The night sky was like a black curtain, with a full moon hanging high in the center, dimming the brilliance of the stars. "The moon is so round tonight," Koji Kamiya said, looking up at the sky. He wanted to recite a line of poetry to praise it, but his literary skills didn't allow for it.
He limped out of the outpost gate, waving at the person behind him. His face was more weathered now, but his smile was very bright. "Alright, go on back. Recovery training is a real pain," Koji said.
"I've fully recovered. I'll be leaving in a couple of days," said the person behind him, wearing a water-blue haori and smiling honestly. "Master, you don't have to run over here every day."
"Haha, what can I say? I'm bored and live close by," Koji said with a laugh. "Unlike you, the current Water Hashira, such a busy man."
"By the way, that girl who came here to recuperate today is the current Mist Hashira, right? She seems to be the same age as you, Shosuke."
"She's a year younger than me," Shosuke said honestly.
"So young and promising," Koji said, winking. "Don't you want to go find her?"
Shosuke scratched the back of his head blankly. "Find her for what? To spar? Good idea!"
"You, really..." Koji sighed. "Forget it, I won't worry about that."
"Alright, I'm heading back," he waved, limping away along the dirt road. "See you tomorrow!"
In a mission more than ten years ago, the bone in his left calf had been broken. It was barely set later, but he could never put much force on it. So he retired from his position as the Water Hashira and became a cultivator, constantly nurturing new blood for the Demon Slayer Corps.
Koji limped into the forest. The outpost behind him was like a great beast crouching in the mountains, steady and solid. This was one of the most important logistics bases for the Demon Slayer Corps, the location of their medical facilities. It housed several highly skilled doctors who were rare and precious in this era, many recuperating corps members, and a considerable number of "Kakushi" brigade members. The vicinity of the outpost was also patrolled year-round by several teams of skilled swordsmen and was within the patrol area of a Hashira.
"I wish days like these could last forever," Koji said with a sudden wave of emotion. Over the years, he had seen too many children die. Young lives, gone in a flash. "If only there were no demons," his sigh echoed softly in the woods.
On the other side of the forest, wails of agony were already spreading. A deep shadow extended from under Kikage's feet, seeping into the tree shadows like a writhing bog. Black thorns shot out from it, binding and piercing a team of swordsmen who couldn't react in time. Figures hung from the thorns, groaning in pain, and the smell of blood instantly filled the forest.
"A team of not-so-weak swordsmen on patrol... it seems this is a fairly important place." Kikage crushed the neck of a swordsman who refused to divulge information, a ferocious grin on his face.
"Eeeeek—" Hantengu cowered behind a tree, trembling. "They look so pained, so pitiful."
Doma covered the lower half of his face with his fan and turned away, tears welling in his eyes. He really couldn't bear to see people suffer. But work is work; it always forces people to do things they don't like.
"Let's just put them out of their misery quickly," Doma said with teary eyes, his expression sad and compassionate. He suddenly felt that he and Lord Kikage might not get along very well. Mmm—perhaps it's just my imagination?
Kikage looked at his two unreliable teammates and ground his teeth with a crack.
"This must be the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, my lords," Gyokko said, swaying his body.
"If it's not, I'll kill you," Kikage said viciously.
"Well..." Gyokko retracted his small hands and wisely shrank back into his pot.
After killing the team of swordsmen, they wandered nearby for a while and finally confirmed that this could not be the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. "Then let's go say hello." Kikage eagerly ditched his two annoying teammates and charged towards the outpost gate alone.
A thicket of black thorns grew wantonly at the gate, and screams and groans instantly echoed under the night sky. Hantengu cowered, then stood up and ran away with surprising speed.
"Eh?" Doma looked around in confusion, then tilted his head and showed a sunny smile. "Everyone runs so fast."
Inside the Demon Slayer outpost, chaos reigned.
"Enemy attack!" Piercing shouts spread throughout the entire base.
Shosuke, who was sparring with the Mist Hashira, suddenly turned his head towards the gate. The two of them leaped onto a roof almost simultaneously. Looking at the black thorns covering a large area from afar, they exchanged a knowing glance.
"A Blood Demon Art of this magnitude... it must be an Upper Moon!" Shosuke said gravely, his honest face showing a firm and calm temperament.
"Mmm," the woman in the blue-green haori nodded silently and drew her Nichirin Sword.
"Miss Tamakawa, we must buy time for the others to evacuate!"
"Mmm."
The two of them leaped across the rooftops, rushing towards the gate. People inside the base were systematically protecting the medical staff and evacuating. For a moment, figures were running everywhere.
"Aahh—a demon!" Hearing a scream from nearby, Tamakawa turned to see a demon resembling an old man with a large bulge on his forehead, kneeling and climbing on a door. "Did another demon sneak in?"
