Why can't I love you? (Hanahakiverse)

Where all hell broke lose.

Hina was training with Zenitsu and Inosuke like usual. (FYI: this is after the entertainment district arc). Uzui walked over to them a bit concerned. "Hey Tanjiro, wasn't Rengoku dead just a week ago?" Uzui said to Hina. "Um, yeah why?" Hina replied. "Well I saw him today talking with the master about the mission at the Mugen train" Uzui said. Hina turned pale. "It might've been just your imagination" Hina said hoping that a certain kitsune didn't get her paws on Rengoku's body.

"Don't believe me? Go find the master to see for yourself." Uzui said as he crossed his arms. Hina sighed and went to the mansion along with Zenitsu and Inosuke. "I think the god of festivals had been hit so hard that he can't tell what's real or not." Inosuke said as they went to the mansion. Zenitsu didn't really care since he didn't like Uzui. Hina just kinda looked at him. "He's not crazy. He's just ecstatic." Hina said. Before they could say anything there was a flash of red and white as they heard the unmistakable sound of someone landing behind them.

They turned around to see..nothing. But Zenitsu already knew that someone was messing with them by the fact that he can hear someone move behind them every time they turn. "What the actual fuck-?" Inosuke said but was cut off the second he said that Rengoku appeared Infront of him. "Hi!" Rengoku said. The three of them fucking fainted. Rengoku took them to the butterfly mansion but he kinda wanted to do something about Tanjiro.

As Rengoku's hand reached out towards Inosuke, an unexpected sound pierced the silence of the room - the haunting cry of a fox.

Startled, Rengoku turned his head, and the demon slayers seized their chance to escape. They scrambled to their feet and ran towards the exit, their hearts pounding with fear.

Once they were outside, they collapsed on the ground, gasping for air and shaking with disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" Zenitsu exclaimed, his voice trembling.

Hina looked up, just in time to see a small, red-furred fox darting into the shadows.

"Did you...did you guys see that fox?" he asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Inosuke nodded. "Yeah, I saw it. What about it?"

Hina hesitated, unsure of what to say. But then the fox suddenly reappeared, its eyes fixed on them.

"Don't mention that Rengoku died," it said in a low voice. "He's...not himself right now. He could snap at any moment."

The demon slayers stared at the fox, unsure of what to make of its words. But then they heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and they knew they had to go.

"Thank you," Hina said, before he and his friends took off into the night.

In the days that followed, they did their best to avoid any mention of Rengoku's death, afraid of what might happen if they did. They never saw the fox, Akumu, again, but they felt as though they were being watched, and they knew that they would never forget the strange and terrifying encounter they had experienced that night.