𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡 ╱traveling into the past

      "Mitsuri?" Mirai held her blade in front of her, wrists shaking as she glanced over at her friend. It seemed the other was just as nervous, as their teachers were both promised the Mizunoto would still acquire the needed training while they were gone. In the back of their minds, growing concerns about Sayuri, Kyojuro, and Giyuu's safety purged their concentration. However, the four adults who offered to train them presented far more urgent concerns.

     When one is mentored by that of Hashira-level Demon Slayers, it should've been clear that they'd be trained by someone of similar standing. So when the girls, one of definite Tsuguko status and the other close to it, were brought to a spectacular estate to train with another Hashira, a whole new world opened to them.

     "Yeah?" Mitsuri squeaks and watches an incredibly tall, and muscular, male pace in front of them. He held himself with pride, posture strong and ready to fight whatever came at him. Mirai would prefer that not be her, yet here she was.

     "First! You two should learn how to put some flare into your style!" Tengen Uzui points colored nails at both girls, smiling when sighting their own painted nails. His first request for their training was to boost "confidence," as he put it.

     His wives Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru had been the ones to help prepare Mirai and Mitsuri to fit Tengen's flare. Mirai had fiery red nails but refused any heavy makeup besides two puffs of blush, the texture of it all felt heavy on her skin. Mitsuri's nails were soft pink and green, just like her hair, and she also had blush with shiny lipgloss. To Mirai, she looked like a beautiful model you'd see showing off the finest clothing you could buy in Japan, not a Demon Slayer. It was thrilling.

     "Second! My wives have offered to teach you to wield weapons that won't kill a demon, but slow one down. An essential in battle, if you're taught well enough! You will work with them before reaching your other segment of training with me, which will strengthen your body to new heights! Now, let's begin!"

     Mirai and Mitsuri both gulp.

     "'Yuri, you don't have to become a Hashira." Giyuu breaks hours of silence on the Slayers' walk to their next kill. Lower Rank Four, the demon who had killed Sayuri's parents and brought the woman to where she was now. Even Rengoku, a loud and boisterous man, had fallen silent in the tension radiating off of the Kinoe. There had been no reunion of the siblings since Giyuu and Sayuri had finally rekindled, as much as Sayuri longed to dive into deep conversation with her brother.

     The entire night into sunrise when the three left had been filled with thoughts of how to tackle a past so hideous Sayuri had tucked it far back into her mind. Even setting foot back in this village hadn't crossed her mind, it wasn't supposed to be so soon.

     Yet something yearned to reach her home faster than the stride she currently held, to finish this, to revisit the place that broke her apart. There was no simple direction, no single path Sayuri knew to take. Her single dealing with this demon had been so many years ago, and the creature left her a memento to return with. To reunite them again. The red rope that hung from her waist would be returned to its owner, whether it be because Sayuri won and finally let it go, or it was ripped from her dead body.

     "'Yuri?" Giyuu repeats again, walking up beside her concerned. Soft blue eyes burn into the trees ahead, so strong they might actually go up in flames. Giyuu shakes his head and jabs his shoulder into his sister's side, finally grabbing Sayuri's attention, eyes relaxing nearly immediately.

     "I'm okay Giyuu, I'll put an end to my past. Closure is right on the horizon, whether I make it through or not."

     The Water Hashira feels his stomach tighten and throat close up, so he looks to the cloudless afternoon sky. It was a distraction from the idea that Sayuri could die tonight, no matter how hard he tried. Just like how he failed to save Sabito.

     "Don't doubt yourself!" Rengoku booms with a smile, patting Sayuri and Giyuu on the back. His hands then clap together and a joyous laugh follows, "-If you get in your head then you'll suffer a loss of strength! That's how I got caught off guard fighting... I forgot his name!"

     "I think it was Hairo, Kyojuro." Sayuri fills in the blank with a smile, then nods to Giyuu, "I won't let any of us die, I'll make that promise now, alright?"

     "Alright." Giyuu nods, and the rest of the walk becomes a bit lighter. 

     It wasn't until a few hours later that the trio finally stood at the entrance of a quaint village. One with beautiful flora pulling your eye in every direction, pouring over small traditional minka that homed the kind people that once put a sour taste in Sayuri's mouth. Some people were out and about, carrying textiles, freshly baked sweets, and children running back and forth with happy giggles. Sayuri had done that once, dolled up in a kimono her mother had just recently made.

     Even from here, the woman could see the pole she'd been tied to all those years ago, her parents' blood drying into her nightwear and pores. A ringing in her ears begins to blare until all other noise is incomprehensible. Her stomach threatened to spill out the onigiri she'd eaten on the journey, the memories seeming like they'd just happened yesterday. It froze her on the spot, for what if she truly was still that scared little girl who brought her parents to their deaths?