She abruptly changed direction, her figure blending into the hazy mist as she swooped down towards her target. "Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash."
Her Nichirin Sword easily sliced through the demon's neck. Tamakawa stopped, nodded gently at the girl who had just screamed, and was about to continue on her way when she heard Shosuke's shout. "Watch out!"
She turned her head sharply, only to find that the demon she had beheaded had unknowingly split into two. One held a Khakkhara staff, its face contorted in anger, the words "Upper Moon Four" visible in its red eyes. The other had a smile on its face, the same words engraved in its green eyes, and suddenly swung a banana-leaf fan at her.
Tamakawa couldn't react in time. A blast of wind hit her, and she was sent flying far away. "Hahaha, how fun! She flew so far," that demon chuckled, licking its lips, the character for "Joy" (楽) written on its tongue.
"We can't let this demon kill people in the base!" Standing on the roof, Shosuke's pupils contracted. He gripped his Nichirin Sword and leaped down.
In the forest far from the outpost, Koji Kamiya stopped abruptly and turned to look back. "A demon! This stinging sensation all over my body... it might be an Upper Moon!" He tightened his grip on the Nichirin Sword at his side and ran back towards the outpost without hesitation.
Doma stood quietly in the forest, gazing at the outpost from afar, his rainbow eyes looking even more brilliant in the night.
"There are only two Hashira auras."
"Lord Hantengu is dealing with the two Hashira, and Lord Kikage is destroying the base."
"It seems my help isn't needed. That's great~" Doma thought that a reasonable bit of slacking off was a pleasant thing. "Speaking of which, Lord Hantengu seems to have suddenly become much more interesting," he tilted his head, his eyes sparkling. "Mmm—and I don't know where Gyokko ran off to."
"What should I do?" he closed his fan and pressed it against his lips, looking up at the moon.
A rush of footsteps, shallow and deep, came from the woods to his right, catching Doma's attention. He turned his head and saw a familiar figure running along a forest path. Although he was much older and his face was more weathered, Doma recognized him at a glance.
"Ah~ it's Mr. Kamiya!" he greeted with a brilliant smile.
"What?" Koji slammed his right foot on the ground and came to a sudden halt. When he saw the words "Upper Moon Six" engraved in Doma's eyes, he gritted his teeth.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Kamiya. I thought you were dead~" Doma waved with a smile, as if meeting an old friend, his tone even having a hint of a whine.
"You know me?" Koji sized up Doma's face. Such strange eyes and handsome features should have been unforgettable. But he had no memory, only a vague sense of familiarity.
"Of course! We're old friends." As Doma spoke, tears suddenly fell from his eyes, his expression turning sad. "Has Mr. Kamiya forgotten me? That's so heartbreaking..."
"Ah! I think I was the one who made you forget..." he muttered with a tilted head. The tears in his eyes vanished instantly, and he once again showed a childlike, innocent smile. "Then it's all fine~" he said with a wave of his hand.
Koji looked at Doma's fake performance with disgust, his brow furrowed tightly. When he saw Kikage controlling the thorns and wreaking havoc in the base, his expression turned anxious and worried. "Why is no one stopping that demon? Damn it! Are Shosuke and the others held up?"
"It's very rude to get distracted while talking to someone, Mr. Kamiya~" Doma reminded him earnestly.
"I don't have time to talk to you!" Koji shouted, awkwardly getting into a stance.
"Huh? Is Mr. Kamiya's leg injured?" Doma tilted his head, a look of concern on his face. "Did you stop being the Water Hashira because of an injury?"
"Humans are so fragile. Even someone as hardworking and tenacious as Mr. Kamiya has become like this." He said with a sad expression, then his eyes lit up and he showed a hopeful smile. "Hey~ Mr. Kamiya, would you like to become a demon?"
"Someone like Mr. Kamiya would surely become very strong after becoming a demon! And you wouldn't have to worry about getting injured anymore~"
"I refuse!" Koji raised his Nichirin Sword.
"Eh—as expected, I was rejected." Doma sighed with disappointment, though he wasn't surprised by this result at all.
I can't waste any more time. I have to go stop that demon... Koji took a deep breath and stomped his right foot hard on the ground.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Concentrating his body's strength in his good right leg, he unleashed a sword technique no weaker than his prime, his body moving like flowing water along an unpredictable path in a high-speed assault.
"Ahh, how nostalgic~" Doma leaped lightly onto a nearby tree, avoiding the attack. "Mr. Kamiya's skills are much more refined than before. That's amazing."
However, Koji didn't stop. He charged straight into the open gates of the base.
"Eh?" Doma tilted his head in confusion. "If you go there, you'll die, you know." He watched Koji's resolute back and pursed his lips. In the end, he did nothing.
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