The air was still as history seemed to repeat itself. 'Yoriichi' cut through Kokushibo but the demon didn't fall. The blood on my blade splattered in the ground as I flicked it off my katana. Behind me Kokushibo let out a gasp as his head detached and reattached in the same second.
The other Hashira stood frozen behind me. Sanemi's jaw clenched tight, Kyojuro watching intently, Mitsuri's hands clasped together as she kept staring at me, and Muichiro glancing between Kokushibo and I.
To everyone but Mitsuri, I was Yoriichi, legendary slayer reborn or maybe a ghost come to take vengeance on the demons.
Kokushibo turned to face me, trembling. His sword gripped tightly in his hands as he spoke. "You… you mock me…" he whispered, voice low, carrying centuries of resentment.
I said nothing, my sword raised as I prepared to make my next strike. My reflection, mirroring the ghost I was pretending to be.
"Come brother," I said softly in my disguised voice, "let us finish what was left undone."
Kokushibo screamed.
His blade flashing as his blood demon art was unleashed with his Moon Breathing. Swaths of glimmering moonlight shot from the edge of his blade, screaming through the air.
Each arc of moonlight cut through the ground, the trees, through the air itself as they shot towards me. Each of his swings was filled with hatred, jealousy, and shame.
I shifted, Sun Breathing causing the air around me to heat up as I dodged and parried each of his attacks. None of them so much as ruffling my costume.
My breathing was calm and steady when I appeared in front of Kokushibo. The first form of Sun Breathing cutting into his flesh as I moved far faster than he could ever hope to defend against.
He stumbled, eyes wide. "Why do you torment me so.?!"
I didn't answer.
Each strike that followed was precise, deliberate. I was drawing the fight out. Partially to give the Hashira a show, and partially to see if Kokushibo would die like he did in canon, through the power of flashbacks and regret.
He swung again, faster this time. All of his eyes narrowing as he tried to cut me down. "No! You're not Yoriichi!"
"It pains me… that my own brother cannot even recognise my face."
For a moment there was silence, broken only by the hiss of his blade trembling in his grasp.
Behind us I could sense everyone watching the fight with bated breath. Not even Sanemi was his confrontational self as he watched the fight between 'brothers'. Mitsuri was watching me with sparkling eyes.
"Despite what you have become… I cannot hate you Michikatsu… I mourned for you, you were my brother." I spoke, still channeling Yoriichi.
Kokushibo froze, I don't know if it was him hearing his real name for the first time in centuries again or if an image of his brother saying those words finally got through to him.
I stepped forward to end the fight, but he beat me to it. His flesh began to warp. He stayed silent, but his eyes were trembling, as if he was going through a lifetime of flashbacks.
"I wanted to be like you… to shine as brightly…" He whispered.
His monstrous visage faded, replaced by the man he once was. A mirror image of the man I was currently dressed as.
"You did…" I replied, still maintaining my role, "you shined brightly in your own way."
He looked at me as if seeing the real ghost of Yoriichi juxtaposed behind me.
"Brother…" his lips trembled as he dropped his sword, "… forgive me."
The sword dissolved into black ash, I stayed where I was, more in respect than fear that if I got close he might lash out. He fell to his knees, the rest of his body slowly turning to ash.
Slowly he reached into his yukata and pulled out an item wrapped in cloth. This time I stepped forward, my hands holding his own as he pressed the wrapped item into them.
"I forgive you…" I muttered, a lone tear streaked down his face as the rest of his body crumbled to ash.
I had a feeling I knew what was in the small cloth bundle, I slowly opened the cloth wrapping revealing a carved wooden flute that had been cut in half.
'Sentimental… Michikatsu really cared for his family despite what he displayed.'
The moon was beginning to dip, a sign that the sun was about to rise. Symbolic, maybe even a sign from the world that what I had done was justified.
I exhaled, the air felt alive again.
The others stood motionless, caught between reverence and disbelief. Kyojuro sheathed his sword and continued to stare. Muichiro looked pale, eyes wide. Sanemi's lips parted but said nothing, his words failing him for the first time.
And Mitsuri…
Mitsuri jogged forward, a wide grin on her face. Eyes sparkling as she pulled me into a hug. The others looked like they wanted to protest until Mitsuri started talking.
"Satoru-kun!!! That was sooo cool!"
The illusion shattered like glass, the others stared at me with narrowed eyes. Before anyone could say anything else, Mitsuri pulled the wig off my head and took off the hanafuda earrings.
