The Descendant (A Retelling and love story of Demon Slayer)

Six

 ((Spoiler Warning... lots of spoilers. Go read the manga if you haven't already, otherwise prepare for a ride. I'm not joking about the spoils here. You've been warned!))

Without hesitation, Akari drew her blade and held it steady in her grasp. Renji followed her lead, a nervous sweat breaking on his forehead and for the life of him, he couldn't keep his blade from shaking. He was silently amazed that Akari was able to hide her nervous fear, but he could tell that she was feeling threatened by how tightly pulled her muscles were. She was tense, ready to pounce at the slightest hint of ill intentions.

"What do you want?" Her voice was calm, steady just as her blade was. It was impressive. To stare death in the face and have the willpower not to show it. Even the demon had a raised brow. It wasn't every day that he would meet a human with the ability to stand before him without trembling from his presence alone. Maybe every few hundred years, and even less so were they women.

"I'm just here to talk..." He sounded uninterested. Like he had better things to be doing. His eyes, though, told Akari a different tale. He was interested in something. Interested in her. She could tell just by the way his gaze would travel over her form. Searching for a crack, a flaw in her stance. She had very little, if any at all. "I'm Kokushibo..." His eyes lingered on the flame-like marking above her eye.

"I'm aware." He was slightly taken back by that. His identity wasn't well known outside of the six upper moons. His gaze intensified.

"Oh... How do you know-"

"Cut to the chase. What do you want from me?" She cut in, doing her best to keep herself calm in this horrific situation. Kokushibo took a breath in, eyes closing in slight irritation. 'Young people these days...'

"...It's impolite to interrupt when someone is speaking to you..."

"I don't care." Akari's stance widened slightly, prepared to charge if his next words were not what she wanted to hear. Her stance really got under Kokushibo's skin. Mixed with the sight of those tattered earrings, she reminded him a lot of his deceased twin brother, Yoriichi.

"I've come to extend an offer... To you..."

"No." Her short stubborn answer irritated him further.

"You don't even know what it is..."

"I can take a guess. The answer is no." Akari slid her foot back, her free hand pushing against Renji's torso to force him to slide back as well. It didn't matter though, no amount of distance between them would make her feel safe at this moment. Akari remembers being glued to the 'Legend of Zenitsu' while reading over the events that transpired during the final battle. The fight between the Hashira and Upper Moon One, was one of the most intense things she had ever read. It took three Hashira and a lower ranking half/demon slayer to bring Kokushibo to his knees, and even then it wasn't a full win for them. Two were taken in the fight, and a third was killed by Muzan. Only one would live to tell the tale, and she remembered very vividly reading about the fight. His moves and techniques. The way he could practically tell what a person was about to do, just from a mere glance in their direction. He was a pure form of power and terror. A samurai who has forsaken everything in the name of becoming the greatest... Something she would never do. So she stood firm. Acutely aware that his gaze flicked to her protective hand on Renji. She had not even a moment to react.

Hand gripping Renji's shirt she yanked him forward. Raising her sword to just barely meet the sharp claws that threatened her Kouhai's existence.

"...Oh?" Her blade wobbled as he gripped it between his fingers. The sharp steel coming to rest in the center of his palm, his bloodied fingers closing around the guard. Akari pulled at the blade but it didn't budge. Held tight in the grip of a demon she knew she had no chance at fighting. "I have no doubt... You will make a fine demon for his lordship to command." Akari grit her teeth as rage bubbled at the mention of that bastard. The flicker of emotion in her did not go unnoticed by the six eyed monster either. Nor did the shutter of fear that shot down her spine.