Characters react to: Demon Slayer Dawn of the Sun

Chapter 37: +1 Overprotective brother

"Does your ancestor like leaving us in suspense like this?" Sanemi couldn't help but demand. He just wanted to continue to watch the battle and see if they won or not. He wanted to make sure that Hikaru (and the other slayers he guessed) were okay and he wanted to see them defeat Kibutsuji already.

"I don't actually know him so I have no idea, but if I had to guess I think it's broken up like this so that we can have breaks and brace ourselves for what exactly could happen," Hikaru shrugged.

"Are you trying to say that you think that the demon girl is going to eat a human?" Obanai scoffed.

"No, I'm trying to say that being a demon slayer is a dangerous business and there is always a chance that on a mission we will die," Hikaru said as a few people flinched. They knew that what Hikaru said was correct but that didn't mean that they liked it.

"..... Do you really think that some of us might die?" Kanroji whispered.

"There is always a chance that we might lose our lives and this is the future so we have no idea what is going to happen," Himejima sighed. He really hoped and prayed that nothing would happen to them but there was no way to guarantee that.

"Let's stop thinking about these depressing thoughts, we can always change what happens since it is the future but until then we shouldn't fill ourselves with worries of what could or couldn't happen," Shinobu smiled.

"Does anyone want any more food?" Hikaru asked. They didn't have a need to eat but he knew that some people preferred to eat, even getting comfort from it.

"Don't think you are getting out of our fight during this break," Akaza warned alreadying getting to his feet and starting to stretch. As a demon he didn't really need to stretch but it was simply a habit that he had and couldn't break himself of. A few people wanted food so Hikaru summoned it for them before getting up and doing his own stretches.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tanjiro asked worriedly. Zenitsu was about to burst into tears and Inosuke looked hyped up, ready to join a fight he wasn't invited to.

"Don't worry, Akaza can't hurt me while we're here and I think fighting against him will be a good thing," Hikaru smiled reassuringly at them. It would be good to figure out how he stood against one of the strongest upper moons. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he might be able to defeat Akaza  but it would show just how much he needed to train to be able to survive against the demons that they were going to be going against and keep his friends alive as well. They watched worriedly as Hikaru approached Akaza who grinned.

"You can use a sword," Akaza offered.

"No thanks, if you are using hand to hand combat then I'll do the same," Hikaru said as he took a stance. Akaza shrugged and with that the spar started. All of the demon slayers watched tense and looked like they were five seconds away from jumping in and getting Hikaru away from the demon. They had been fighting for a while now, trading blows and while it was obvious that Hikaru was no were near being able to win the fight, he was actually getting a few surprise hits which made Akaza grin.

"Yes, while you might be a defensive fighter a lot of the time you are strong and will continue to grow stronger!" Akaza was nearly cackling while Hikaru was panting while trying to keep his total concentration breathing constant. Soon enough Akaza stopped his next movement and Hikaru went down to his knees panting and trying to get his breathing back.

"Guess this is as far as you can go for now. You've got a lot more training to do if you want to be able to protect anyone, especially against us upper moons," Akaza said while rolling his shoulders and starting to do warm down stretches. As soon as Hikaru had partially collapsed Giyuu was on his feet and by his side before anyone could blink. He had been prepared for Akaza to continue to fight but was surprised but glad when he didn't.