"You looked really cool," she said again, her eyes shining, "you were like BAAAANG, then that demon went WAAAAA, then you were like BOOOOM! It made my heart go doki doki the whole time." She smiled warmly as she pulled me into another hug.
I chuckled, "I guess these clothes are pretty stylish."
Sanemi pointed a finger at me, fiery temper back with a passion. "You! You had time to put on a costume while we fought Upper Rank One, just to mess with him?!"
I shrugged, "It worked though didn't it?"
Kyojuro threw his head back and laughed. "SATORU-SAN, YOU TRULY ARE THE MOST FEARLESS ONE!"
"Fearless? Nah, I'm just shameless… and stylish… and—
Mitsuri cut me off, "Satoru-kun, why did that demon think you were his brother? And who is Yoriichi?"
'Huh… I guess they wouldn't know the names. They're all familiar with Sun Breathing though.'
"Yoriichi was the one who invented breathing styles. He created Sun Breathing."
"Wow…" Mitsuri looked star struck, "that's amazing!"
I chuckled, "Heh, I was pretty amazing huh?"
Sanemi stomped forward, "Oi! Elaborate damn it! You can't just drop historical information on us like that… come on Tokito, Rengoku, back me up here."
Kyojuro looked too intrigued by the information to respond. Muichiro had been staring off into the sky, he glanced at Sanemi as he replied.
"Did you see the shape of that cloud…"
A vein popped up in Sanemi's forehead, "Gaaaah! Useless! Useless! Fine I'll go ask Oyakata-sama when we get back."
By the time he looked back at me, I had already teleported away with Mitsuri, leaving the three Hashira standing in the middle of the empty street.
[Scene Break]
The air back in our temporary lodgings was thick with the smell of tea and the steam from the nearby baths. Mitsuri sat beside me, her shortened pink hair still damp, humming softly as she brushed it out. Across from us sat the Kamaboko squad, each of them wearing various looks of disbelief as I finished recounting the fight.
"…and then," I said, leaning back with a grin, "he turned to ash. POOF. Just like that. Guess even the strongest Upper Moon can't escape emotional regret."
Zenitsu's jaw dropped, "Y-you actually mocked one of the Upper Moons? A-and you had time to put on a costume in the middle of a life or death fight?! Who even does that?!!!"
Inosuke pounded his chest, "THAT DOES IT!!!! GAAAA Kanpachiro Tondako! FIGHT ME!"
"Ha? Who even is that?! My name is Kamado Tanjiro! And why would I fight you?"
"GAHAHAHA! TAKE THIS!"
Inosuke started chasing Tanjiro around the room, Zenitsu was still trying to come to terms with the fact that I put on a cosplay before fighting Kokushibo.
Mitsuri giggled behind her hand, "Everyone is so lively tonight… it makes me so happy."
"Mitsuri-chan!!" Zenitsu had stars in his eyes.
I glared at the kid, "Oi… brat," I let Sukuna's features bleed into my face a little, "Don't think I forgot about how you grabbed my woman's leg when we first got here."
"Hiiiiii! TANJIROOOOO SAVE MEEEE!" Zenitsu also began to chase Tanjiro, though for a completely different reason than the boar masked kid.
"Satoru-kun, you were really nice to that demon." Mitsuri scooted closer to me.
I hummed, "Maybe…"
Tanjiro stopped running, causing both Inosuke and Zenitsu to crash into him. Due to his training with me, it was like the other two smashed into a wall. They fell to the ground in a heap of limbs as Tanjiro spoke as if nothing had happened.
"Sensei… from what you said, you really were being kind to that demon."
"Kind?" I raised an eyebrow, "that's one way to put it I guess, I was mostly trying to see if I could get him to crumble to dust on his own."
Tanjiro shook his head, that soft, steady look of his returning. "Even so, you let him die remembering his brother. I think that matters, Demons were humans once too right? Maybe remembering things like that helps them move on."
I grinned and let out a chuckle, "Only you would preach about kindness to our enemies Tanjiro."
Tanjiro gave a sheepish grin, "Maybe not kindness, but understanding? That's something everyone deserves, Sensei."
The room settled into a comfortable silence. With Tanjiro calming the bickering Inosuke and Zenitsu. Mitsuri held my hand with a smile on her face.
"He's going to be a great man one day…" she whispered.
"He already is…" I motioned towards Zenitsu and Inosuke, "those two follow him because they see something in him, not just cause they're friends."
Mitsuri leaned her head against my shoulder, "You really are good with kids Satoru-kun."
I didn't miss her hand drifting down to her stomach, nor did I miss the smile on her face.