As Bright As The Sun

'Word Count: 1563

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Now "It seems I was almost late again. Are you okay?" Rengoku's voice broke through the moment, and his gaze locked onto Fujino's surprised expression.

"Y-yeah, I'm good. Thanks for the save," Fujino responded, taking a deep breath to fill his lungs with much-needed air. He was somewhat amazed by what he had just witnessed. This Hashira had managed to fend off that upper moon demon, which was no small achievement.

"Now," Rengoku said, shifting his focus to the upper moon demon lurking at a distance, a frown on its face. "I take it you're the one who attacked my comrades?" he asked.

The Upper Moon stayed silent, but Rengoku felt a small chill run down his spine. He was well aware he was facing an upper moon, specifically upper moon three. However, Rengoku had earned his Hashira title through hard work and determination; he wouldn't back down now.

"...Why would demon slayers ally with that traitorous demon? Isn't it your job to slay us?" he questioned, his voice laced with anger.

"Traitorous demon?" Rengoku blinked in confusion. The only demon associated with the Corps was Nezuko, but the upper moon hadn't encountered her; he had left her with Shimafa when he learned about the battle.

As he pondered, Rengoku realized the demon was no longer looking at him but rather behind him. He turned to see the person he had just rescued. Was the demon referring to that individual? He seemed like an ordinary—albiet injured—civilian; why would the Upper Moon think he was a demon?

Then, Rengoku focused intently on the person. Despite his injuries, he could see that the bruises and small cuts were healing, slowly but surely. Rengoku had a hunch, and if it turned out to be true...

"Pardon my intrusion, but you wouldn't happen to be Fujino Yuki, would you?" he inquired, noticing the immediate stiff in Fujino's body upon hearing the name.

Fujino shot him a wary glance, weighing his options on whether to respond. This could be a pivotal moment—either he would be let off the hook or face dire consequences. Although he could easily fabricate a lie, something inside him urged him to be truthful.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied.

Rengoku studied him for a brief moment before breaking into a broad smile.

"In that case, Yuki-san, I'm Rengoku Kyojiro the Flame Hashira. on behalf of the Demon Slayer Corps, I want to extend my sincerist gratitude for your contributions in supporting our endevours and for saving several slayers from certain death during the Final Selection and at Natagumo Mountain."

"..."

"Eh?" Fujino was speechless. He never imagined that the Demon Slayer Corps would be thankful for his efforts. He had been so anxious about their attitude towards him, his ability to be specific, and now here was a Hashira, one of what he could presume to be their top fighters, thanking him.

'They must know about Demonic Assimilation, right? A lot of people have seen me transform, and Tanjiro definitely spilled the beans. I can't blame him for that.'

If the Corps was this accepting, then all his fears about them were completely misplaced.

Had he realized this sooner, had he not hated being under authority, he might have joined their ranks much earlier. The backing of such an organization would have been immensely advantageous for him.

While all of this was unfolding, the Upper Moon's thoughts were racing at a different level. Initially, he felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of a powerful slayer, possibly even a Hashira, intervening in the battle. He thought he might take the opportunity to eliminate that traitor as well.

However, he was taken aback to see the demon still alive, and even more so when the Hashira inquired about his well-being, treating him as if he were just an ordinary human caught up in the chaos, rather than a demon who had undoubtedly consumed humans.

His blood boiled at the thought; slayers teaming up with demons posed a serious threat to Muzan's ambitions. As Upper Moon 3, tasked with locating the blue spider lily, he was determined to eliminate any enemy of his master.

In a bid to calm his anger, The demon confronted Rengoku, questioning why they were collaborating, casting a heated glare at the demon as he spoke. But then something caught his attention.

The demon appeared more human now. The sharp fangs and piercing blue eyes had vanished, replaced by ordinary human features.

That's when it dawned on Upper Moon.

He had been sent to clean up the mess left by the foolish Lower Moon 1, which involved taking down both the Hanafuda earrings slayer and a slayer capable of transforming into a demon.

