#fireworkbreathing

Prompt- you remind Azaka of something…of life he lived.. of someone who he shared that life once with.

Part 3

You groaned and turned in the bed you lay in, chest still bruised and tight. It hurt to breathe still. You were back at the manor. You passed out after your battle with upper three. You knew your attack didn’t kill him, unfortunately.

“Ah! Miss (L/Y)! Is awake!” Your eyes moved to the voice of one of girls from shinobus mansion.

Not even a minute later two more of the girls joined her, completing their trio. Kanao also ended up by your side visibly frustrated and you stifled out a laugh through a sore chest.

“C’mon Kanao your death stare is whats gonna send me to an early grav-“ you coughed and immediately tasted metal in your mouth. The three little girls screamed and immediately began attempting to wipe away the blood, sit you up and offer you water.

“You should be in a grave! Do you know how lucky you are right now!” Kanao yelled swatting the back of your head and grabbing a cloth to wipe the rest of the blood from your chin. You just huffed and took a shallow breath looking up to her.

“How long have i been asleep?” You asked grabbing the cup of water from sumi, sipping slowly you waited for their answer.

“Almost a week. Im surprised you woke up this early. You were expected to be out for a month with how badly you were injured” Kanao replied and again she went to swat the back of your head but you dodged missing it just barely.

“What were you thinking! Taking on an upper rank by yourself! Your mission was just to investigate and wait for the master to send someone to help you!” She chastised you once more and you just groaned handing the glass back and laying back down. You closed your eyes.

It’s what Rengoku would have done.

But a week seemed about right for you to have been asleep for. Because the entire time you slept you dreamt of one of your past lives. A week spent living a whole other life, one where you weren’t a demon slayer, you didn’t even know of them in this life.

No in this life you dreamt off you were sick, very sick. You were born sick and needed daily care from your father. His face blurry as he wiped a damp cloth over the hot skin on your face. A lot happened in this week. Your father brought home a boy with tattoos on his arms. He was a criminal but that didn’t bother you. No, the thick bands on his forearms are what caught your attention.

They reminded you of something but what was it? You didn’t know not in this life anyways. This boy your father brought home began to take care of you. He wiped the sweat off your face, carried around your father’s home and fed you. He did this all without complaint and still trained daily with your father.

Martial arts… Thats what your father did in every memory you had. In every life he taught some form of it, either to few or to many. But this is the only memory where you were sick and also the only one where it wasn’t just you and your father. You hated when you slept and memories swirled in your mind rather than dreams.

These memories were useless to you. Why dream about past lives? Past lives where you can’t even remember your father’s face, past lives where you can’t hear what your father is saying to you. It’s all meaningless if all you can do is watch what goes on around you. This memory of the boy in it was the only one that really interested you, maybe because of the feelings he invoked when he came around to care for you.

You wished in these dreams you could put a face on him, see what he truly looked like but the closest you ever came was to his eyes. He had big eyes with long eyelashes. They were a blue colour? You couldn’t be sure.

You blinked your eyes open again and seen that Kanao remained. Her expression puzzled as she looked down at you.

“Whos Hakuji?” She asked and your eyes widened. That name made your heart palpate.

“Wha-what?” You asked with wrinkles above your brows. Kanao quickly answered you.

“Hakuji. You mumbled it a few times during your sleep. Who is he?” You just paused and blitzed through different possibilities.

It must be that boys name..

Hakuji.

“Don’t worry about it! Im sick” you faked a cough and pouted up at her. “Basically delirious over here! Leave me to get some rest. Thats an order!”