     Her companions pick up on this hesitance, watching a hazed panic overtake those blue eyes. They dart back and forth as if Sayuri had been teleported to the past and was rewatching it unfold before her eyes. Giyuu and Rengoku knew different degrees of her brutal past, as Giyuu had listened when Sayuri would speak, rarely, about it to him, Sabito, and Urokodaki. Rengoku had only known from meeting the homeless and desperate girl run away from him during a thunderstorm after bumping into one another.

     When reaching out to comfort the woman in sync, they are interrupted by a young man barrelling in their direction. His eyes were stretched wide in shock, tears spilling down them and a cheesy smile stretched across his lips,

     "SAYUUURRIIII!"

     If that weren't enough to pull the Cloud Breather out of her thoughts, the tumbling tackle from this stranger (that Giyuu was ready to draw his sword on) brought both of them collapsing to the ground and knocking the breath out of their lungs. Sayuri shakes her head after it smacks against the ground and wheezes, reconnecting her brain with her body and looking at the rather handsome man lying on top of her. Further in the distance was a basket of cakes that had dropped to the ground before the person took off running.

     Sayuri's face began to heat up immediately at the close proximity she was in right now with someone she didn't know, pushing him off with a squawk and jumping up to her feet. Her instinct immediately draws her closer to Giyuu, whose emotionless face was rather angry considering the just stated. Even Rengoku had a jaw dropped at the sudden forceful tackle, flaming eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

     "Haru Uchida!" A female voice shrieks in confusion, and Sayuri pauses for a moment... This was Haru?? The scrawny boy that ripped his pants and helped her escape and survive until she reached Urokodaki? How was he now the height of a youthful tree, dressed in a compression top that showed each ripple of his muscles from his chest to his arms, down to even his thighs that managed to push him and Sayuri toppling to the ground? Something in the woman shudders before she turns bright red at her train of thought. She turns around behind Giyuu, looking to the sky with hands over her cheeks.

     "Sayuri? Are you alright!" Kyojuro questions, pointing at the culprit of this situation, "Is this man a threat to your mission?!"

     "Woah back up!" The other woman speaks again, dressed similarly for her leaner body. They both had the hiragana for 'Wisteria' written down the side of their pants and carried kunai hanging from their belts. A large scar from the middle of her forehead down to the lobe of her ear nearly misses the woman's eye, and her long white hair sways in the gentle breeze. Despite her hostile and blunt attitude, she holds her body in a partial bow to the arriving party of Slayers.

     "My husband is just a big emotional baby, one who doesn't know the strength of his own body," She huffs and smacks Haru upside the head. He whines and rubs the spot immediately, bowing low in apology,

     "When Sayuri wrote that she would be traveling back here for the first time in..."

     "Ten years," The Kinoe finally turns back once she's cooled down, pushing through the two men beside her and bowing an apology, "-I didn't even recognize you Haru, it's nice to meet while I'm in... better health to say the least."

     "Ah, it must be hard to come back to this place, but my wife and I have worked on improving the hospitality, for all future demon slayers who may travel through. We won't be blind to any more demon attacks, I'm sorry Ms. Fukunaga."

     "No please, Sayuri is fine."

     "Right, well- How about a tour of the Wisteria House?" Haru's wife offers with a gentle smile, gesturing for the group to start walking. That was all Sayuri wished to do for now, so she followed the married couple into the beautiful purpled wood home. It seemed to resemble that of a hotel, though one of miniature scale compared to the ones in the big cities. There were hallways full of paintings, decorated with baskets of fresh towels, linens, and wisteria in vases near every door. The smell filling Yuri's nose was florally and sweet, as the fallen cakes from earlier must've just been from the stove. She could close her eyes and pretend to be back in the past that was once filled with comfort, not pain and suffering. This was okay, she was okay.

     "It's a work in progress, but we've had many Slayers come and stay in their travels," Haru explains, as the group of five had settled in the main room around a tatami table. Fresh blossoming tea had been poured along with small snacks for the travelers to refresh, after all, it would be a long night. Sayuri takes a long sip, letting it relax her pounding heart as she shakily sets it on the table. Giyuu watches curiously beside her, moving his knee to settle against his sisters.

     "This food is delicious! Your wife is an amazing cook!" Rengoku compliments boisterously from the other side of Sayuri. She smiles at him as a little piece of rice sticks to his cheek, suppressing a laugh as he attempts to lick at it. She quite enjoyed the warmth of this man.

     "Everyone in town talks about the gorgeous Takara Uchida's cooking! My sweet precious jewel," Haru boasts, puffing out his chest before Takara pinches his face in annoyance, to which he offers a lopsided grin. The woman shakes her head and then presses a kiss to his shoulder as Haru reaches for the teapot. Sayuri's heart flutters at the sight of them, tracing the outline of the mark on her collarbone. She hoped someone could love her like that, even in all her brokenness.

     "Haru," Sayuri clears her throat after glancing at the beginning of the sunset  Did that thing already know she was here? It felt as if time was speeding along just for her, had they been talking that long? She needed to know more, "-How many slayers reported..."