He let out a laugh, realizing how foolish he had been. This "demon" was indeed his target, not just some random one. His anger had clouded his judgment, and he vowed not to let that happen again.

The laughter caught the attention of the slayer duo. Rengoku frowned as he observed, while Fujino began to rise, glaring at the demon with a scowl.

"I don't understand what's amusing about this situation. I may not know you, but I already dislike you."

"I've come to realize that as a warrior, I've failed at the most fundamental rule of combat: never let your anger control you," The Upper Moon replied.

"Rengoku Kyojuro, My name is Akaza. In all my years, I've never faced the Flame Hashira before," he continued, his gaze shifting elsewhere. "I can see you're strong, far more powerful than those weaklings, even that fake demon beside you."

Fujino gritted his teeth in anger at the insult.

"I hate the weak; their very presence ruins my day. But you, Kyojuro, are different. Just one look at you reveals that your fighting spirit shines as brightly as the sun," he complimented, only intensifying Fujino's frustration as he felt overlooked. The demon's entire attention was on the hashira, treating him like he was insignificant, just a tiny insect.

He extended his hand. "You'll grow old and wither, and all your talent and hard work will be wasted. You have to become a demon, Kyojuro, a real one."

Rengoku was not pleased with what he was hearing, while Fujino simmered with rage at the demon's words.

"And why the hell would anyone—"

"I will not."

With a firm and commanding tone, Rengoku's voice cut through the noise of Fujino's lengthy tirade, bringing silence to the moment.

"My first impressions towards you have soured drastically. You assert that my comrades are weak, yet they risk their lives to protect others, to save lives, and to combat the cruelty inflicted by Muzan and his minions."

'Muzan? So that must be the "demon lord".' if there was a silver lining, it would be that he had gained valuable information and likely a new target. These demons had been a constant nuisance, and that Muzan needed to be dealt with.

"I'll say it again: my allies are not weak. If you can't grasp that, if you can't see it, then our values and beliefs are fundamentally different. That's why I will never become a demon, and I will not accept your proposal."

Fujino, standing next to him, nodded in agreement with the Hashira. 'He seems like a swell guy, and he's quite powerful too.' He glanced at Akaza, relishing in his frustration at being rejected. 'If we combined our strength...'

Without warning, Akaza lifted his foot and slammed it into the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. "Technique Development," he declared, as a snowflake-shaped compass appeared beneath him. "Destructive Death, Compass Needle."

"If you refuse to become a demon, then I will kill you."

With that threat, Rengoku took a fighting stance, prepared to battle the demon to the death if necessary. But he had one more thing to say.

"Yuki-san, I must ask you to step back. With your current strength, you won't be able to put up much of a fight," Rengoku stated, which would have offended Fujino if he didn't know it was true.

Akaza was clearly bringing out his most powerful abilities, using his blood demon art. He had no idea how formidable an Upper Moon's blood demon art could be, but based on Enmu, it was likely to be extremely dangerous.

Yet, that demon had the audacity to insult him, and hell would freeze over before he backs down.

Akaza responded with a chill in his voice, "I have no desire to fight an animal."

"What?! Did you just call me that?"

"Yes, I did. To me, you resemble a wild beast. Your fighting spirit is nothing but the rage of a feral mutt. All that anger is just holding you back instead of empowering you. Honestly, I'd prefer to face the boar boy over you."

Fujino glared at him, fury boiling inside as the disrespect, rudeness, and dismissal reopened old wounds and memories he thought he had buried.

"That's it! I don't care who you are; I'm going to kill you," Fujino declared fiercely, taking a fighting stance with a snarl on his face.

Rengoku let out a sigh, wishing to keep him out of this, but it seemed futile to try and dissuade him. He could only hope that, given his track record, he would at least make it through the fight.

And so, both parties locked eyes, ready to charge at each other.

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Taisho Era Secrets!

Just before Rengoku left, he assigned both Shimada and Nezuko the task of assisting the passengers, particularly those trapped in the debris.