Chapter Text
“What is this place?” Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, wondered aloud to himself, one hand on his sword at the ready. The last thing he remembered, he had just finished his mission and beheaded a demon. Then, there was a bright flash of light and suddenly he had found himself in what seemed to be a nearly perfect replica of demon slayer headquarters.
Nearly being the operative word. The walls were impossibly high and completely sealed shut around the house. There was no trace of people ever having lived there, and the building felt sterile and cold. Other than that, it was such a perfect replica that Kyojuro just knew something was wrong.
Had there been another demon nearby? This had to be a demon blood art, but he wasn’t sure if this was an illusion or if he was in some kind of dream.
Kyojuro paused in his exploration, sensing movement behind him and coming closer. He drew his sword and turned, ready to attack what he suspected was the demon. Before his blade could make contact, his would-be opponent jumped back into a tree.
“Easy Rengoku.” The Sound Hashira teased as he perched in the branches. “You almost poked my eye out.”
“Oh, my apologies, Uzui!” Kyojuro greeted, not lowering his sword. “I can’t take any chances, for all I know, I’m speaking to a trick conjured by a demon, and not my good friend Tengen Uzui.”
“I could say the same for you.” Tengen nodded. “One moment I was at my estate, putting on a flashy show of training, then I was here.”
“I had just slain a demon before I came here.” Kyojuro replied. “So there seems to be a pattern here.” As he spoke, he became more and more certain that this was indeed the real Tengen Uzui and not some kind of trick and sheathed his sword. “We should stick together, who knows what kinds of tricks this place will pull.”
“Speaking of tricks, I scaled the walls and climbed over.” Tengen said, hopping down to stand beside him. “You know where I ended up? I landed right back into this place. It’s some kind of loop apparently.”
“How strange.” Kyojuro mused. “Still, where there’s an entrance, there is also an exit, even if we must make our own.”
“And what a flamboyant exit we’ll make together!” Tengen declared. “Hold on, I think I hear some familiar voices this way…”
The two Hashira entered the house together, and while Kyojuro couldn’t hear anything just yet, he had no doubts that Tengen’s much more sensitive ears had picked up on what his own damaged ears hadn’t. “Is it a demon?” He asked quietly.
Tengen shook his head. “Nah, but he certainly acts like one.”
“Huh?” Kyojuro blinked at the strange answer, but was distracted by the sounds of footsteps coming closer.
“Just stay close to me, Kanroji and we’ll find our way out.” Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira said softly as he led the way for the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji and Kyojuro’s former Tsugoku.
“I’m so glad you’re here with me Iguro!” Mitsuri praised. “It makes me feel a lot safer.”
“Mitsuri! Obanai!” Kyojuro greeted with a wave. “So you’re here as well!”
“Kyojuro!! Uzui!” Mitsuri blushed and waved back. “You’re here too?”
“That’s odd.” Obanai noted. “I know we weren’t anywhere near the two of you before we arrived.”
“I know.” Tengen nodded. “Something weird is going on. You think the other five are here too?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me, but it is concerning to think about.” Kyojuro admitted. “All nine Hashira gathered in a place that must be the result of a demon blood art… this demon is either foolish or very powerful.”
“If the others are here, then we should hurry and find them!” Mitsuri exclaimed. “I can't bear the idea of Tokito all alone and getting attacked!”
“Tokito might be fourteen, but he’s still a Hashira.” Tengen reminded. “Have some faith in the kid.”
“Right, right.” Mitsuri nodded. Kyojuro understood where she was coming from, knowing the pink haired girl had a brother Muichiro’s age. He was feeling just as concerned as she was, picturing Senjuro on his own in a strange place.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that all the Hashira were often concerned over their youngest member. Especially with his strange state of mind and the constant fog he was lost in. But even so, Muichiro was a competent swordsman. Surely he had realized something was wrong and had his guard up.
Now a larger group, they set out once more to explore, eventually finding themselves in the garden area where they found the other hashira discussing the situation. “So we are all here together.” Shinobo Kocho, the Insect Hashira, sighed. “That’s concerning.”
“By any chance, did one of you happen to notice if the Master or his family was here?” Kyojuro asked, dreading the answer.
“No, it’s just us hashira.” Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, assured him. “It is a relief to know the Master is safe from whatever dangerous situation we find ourselves in, but I worry about the fact that none of the Hashira are present to guard him if something were to happen. Namu Amida Butsu.” He chanted, tears falling from his eyes.
“The master isn’t unguarded.” Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira, reminded, his gaze up on the giant walls. “Tomioka isn’t with us.”
“What?” Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, asked. “Tomioka’s right over…” He trailed off as he looked around, noticing they were one hashira short.
Kyojuro winced as the other hashira looked around, all of them only now realizing their number was incomplete. He hadn’t even noticed that Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, wasn’t there, the man completely forgettable in his mind. That wouldn’t do. Giyu was odd, sure, but he was still a Hashira and a reliable comrade. He made a mental note to invite the man out for a meal to make up for it.
