Till The End. // Kokuzan.

3.

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Shinobu shifted in the seat Douma had once more tied her to. Even though it drove her crazy to be forced still, her hands and feet tied to the wooden furniture, she knew it wouldn't be much longer until she was free, never to worry about demons again.

Uzui watched as Shinobu squirmed, clearly uncomfortable. It hurt him, as a husband of three, to see a woman so uncomfortable. He wanted to help her get free, but he was powerless to do so. Especially surrounded by high-powered demons as they were.

Shinobu understood. If the roles were swapped, she knew she wouldn't be able to help him, either.

Douma watched the two, specifically Shinobu, with great interest. He loved watching her squirm, her annoyed grunts like music to his tainted ears. It made his heart sing, knowing how uncomfortable she was.

He glanced at Uzui, who was glaring daggers at the Uppermoon. Douma grinned. "Are you angry? Does it upset you to see your dear friend in this situation?" He asked in a mocking tone. Uzui narrowed his eye. "If I could do something about this, I would," he muttered.

Douma's grin only grew. "Poor you. What can you do with half a body?" He mocked. Uzui growled, "I killed an Uppermoon with half a body, prick."

Douma paused. "Pardon me?" He blinked. So this was the man who'd killed Gyutarou. Or so he thought.

Uzui knew he was lying, but only partially. He had been a big part of killing the pesky Upper Six. It had been Tanjirou who'd actually decapitated the demon, but Uzui had been the one to hold him in place long enough for Tanjirou to sever Gyutarou's neck.

Uzui opened his mouth to reply, but he cut off before he even got a word out. Tanjirou kicked the door down, standing there with a new, strong-seeming body.

"Kamado..?" Uzui blinked. Shinobu seemed shocked, then embarrassed. This wasn't how she wanted the young Demon Slayer to see her. But Tanjirou didn't seem to care. He looked enraged.

Tanjirou stared at Douma, then unsheathed the katana hanging around his waist. Douma stood up, flipping open his golden battle fans. Uzui stood up, dragging Shinobu by her hand to a secure-looking corner of the room.

Tanjirou dashed at Douma, eyes pure white. That startled both of the Pillars in the corner. Uzui knew something was wrong with the young Demon Slayer, but he couldn't place his finger on it.

Until Tanjirou opened his mouth to snarl at Douma. That's when Uzui saw it.

Bright white fangs glinted in the dim light. Uzui noticed then that Tanjirou's sound had changed. The young boy had been turned into a demon.

Uzui felt his heart crumble. He wasn't Tanjirou's best friend, but he still respected how strong-spirited and powerful Tanjirou was for his age.

He hadn't seemed to have lost any of that power now, though. Tanjirou kept attacking consistently, even if he didn't land every hit. For every hit one of the demons landed on the other, blood splattered on the ground, but quickly faded to ash as they healed.

Grunts of soft humming mingled with the sound of metal on metal. Shinobu squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to see the boy she'd grown to know and trust get injured, even if temporarily, by a demon so cruel he would kill just to try and feel something.

Uzui watched, half anxious, half excited. Tanjirou was holding up fairly well for a 16-year-old boy-turned-demon fighting a nearly 200-year-old Uppermoon.

After a surprisingly long time of the back and forth, each demon cutting parts off the other, splattering blood, regenerating, and clashing weapons, all movement stopped. Tanjirou took a step back, letting out a heavy sigh. Tanjirou's pink irises slowly returned, but the white, gem-like shine didn't come back. That lowered Uzui's sense of hope. How could their entire plan work out if their leader was a demon now?

But when Tanjirou glanced in his direction, Uzui knew the young boy already knew he would make it work.

Shinobu finally blinked her eyes open, seeming glad the violence was over. She saw the look in Tanjirou's eyes and let out a sigh. She didn't like relying on those younger than her, but for now, she could make it work.

Tanjirou, bowing his head ever so slightly, exited the room. Douma seemed confused. "What just happened?" He wondered aloud.

Uzui bit his lower lip. "I don't know," he lied. Douma narrowed his eyes, studying Uzui for a good moment. Then he shrugged. "Okay. If you can get Shinobu-chan free, by the way, I'll give her a break." Douma said as he walked out of the room.

Uzui blinked, then got right to work. Even with one hand and one eye, he was working pretty quickly. Shinobu squirmed as he worked. The chains were digging into her skin and making her wrists bleed.

But finally, the locks clicked open, and Shinobu was free.

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Sumiyoshi rocked back and forth, his face turned away from Yoriichi, who was trying to calm him down.

"Sumi.. hey, look at me.." Yoriichi pleaded. Sumiyoshi, in response, sobbed. It broke Yoriichi's heart to see him so sad. After all, that was the man he loved.

Giyuu watched the pair from beside Urokodaki, who was asleep. The former Pillar seemed a lot more tired than when Giyuu had first met him. Every time Urokodaki coughed, wheezed, and gasped for breath, Giyuu remembered just how old the former Pillar was. Every time, Giyuu remembered that Urokodaki didn't have much time left; that the upcoming battle against Muzan could be Urokodaki's very last.  Every time he thought about that, Giyuu's heart sank a little more.

But before much else could happen, Akaza burst through the door, closely followed by Tanjirou, who was right on his tail.

The others in the room backed up against the wall as Akaza and Tanjirou fought. Blood sprayed around the room, along with bits of ripped flesh.

The violent fighting went on for several long minutes. Finally, Tanjirou broke away fom the fight, panting. He sheathed his katana, regenerating the bits of flesh Akaza had torn off his body.

Akaza seemed confused, as though he didn't know why the young demon had just attacked him. But Tanjirou seemed completely calm. He looked at Giyuu, who quickly understood.

Sumiyoshi looked proud. Yoriichi seemed shocked. Urokodaki lifted his head, proud to see the boy he trained was skilled enough to fight an Uppermoon.  He no longer had to worry about Tanjirou; he knew that now.

Tanjirou narrowed his eyes. He nodded at Giyuu and Urokodaki, then turned away and left. All that was left now was to tussle with Kaigaku, and then his plan would be set in motion.

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updates are so slow :sob:

ive had this written in my notebook for a week and a half and only just now typed it up <3

anyway... i have plans <333