𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍 ¦¦ 𝐁𝐍𝐇𝐀𝐱𝐊𝐍𝐘

- 𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎

—[NAME] KNEW THE WAR WAS CLOSE, it was painfully clear after hearing about that girl who had conquered the sun. no doubt muzan would unleash the final war against the demon slayer corps, one that was brutal and full of bloodshed. everyone had prepared for this very moment for years, but they doubted if it would come remotely close to being able to stop muzan, 'perish the thought.'  they sighed, they shouldn't doubt their abilities, they were working hard. kagaya's plan was planned even to the smallest detail, to catch muzan off guard and weaken him so the slayers could reach the mansion. despite his terrible state, kagaya still wished to be useful to the corps. it was an admirable trait of his, no wonder he was well-loved to the corps.

ubuyashiki kagaya's house reflected his own personality, his children threw around a ball playing together, their laughs were cheerful and infected the passersby with that same joy. it was a pity to them, knowing that it would all come to an end on this day. they watched the fish swim in the pond, unaware of the fate that would befall them. the sound of cicadas deafening, it served as a reminder of what would happen in a few minutes.

the moon seemed to be just a little brighter today, it illuminated the surroundings in a pale glow, one that looked like it came straight out of a fairytale. it would be like an ordinary day where they took a stroll around the garden, but they knew better than to believe that. "kagaya has requested your presence, [name]." amane's voice brought them out of their thoughts, she looked beautiful even though she knew that they all would die on this day. they nodded, thanking amane as they walked by her side to kagaya.

in contrast to their first meeting when he was still healthy was free from the disease, he was now bedridden and could barely move without the assistance of other people. he was due to die in five days time, but due to his plans, he decided that he would instead die today. "..[name], aren't you glad?" he weakly asked, it was evident he was struggling to even get one word out. "everything will end soon, demons will be eradicated from this world, and people will no longer suffer." he sighed, and [name] only continued to sit silently and listen to the words he wished to say. "as you know, muzan will soon come, and i plan to kill myself in order to weaken muzan, it'll be of great help to my children." they wished to object, but this was the only way to successfully catch him off guard. 

"and without a doubt, muzan will come for you [name]." he breathed in shakily, it was like an old man taking his dying breath. "why? he knows better than to think i'd work with someone like him." [name] replied, disgusted at the thought of having to work together with someone like muzan. kagaya stayed silent, so silent that in fact if you didn't know you would've thought he had passed right then and there. 

"which is why i'd hate to do this to you but," [name] was about to ask him what he meant, but was cut off with a burning scorching pain on their neck, a warm liquid which they recognized as their blood trickled down on their neck. the red seemed, bright when they felt it on their hands. "you must die, you would've been a powerful asset to have in this battle, but the risk is too high." kagaya explained, a hint of sorrow and pity laced on his voice. they tried to ask him his reason for doing this, but they couldn't speak, it was as if all words got caught in their throat. splotches of darkness covering parts of their vision, they cursed the world, did it have to end this way?

"i .."

what is he saying?

"w .. n't..."

the silence just seemed to be a little too loud.

"y.."

i can't hear anything he's saying anymore.

"so i will kill you before that happens."

it hurts.

when [name] came to, they looked in front of them and nearly screamed. a blade was plunged directly into his throat, multiple stab wounds were evident on his body, clear from the blood that had gathered on the floor. when [name] woke up, they looked at the sight of kagaya's corpse in horror. a knife was plunged into his throat, and he had multiple stab wounds on his body. did they do this to him?  no. no, they couldn't have, they can't. there's no way, they weren't conscious, so it couldn't have been. they didn't kill kagaya. the dried blood on their hands was from their own wound. a realization then struck them that muzan would arrive soon, and they had no choice. he would've been able to tell that they were the one who killed kagaya, if he told the pillars that they killed kagaya-

and without another choice, they ran behind his house that led to a dense forest. that was all they could do, they didn't have a choice. their breath was ragged, and sweat rolled down their face. was it just their imagination, or was there another pair of footsteps behind them? no, it couldn't be, there's no way anyone could've seen them and caught up with them. their panic only rose and they ran faster. the wind was harsh against their skin, it was cold, too cold almost. everywhere they looked they only saw trees. however, due to their lack of attention to their surroundings, they tripped. was that root always there? they could not recall, and that was their mistake. what was in front of them was a dark pit, an all-swallowing void of darkness.

[name] closed their eyes, bracing themselves for the drop, but that never came. when they opened their eyes, they didn't expect anything in particular, but it wasn't this. it wasn't to see pure darkness, with not a single trace of light left, they couldn't tell if they were still falling or not. but when they blinked, it seemed to had morphed into a different thing entirely, and everything around them had changed. 

notes:

- i felt like i got run over by a bus while writing

- when i wrote this, it was way too long so i had to rewrite it

- i hate everything