Kanao just rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath but turned on her heel nonetheless and left you alone. Your shoulders dropped as you let out a sigh and rested back down. You needed to heal quickly. That demon, upper rank three. He needed to be dealt with and your gut was telling you where you’d find him next.

~~~

“Master, you summoned me” you sat with your head to the ground in a bow in front of the master. It had been another week since you woke from your sleep and though not fully healed you couldn’t waste any time.

Though the real reason for pushing your recovery forward was to stop the onslaught of memories with that boy in your head.

Hakuji…

“Yes I did. I heard you were up and back to training much at the protest of your nurses” He hummed and you rose up to look at him, chewing your lip a bit.

“Yes master. I feel better already I don’t need anymore time to rest!” He only let out a soft laugh and you could imagine him rolling his eyes with how he smiled at you.

“I think physically you still need to rest but what about your sleep and your mind?. It is just as important” he asked and you stiffened a bit. He always knew.

“I-.” You paused and thought of how to word this “i’ve had some memories bother me but im fine master”

“Some? Anything stand out in these ?” He hummed and you shook your head whilst saying no.

“Very well, i won’t poke anymore but I do have one more question” you already knew what he was going to ask.

Replace Rengoku and steal his spot

“Will you take Rengokus spot and join the Hashira ranks?” You knew you could say no and that he would let you do so but you knew he wanted you to become a Hashira.

After all you had spent many a times talking about it and before Rengoku passed you spoke with excitement and determination that you would be deserving of the title but now.. now it felt wrong. You never wanted to replace your previous master or any of the other Hashira. You just wanted to be as strong as them to protect people.

“I-I can’t master. It doesn’t feel right” you sighed and clasped your hands together on your lap staring down at them with wet eyes.

“Very well my child if thats what you wish. But the title is always there for when you want it. You deserve it and you should believe that” he stated and you nodded getting up and bowing as you turned to leave.

“Another thing. I hope you aren’t planning on chasing after that upper rank demon” you stilled at his words

Damn crows! They tell him everything!

“Forgive me master but i must go after him. It-It just feels right” you kept your back turned as you forced the words out. It never felt good to disagree with him.

“Very well my child but I really must protest regardless and beg that if you do find him. You wait for another Hashira to join you” you could hear the strain in his voice at how serious he believed this was.

“I don’t want to lose another child” and with that you left. You feared if you stayed any longer you’d end up in a ball of tears as they dribbled down your cheeks.

~~~

Akazas body stilled when he heard footsteps on the ground below him. His body knew before his mind did, reacting before he could string together the idea of the person below him.

It was you.

Akaza peered down and his breath caught in his throat. There you were mumbling to yourself as you continued forward. You didn’t feel his presence. He crept as quietly as he possibly could between the branches of the trees.

He had been waiting for this. He knew he’d meet you again. He had to. He needed to get rid of you. You distracted him… every cell in his body wanted opposed it, down to his toes they didn’t want to get rid of you. Akaza knew he had to if he wanted to continue to become stronger.

How could he be the strongest with something like you bothering him?.

A mere human.

You pushed forward on your mission. You were heading to the next dojo to camp out for that demon but all you could think about for the entirety if your journey was that memory. That name.

Hakuji.

It had to be that boys name. The boy from your past life. Why did it stir up such bother in your body, maybe it was because he was the only interest you had. It was the belief that when you die you are born again, reincarnated. If that was true and you had a lover by your death bed you would meet them in your next life and fall in love all over again.

All your past lives were just you and your father, some you died young, others old. The only life where someone else joined was that boy Hakuji.

He was your lo-

Snap!

You barely dodged Akazas hand that swung for your head. Your knees bent along with your back as you unsheathed your sword and swung upwards. You sliced his wrist, blood sprayed over your haori. He jumped back away from you and you straightened up to face him.

He glared back at you. His eyes giving you a once over before stopping on your face. Why were you so familiar. You couldn’t be much older than when he became a demon. You wasted no time and charged at him immediately using one of your breathing forms to strike down at him. Akaza evaded and jumped further back.

He couldn’t bring himself to attack. His mind screamed that he should get it over with, kill you and forget about your entire existence. You jumped up and came down with a glittering array of small sparks following your movements. Akaza just avoided once more, swinging an arm and sending a shockwave to keep you at bay.

You gritted your teeth together at his actions. He was playing with you. You could see it in his eyes, on his face. His mind was elsewhere he continued to avoid and jump away. His body moved subconsciously through the trees, turning, spinning and stepping.

You huffed out a breath, exasperated. You both stood apart in a clearing. The moonlight filtered through as you stared at each other.

“What are you doing?!” You snapped steadying your footing. Your hand tightened around your handle.

Akaza furrowed his brows at your question. What was he doing?. He was torn in his decision and he did not like it. He couldn’t bring himself to initiate any proper attack on you. He just kept avoiding. He could see you still weren’t fully healed. Your chest didn’t rise fully, ribs still bruised and you had a scar above your brow from where he split it.

His skin prickled at the thought of doing more damage. Why? Why was that bothering him. You gritted your teeth and charged again at him. Akaza planted his feet and punched out in front of him. You flipped to avoid his measly shockwave and came down with your blade.

Akaza just jumped out of the way and turned his back on you.

He ran.

Your eyes widened and jaw slackened at his antics. He’s running! Upper three is running from you. You gave chase immediately after him. You called out after him but he just ignored you, ignored the sweat that grew on his brow from the feeling bubbling in his stomach. He couldn’t bring himself to deal with you now.

Fourth form- shooting star

You focused all your energy into your legs and shot forward. A streak of light followed behind you as you readied your blade and aimed for his neck. Akaza spun at the last second and grabbed your arm. Your eyes widened at how close you were now, noses almost touching. He stared up at you and you both felt your skin prickle.

Her eyes!

His eyes!

