KANNA'S WORST IDEA WAS to send upper moon four to capture tanjirō, for it wasn't the fact that her plan wasn't successful. it was more so that there was an unintended consequence to her decision.

     and that very decision, would soon birth out of its cocoon and spread its wings like the butterfly effect.

"lady kanna, we've brought you not only kamado tanjirō, but his sister and these two traitors", sekido informed.

     kanna, who had changed into a plain black kimono, wasn't fazed by the kamado siblings, but rather the reappearance of her long ago friend — tamayo.

     "you look ill, lady kanna", tamayo huffed out, for it seemed that she too had helped put up a fight against upper moon four.

"don't be insolen—"

"it's okay, urogi. tamayo-san's an old friend of mine", kanna interrupted.

tanjirō raised a brow in doubt, for how could someone so kind be friends with someone who works for the literal devil?

"friend? hardly!", yushirō denied, "you left tamayo-san to fend for herself, while you crawled back like a dog to that monst—"

karaku, who was holding yushirō hostage, had slammed him onto the platform, harshly stepping onto the green-haired demon's spine and nearly breaking through his rib cage.

blood spurted out of the defensive demon, causing tamayo to gasp and struggle against aizetsu's stern grip.

"YUSHIRŌ! PLEASE, KANNA!! I BEG OF YOU TO STOP!!", tamayo yelled, attempting to hold back the tears that had welled up to the brim of her lilac eyes.

the older demoness's heart ached a little, hearing her friend's voice break upon crying so desperately.

she truly hadn't meant for it to turn out this way. she never would've thought that she'd see tamayo again, despite how much she yearned to reconnect with her friend.

kanna knew that another day of never seeing tamayo meant another day that she was safe.

"begging doesn't suit you, tamayo-san", kanna whispered, her words ringing louder than anything else.

tamayo held back her pleadings, dropping her head in disappointment, as she bit the bottom of her lip to stop from speaking any longer.

"d-don't disrespect...tamayo-san...", yushirō choked out, as karaku's foot had only deepened into the green-haired demon's back.

     "I admire your loyalty, yushirō-san. however, I advise you to watch your tongue the next time you speak to me. do not mistake my tolerance for kindness".

     yushirō gritted his teeth in anger, praying on the woman's downfall in hundreds of thousands of ways.

     "tanjirō, that's your name, isn't it?", kanna asked, diverting her attention to the bruised up boy.

     tanjirō's lips pressed shut, as sekido brutally kicked the fifteen year-old's back, causing the latter to cough out some blood.

     "answer my lady when speaks to you", sekido commanded.

     "y-yes", the fifteen year-old boy begrudgingly spat out, wincing at his newly acquired wound.

     "I have a proposition for you and your sister. care to listen?"

     "not like I have a choice", the young slayer mumbled to himself.

     "huh? what was tha—"

     "it's okay sekido", kanna smiled, continuing her conversation with the rookie demon slayer.

     "if you can manage to slice off lower moon one's head, I'll let you and your sister go. how about it?"

     rui snapped his head towards kanna, who didn't even bother glancing back at him. she calmly patted rui's head, as she awaited for tanjirō's answer.

     "and what about lady tamayo and yushirō-san? I refuse to leave them here!"

     "bold for someone who isn't even in a position to be negotiating right now. however, I do appreciate your bravery, so how about this? I'll let you eradicate lower moon six as a bonus if you succeed".

'what? no way that this is a fair offering. there must be something else'.

tanjirō couldn't believe how utterly heartless kanna was, to offer up rui to be practically slayed by him, and the death of another lower moon at that.

"do not worry about us, tanjirō", tamayo whispered, "lady kanna isn't one to go back on her words. that I'm sure of".

"but—"

"our lives are not that important. but you, you have great potential, tanjirō. you and nezuko need to get out of here. that's the biggest help you can offer to us right now", the distressed demoness stated.

"well?", kanna asked, as tanjirō had shut his eyes to momentarily think.

hesitantly, the fifteen year-old boy had agreed, to which kanna had daintily clapped her hands in excitement.

"very well then! urogi and karaku, why don't you both escort our guests to a more secure room for now. I'll be there after this battle".

"aw man!! I wanted to watch the battle too!", urogi sighed.

though nonetheless, the two more extroverted clones had done as told, leaving only sekido with tanjirō and aizetsu with nezuko.

"sekido, you may release him now".

the angry clone stepped back, to which tanjirō had foolishly attempted to take a swing at said demon, only to be pummeled onto the floor.

"I am not your opponent, boy. for if it was me, you wouldn't have even gotten a chance to swing", sekido threatened.

tanjirō couldn't even resist, until sekido had jumped off the young slayer, returning beside his brethren, aizetsu.

kanna had then kneeled down, eye-level to rui. a sly smile flashed across her face as she pulled the white-haired demon into a tight embrace.