However, at that moment, the sliding door opened and Giyu stepped out onto the verdena. “So everyone else is here too.” He noted.
“Are you kidding me?!” Sanemi growled. “Where the hell have you been?!”
“Inside exploring.” Giyu explained, holding up a sheet of paper. “I found this. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“What does it say?” Mitsuri asked.
“It says why we’re here.” Giyu said flatly.
Kyojuro blinked, waiting a few seconds for the stoic man to elaborate. He quickly realized Giyu was not going to explain things further as the other Hashira sighed or looked annoyed. Tengen pinched the bridge of his nose while Shinobu took her shoes off and joined Giyu, taking the paper from him.
Shinobu read over it, her expression looking incredulous. “I… can’t believe I’m reading this. I… pardon me, but I don’t even know how to explain this. I’m just going to read this out loud.”
Dear Hashira,
The future ahead holds the greatest victory you could all hope for. But it comes at a very heavy cost. Too heavy, in my opinion.
I want to change that, to change your future. You all deserve a chance to have a peaceful night’s dream, and to truly know peace in the sun’s embrace. That’s why I brought you here. I’m going to show you all your future, so that you might be able to change it.
As I write this letter the last hashira is on his deathbed, three quarters of a century after his peers. I dream of a world where he did not spend over half of his life with only the memories of his comrades growing dimmer as the years go by. So many lives ended before their time, so many buds left to rot before they've bloomed. Great-Grandfather Tengen I hope you and your fellow hashira can forgive me for putting you here.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to fully remember the future you see. You’ll only get intense feelings, or a sensation of deja vu to help guide you into making better choices. But I know you’re all strong and intelligent. You’ll make the best decisions.
I know you’re all probably worried about the Master and the corps. Don’t worry, time is frozen in your world until you return. Everything is going to be okay.
With all my love,
Yuya Uzui
“What the hell?!” Tengen demanded, racing over and snatching the letter, reading it with his own eyes. “This doesn’t make any sense!”
“What’s the point of showing us the future if we don’t remember it?” Muichiro wondered to himself. “Not that I’d remember it anyway.”
“Time is frozen in the real world?” Mitsuri squealed. “No way!! That’s so freaky!!”
Kyojuro’s heart raced as his mind tried to process how weird this all was. Tengen’s descendent had brought them here to see the future? But how? And why? What did any of this mean? Could they even trust this? The other Hashira around him were just as panicked as he felt, and things began to escalate quickly.
“I think I understand.” Gyomei’s deep voice cut through the noise, and everyone went silent and turned towards him. The oldest Hashira had the respect and admiration of his peers, and when he spoke, everyone listened. “This letter said the future holds the greatest victory we could ask for, yes?”
“That’s right.” Shinobu confirmed.
“This… Yuya, is talking about the greatest victory we could hope for, yes? There’s only one thing I can picture.” Gyomei continued, wrapping and unwrapping his beads around his arms. “The death of Muzan Kibutjusi.”
“You think that could actually happen?” Kyojuro asked, amazed at the idea. “In our generation? T-that’s wonderful news! Truly, I can think of nothing better!”
“But the letter says it also comes at a heavy cost.” Obanai reminded, Kaburamaru coiling around his neck. “If I had to guess, I’d say not all of us make it out alive. Maybe only Tengen.”
“That’s… no that can’t be.” Tengen shook his head. “I can’t be the only survivor…”
Mitsuri sniffled, tears in her eyes. “As much as it hurts my heart, if it means the end of demons then our sacrifices are worth it.” She declared, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m willing to lay down my life if it means the night will finally be safe!”
“We all are Mitsuri.” Kyojuro assured her. “But if this is an opportunity to defeat Muzan and stay alive, then I say it’s worth looking into. Tomioka, where did you find this note? Was there anything else in there?”
Giyu opened the door behind him. “Right in here, where we usually meet with the Master. There’s some kind of… machine.” He said, shrugging and entering the room.
The other Hashira left their shoes in the garden and followed after him. To be honest, Kyojuro wasn’t sure exactly what he was seeing. Where the Master usually sat and faced the Hashira was what looked like a screen from a movie theater. Tengen liked the flashiness of the films, and had once dragged Kyojuro with him to catch one. Sitting on the floor was a strange box shaped device with buttons on it, clearly labeled. On/off and play/pause.
“Interesting…” Shinobu mused, before turning to Gyomei and describing the situation.
“I guess this movie screen is how we’ll see it.” Tengen said. “Makes sense, seeing our future like one of those movies. Do we turn it on with this… controller?”
“Guess so.” Kyojuro said, grabbing it.
The Hashira all took a seat, where they could easily see the screen. Gyomei sat in the back, and everyone promised to pause things and explain what was happening as needed. Kyojuro pressed the on button, and then clicked play.