Why did you both recognise each other’s eyes. Akaza flipped you over himself and slammed your back into the ground. You choked out a cough from being winded but forced yourself back up. Akaza just stared at you, narrowing his eyes and ran once more. You went to follow only to stumble feeling a tug on your ankle.

You twisted your head and seen a branch dug through your haori and into the ground trapping you. He did that when he flipped you? So quick. You didn’t even notice. You pulled yourself free but it was too late. He had disappeared and you threw the branch frustrated, yelling into the empty forest.

Akaza sat once again in the trees above you. He stared down as you kicked up the ground beneath your feet in frustration. He only huffed out an annoyed sigh as well. His fingers playing with the snowflake hairpin that had fell from your hair when you chased after him. He seen it when he fled from you and couldn’t stop himself from picking it up.

He too was annoyed. He was annoyed at how he felt, completely divided in his feelings towards you. You were just a stupid human that he could snap in two if he really wanted to. You wouldn’t be the first hashira that he has killed. He loved to kill the hashira, take them down and watch their final moments. They were the most formidable opponents after all.

So why did the thought of you dying leave his chest tight?

Akaza watched you leave the clearing. Your shoulders slumped. He rested his back on the trees trunk and looked at the pin in his hand. It was a light blue colour and reflected the moons light. It brought him a strange comfort.

Why?

What was so relevant about you to him? Why was he so split down the middle on his opinion of you. He’s always begged strong hashira to join him and become a demon and it’s always left him bittersweet for a while when they decline and eventually die.

Did he just really want you to become a demon like him? Maybe that was all it was.

He thought of a lower kizuki. Rui, he started a family with the masters permission. Maybe thats what he was feeling. He just wanted you to become a demon so you both could continue fighting. That had to be it.

It couldn’t be anything else!

No, certainly not how your face made his hairs raise, or how your eyes made his stomach flip. It couldn’t be your name either. How it replayed endlessly in his mind. He remembered all of his strongest opponents names.

Series

Reincarnated

Prompt- you remind Azaka of something…of life he lived.. of someone who he shared that life once with.

Part 2 Part 3

Akaza laughed as another man charged at him screaming loudly with a sword in hand, his fellow brothers bodies laid bloody on the floor of the dojo around them.

Akaza just stepped out of his way and with one swoop of his hand sliced him down his spine. He watched the mans body struggle to breath as he fell onto his knees where the rest of his brothers lay. Their bodies still twitching and moaning with what little life was left in them. The yellow eyes of the upper rank demon only rolled at the sounds.

“Pitiful..”

He turned on his heel and made his way out stepping on top of already broken bones as he did. His hand reaching to slide the door open, cut off fingers reappearing as he did. He raised his brow. The last man managed to strike even as he died.

Maybe not so pitiful but nevertheless Akaza left. He sighed as he left the building cracking his neck and staring up to the dark sky. He heard that this dojo was producing ridiculously strong men who couldn’t be beat but to him it was all just cheap tricks and smoke covering insecure weaklings that were easily snuffed. It didn’t matter he still enjoyed killing them all and it was only his first stop. There were two more neighbouring dojos in the next few towns he came to see.

Akaza’s ears prickled and nose perked at the smell of something. A grin etched its way onto his face. He knew that smell and recognised those footsteps.

Demon slayers

Akaza grew excited as he planted himself down on the step of the dojo. How many were there? Two? No three. He could smell the faint wisteria on their clothes and no matter how lightly they walked he picked it up. They were heading right to him. His fists balled and skin tensed with excitement.