"lose", she simply whispered.

rui's eyes widened for a split second before understanding what the demoness had meant. an equally wicked smile fell upon his face.

"understood, miss kanna".

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     tanjirō couldn't believe it. yet the evidence was right before his very eyes.

he had done it! he had successfully sliced off the lower moon's head.

though blood stained his sword, tanjirō could successfully say that he'd accomplished setting him and his sister free in the meantime.

     "impressive!", kanna smiled, not even an ounce of regret gracing her face.

     "you said we'd get rid of lower moon six as well", tanjirō stated, reminding the demoness of her promise.

     "you're quite sharp for being so young", kanna praised, "nakime, go ahead and summon lower moon six".

     with a strum of a biwa, the appearance of the current lower moon six, kyōgai, had appeared.

     tanjirō gaped as the confused lower moon, who had instantly kneeled upon realizing that he had been summoned to the infinity fortress.

     "l-lady kanna, greetings!"

     "it has been a while, kyōgai", kanna replied.

     "listen, I promise I'll get strong—"

     "you've tried long enough, kyōgai. I do have one last request to ask of you though".

     "anything! what may I do for you, lady kanna?!", the drum demon hopefully asked.

     "let him kill you", kanna answered without mercy.

     "wha—", kyōgai snapped his head towards the fifteen year-old demon slayer, who just stood beside him, almost feeling guilty.

     "my lady, you must be joking, right?! please, give me another chance! I promise I'll be better!"

     "sekido, hold him down", kanna commanded.

     immediately showing up behind the lower moon, sekido pinned the lower moon's arms behind his back. giving kyōgai a rough kick to his knee-pit, and causing the lower moon to quickly fall onto both knees.

     "LADY KANNA, PLEASE! I JUST NEED SOME MARECHI BLOOD! I'LL GET STRONGER I SWEAR!"

     though no matter how harshly kyōgai attempted to rip his forearms from sekido's grip, the upper moon simply wouldn't budge.

     tanjirō's heart begun to beat with pity, for once again, he could not believe that the demoness would so willingly sacrifice her kin just for a bet.

     "tanjirō, dear, we do not have all night", kanna reminded in a sickly sweet tone.

readjusting his grip on his katana, tanjirō had no choice but to slice through kyōgai's neck, just like he had done with rui.

     it was quick, as tanjirō didn't wish to make it painful for the demon despite how many he's killed, for in that moment, he had felt sorry for kyōgai.

     kyōgai's protests promptly stopped, as the deed had been done, and his body was starting to disintegrate hastily.

     kanna watched as the demon slowly disappeared into ashes, wondering if that will be her ending one day as well.

     "you've completed your task and I've kept the end of my bargain. you and your sister are free to go", kanna announced.

     "wait, but—"

     without a second wasted, nakime had teleported the kamado siblings away from the infinity fortress.

     "rui, you may get up now", kanna had called out.

     the young demon reattached his head, finally able to get up from the dirty ground.

"miss kanna, would you like me to follow after them now?", rui asked.

"you get me as always", the demoness smiled, to which rui had bowed, before being dismissed by nakime as well.

"lady kanna, may I ask why you've let them go? wouldn't it be better to kill them now so that he doesn't become stronger?", aizetsu daringly asked.

kanna waved her hand for the two demons to join her on the same platform, to which aizetsu and sekido had complied.

"there will be a great chance that ubuyashiki summons tanjirō and his sister to the demon slayer corps, or the ubuyashiki estate", kanna stated.

"and how're you certain that he'll summon them?", aizetsu pried.

     "a demon slayer's sister is a demon herself. surely they won't let that go unattended, will they?"

     "you're a genius, my lady", aizetsu barely smiled, whilst sekido had simply nodded in agreement.

     "why don't you two reunite with urogi and karaku first? I have something I need to discuss with tamayo-san in private", kanna suggested.

     "my lady, are you sure that's a good idea? what if she—"

     "not to worry, sekido. I am not as weak as to not even being able to protect myself", kanna reassured.

     the flirty demoness had then rearranged a few pieces of sekido's hair, as if it had been tousled out of place.

     "and plus, I do have you four to come to my aid in case I am in harm's way, right?", she asked.

     aizetsu was always amazed by how kanna had managed to tame the angrier version of him. he had never seen sekido be so quiet, considering how he was wrath himself.

     yet he completely understood why, for kanna's beauty wasn't just from her naturally calming smile that made you want to listen to every word that she gave you. it was also her eyes that held a certain gleam to it, prompting you to never look away, not even for a second.

     "naturally, lady kanna", sekido answered.

     "we live to be of your service".

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

     AUTHOR'S NOTE: i feel kinda bad for kyōgai,, 😔 but whatever makes the plot move along/interesting (tee-hee)