile and go for his waist. I think I'm doing good, until he disappears out of my sight. I can feel his presence behind me now. My body freezes. 

Instead of attacking me with his fan or his blood demon art, he attacks me with tickles. He knows I hate those!

I quickly use my third form to make clouds of icy air, making thick, but freezing air to block our views. I use this moment to slide away from his awful attack. 

"Awh~! Why did you get away?" He pouts, crossing his arms. He snaps open his fans. 

"You're going to use your blood demon arts now?" I ask, gripping onto my sword tighter. He nods.

"Do I have to go easy on you?" He questions, and I shake my head.

"Maybe like, medium level? Dad, I trained for this." I answer. He laughs and says okay. 

I charge him, but this time it's different. His blood demon art is huge. I dodge some and cut some. It's so weird. His art has the same techniques as my breathing style. I feel like I'm fighting myself, but the opponent me is way stronger.

Hes blood demon art also slows down the opponent's stamina. The only difference between his and mine is that mine is weaker.

I realize that I have so much to learn. 

-------------------

After about 20 minutes we stop. I'm sweating a lot, but dad is not. I take a seat beside him. 

"What did mom look like?" I ask, looking up to him. He closes eyes, and leans on a wall. 

"She looked a lot like you, but older. And much calmer. She had slightly longer hair than yours... Other than that, you guys are basically identical." He answers, his eyes still closed. I try and imagine her in my head. But the only picture that comes in my head is my reflection on the rivers. 

Kokushibo-dono walks up to us. "I figured it out..."

I raise an eyebrow. "Figured out what?"

"The difference... between blood demon art... and breathing styles..."

I gasp. "Ooh! What is it?"

"Blood demon art is... visible to the eye... breathing styles... aren't..."

My excitement is deflated. "Seriously?"

He shrugs. "I've never seen... the same techniques.... for both of... them... so I guess... that's it..."

I ruffle my hair and groan. "I'm bored now!"

"Oh, right! Have you tried the cloning technique~?" Dad asks, turning his gaze at me. I shake my head. 

"How does it work for your blood demon art?" I ask. 

"Mine just makes a clone of myself in ice." He answers, showing me. Cool!

I think about it. "I guess mine is kind of going to be like an illusion of myself..?"

Dad urges me to try. I sigh and pull myself up. Okay. How am I going to do this? 

I form all my techniques, and try and naturally move onto the illusion part. It works for a little bit, creating an illusion of myself beside me. Dad claps happily, and laughs. 

"Great job!!!" He smiles, getting up and coming up to me. He squeezes my cheeks. When he lets go, my whole face feels numb. 

"Any news... about that girl... Yasu..?" Kokushibo-san asks. I shake my head. Nothing new. "She had that weird... earring...."

I think about it for a moment. Earring? I close my eyes and think. 

Now that I really think about it, when we first met, she had one earring on her ear. It kind of looked like hanafuda earrings. 

"Yea... those hanafuda ones?" I slowly ask, thinking about it over one more time. "But when I met her later she didn't have it. I think Tanjiro had the pair."

"...Tanjiro?" Kokushibo asks, confused. Oh, right. He doesn't know him.

"Never mind. I still haven't figured out her last name though. Sorry. I was too focused on my missions..." I mumble, but I'm interrupted by the door to this room breaking open. I shoot my head up and see soft red hair, and a katana.

"Kota!!!" Yasu gasps and run towards me. I forgot she knew about this place. "This is bad!! This is bad!! Why are you with them?? It's going to make you more suspicious!!!" 

She slides over and shakes me. Great. Maybe this will get some sense into my brain. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"The hashiras! They are onto you now, like, halfway suspicious of you. Tomioka-san is the only one who isn't suspicious of you!! What are you even doing?? Answer me!!!!" She shouts, shaking me more violently. 

"It makes sense that they're suspicious! I disappeared before their eyes!!!! Can you please stop shaking me!!!" I shout back. She stops, then glances over at the two uppermoons. 

"What's that?" I ask after catching my breath. I point at a certain thing peaking out of Yasu's pocket. It's a piece of cloth, I think.

Yasu looks down at her pocket, and shoves the cloth back in. "Nothing."

Kokushibo-dono reaches down at Yasu's pocket and snatches the cloth from her. 

"Hey!" She yells, trying to get it back. But Kokushibo-dono is too tall. He just raises his arm and examines the cloth. 

He turns it over. "...writing?"

"Don't!!! Give it back!!!" Yasu protests, jumping up and trying to grab the clothe from his firm grip.

Kokushibo's eyes widened, and his hands are shaking from... fear? Anger? He glances over at Yasu.

"...Tsugikuni"

"Give it back you 6-eyed demon!!" Yasu, shouts, jumping up high and grabbing the cloth successfully. But Kokushibo-dono reacts quickly and grabs her haori, resulting her dangling mid-air. Juts like how we met in the first place.

"So... Tsugikuni Yasu... huh..?" Kokushibo's tone becomes cold. Why does that matter?

"Why does that matter so much to you, huh?" Yasu sneers. That's exactly what I'm saying!

Kokushibo tilts his head slightly. "I don't know... maybe because... that's my last name... too..?"