     "A demon with oni horns and yellow irises? None. Sayuri," Haru shuffles in his seat with sudden unnerve, "-No demons have been here since that night. All the Slayers have been here to recover or to prepare for travels."

     "So it only wishes for my blood. Very well." The woman nods and shuffles out from the table and to her feet, she begins to pack her sword back into her belt and grab her flowing haori, "-I will finish this tonight, but I'd like to visit my home before the sun is fully set."

     "Yuri wait, I'll go with you," Giyuu scoots back with a deep bow in thanks to Haru and Takara for the meal, but Yuri viciously shakes her head,

     "You and Kyojuro should stay back and ensure there is no attack we're missing. This is an upper moon, it could be planning a larger-scale wipe of both myself and the village."

     "I can't let you go alone, please," The Water Pillar speaks quieter for only Sayuri to hear, but his seriousness is met with a childlike smile as if they were little again. His heart thumps loudly against his chest at the familiarity, oh how much he missed his sister.

     "Don't forget who split a boulder with a broken sword, I'm pretty good at what I do brother," Sayuri offers playfully with a little mock movement with an invisible sword. Giyuu narrows his eyes,

     "Don't forget who also was found knocked out by a training log the first time we met her."

     Sayuri's smile drops and pink spreads across her cheeks, Haru barks out a laugh and falls backward in a fit of cackles. Rengoku, who was now standing as well, set a hand on the Cloud Breather's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze,

     "Tomioka and I will do as you say and we will rejoice when the battle is over! You will take victory a thousand times over a pathetic demon! I do hope to see your genuine smile more often once this burden of your past is taken care of."

     With the sincerity of the last comment and the sparkle in his eyes, Yuri huffs out a nod in stern agreeance and without second guessing it, pulls both of the men in for a hug. Arms wrapped tightly around her and provided a safety that she simply wanted to melt into, but there would be time for that later. Pulling away, she heads for the door of the Wisteria house,

     "I'll return shortly."

      "Mother, Father..." Sayuri's head was dipped low to the two fresh bouquets inside the home where the turn of her fate had occurred. A ray of moonlight pours through the hole in the roof where the demon had once escaped, now providing a silver light upon the floorboards. Upon returning after a five-minute walk up the small hill, one that seemed like each step was an entire lifetime in itself, Sayuri had first noticed that the house was neatly taken care of. Even the flowerbeds out front were freshly watered and life sprung from the yellow roses.

     The blood that had once poured from the minka had been washed away from vicious scrubbing that shone through extra worn wood flooring. However, the stains of red that couldn't disappear were from the beginning of the tragedy, where bouquets sat upon where throats were slashed. A tragedy turned into remembered beauty, one that turned the Fukunaga memory into something to be treasured, not feared.

     "It's about time you came, kid."

     Soft blue eyes turn ice cold, and the woman shoots up to her feet with her sword near immediately drawn in front of her. In that same hole in the roof stood the demon that took everything. Sayuri snarls out the calmest words she can find,

     "New look?"

      "Same demon," It grins with a handsy showcase of its body, now grown from that childish body it'd been before. Perhaps it had thought it some sick and twisted game to grow with the girl herself, waiting for the moment to strike. It hops down, landing both bare white feet on both bouquets, squishing them to the thinness of a piece of paper. Sayuri's arms quake only once before she reinforces her blade and brings it to the demon's neck without hesitation, their closeness to one another making the air thick with a thirst for revenge.

    "Do it."

     Sayuri stays silent.

     "Want it to last longer? Savour it, take it in? I took everything from you little one, punish me for it!" It hollers excitedly, and Sayuri feels a bubbling rage heat her blood. How easy it was for this demon to talk, to push her over the edge as if she was still a young and hotheaded Mizunoto.

     But that wasn't her anymore, that wasn't the Cloud Pillar, the soon-to-be Hashira that would conquer her past with all she had waiting for her in the future. This taunting was her moment to cool down, to feel her breath up in the clouds where she'd found herself at home for months, honing in a breathing style that kept her out of sight, out of mind. This was the woman who would see the fall of Muzan with her own eyes.

     "Let's get this over with," Sayuri steps back from the demon carefully, bringing her stance into a firm half crouch, blade perched over her shoulder and ready to launch, unblinking. The creature in front of her widens its eyes, then its head falls back in amusement with bellowing laughs, wiping a tear before nodding in agreeance,

     "Sayuri Fukunaga, let's dance!" Lower Rank Four purrs and takes a bow, hands extended out for Sayuri to take her final stand. 

☁️

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘 ╱ guys wtf where
have I been idk probably
crying

tengen: do you or do you 
not feel bonita?
m&m: we feel bonita

but anyways, I'm going to
get back to this I know it,
all thanks to my ultie for
providing me the comfort
and care that helps me get
back into the things I love

IM SORRY THE END IS ASS
IDK HOW TO WRITE THIS
EPIC MOMENT

gumiguro-