What a treat.

~~~

Your nose crinkled at the smell of blood. It lingered in the air as your eyes fell upon the source. Three corp members lay dismembered and bloodied before the dojo. Their swords in their limp hands. You stepped by each one, closing their eyes and laying their sword over their chest. They did their duties. Their crows were all headed back to the master to tell him of their passing. You reached the last boy going to grab his sword when it swung with fleeting strength at you.

He coughed as he took a shallow breath and you quickly moved to sit him up against the steps to the dojo. He groaned at the shift and cracked open his eyes to glance at the rising sun. Its warmth shifting through the gaps in the trees and settling on him. He closed his eyes and spoke.

“An upper rank…” he choked as blood dribbled out his mouth. “H-He killed them all in the dojo”

More blood ran down his chin and you began to shush him feeling disheartened at the pain he must be feeling. You were too slow again. You’ve been sleeping badly ever since Rengoku passed. Your dreams more vivid and frequent. They often woke you in the middle of the night. He grabbed your hand as tight as he could and you blinked out of your daze meeting his eyes.

“Please don’t avenge us…y-you should wait for another Hashira to come- y-you’ll…” his body jerked as he coughed up more blood, head slumping down limp and lifeless. His grip gone and his hand slipped from yours onto his lap.

You only sighed and reached for his sword wrapping his hand around it and laying it across his lap. You watched his crow hop forward and peck at his knee but it knew and it looked to you.

“Fly back and tell the master if he does not hear from me in two days to send at least two hashira to my last location” it nodded at your request and immediately took to the sky.

With that you stood up and continued forward. The sun now almost fully up it gave you confidence you would succeed. You just felt guilty about those three corp members, chewing your lip as you thought back to your most recent dream.

You always dreamt of the same thing of the same people. Your father even though his face was blurred you knew it was him, sometimes he wore different clothes and sometimes you lived in different places but the most common dream you had of this apparent past life was where he taught martial arts as a master.

That life was the only time you remembered having a lover too..

Every time you had one of these memories shoved to the forefront of your mind there was only one where it was you, your father and a boy. A boy who loved you. His face was also blurred and his name was forgotten but it stirred feelings in you so deep you often woke in cold sweats or your stomach bubbled. None of your other memories of your other apparent lives had this boy in them.

So why was the life with him the one you remembered so often?, especially when their faces were blurred and their names were forgotten. It was a pointless torture your mind made you live through. You’d spent so many nights awake with that boys blurred face in your mind. His warbled voice echoing in your head that same conversation. When you began your journey to become a demon slayer those memories faded. You began to sleep through the night with ease but ever since Rengoku passed you hadn’t had a moments peace.

Not even now.

“Ahh!” You shook your head and smacked your hand against your forehead as you stopped briefly and looked around. You needed to focus on your mission. You needed to find this demon. This wasn’t the first time a dojo was left with no survivors. It’s happened a couple times in different areas and each time corp members are either too late or killed off.

You knew there is a town near by and with that another dojo. The sun has just risen so where ever this demon is, it would be a while before it showed face again. You decided to make your way to the next town and find some food and somewhere to stay until night fall and then you’d head to the dojo before the sun fully set and prepare yourself for its appearance.

“Welcome! What can I get for you?” A woman gleamed as you found yourself outside her food stall. You only grinned back and ordered some food.

This little town was quite friendly and clean. It was nice to see somewhere keeping to traditional values in world thats forever evolving. You walked as you ate and found yourself in the center. A poster hanging on a post caught your attention.

☆Fireworks display☆

☆ firework to celebrate our yearly festival ☆

Your brows crinkled as you read the details further. It is in the next town which is where the farthest dojo is. You were already going to head if the demon didn’t show up at this dojo anyways. The display wasn’t for a couple of weeks but if you had the time you could call by. You always loved fireworks, though that was obvious given your breathing style.

You followed Rengokus fire breathing for a bit but you didn’t have enough physical strength to carry out a lot of the moves like he did. He encouraged you to explore the other breathing styles and you found mixing his and master Tengens style worked. The master was impressed to see you develop a completely new style for corps members to use.

Firework breathing.

You maybe took inspiration from one of your memories. The most prominent one. A memory of a firework show where you and that boy stood on a mountain and watched them. You had a conversation about something, something that made both of you cry. It was the only time his face become slightly more visible. His blue eyes teary and crinkled like he was smiling at you. The feelings in them made your heart skip every time the memory surfaced.

You walked about the town until the sun set and as it did you slowly made your way to the dojo just on the outskirts. You found your way up a large branch in a tree just above the dojo, resting your back on the trunk leg swinging just off the side as you looked towards the night sky. You closed your eyes trusting your ears to pick up on any abnormal sounds. The only thing you could hear so far were the sounds of the men training below.

Now!

You wasted now time and jumped down from the tree landing on your feet behind the demon. His back faced you, hand curled up in a fist ready to knock on the door of the dojo which made you quirk a brow. Oddly respectful from a demon isn’t it. You gripped the handle of your sword and moved forward quickly. You didn’t want to drag this out longer than you needed.

First form - spark

Your sword lit up as sparks dragged behind you. Your body moved quick, quicker than Akaza expected and you caught him just as he moved. His shoulder split and blood seeped from the wound. You both had swapped positions as you found yourself however with your back facing the dojo door. Akaza looked you up and down and hummed, no you weren’t what he thought you might’ve been.

He wanted a hashira.

“Hmm this is who they send after what i did to those last three things” your brow raised and temple throbbed with anger.

Things!? They weren’t things!

“Surely they would have sent a hashira? Save them more bodies” He yawned and you gritted your teeth digging your feet into the ground and taking a deep breath.

First form - spark six fold!

Akaza’s eyes widened just the slightest at your moves. You moved so quickly almost as quick as him. You darted across the ground before him but alas you made it too easy. You charged straight on at him and he grinned ready to block and kill you when you vanished. He tensed slightly, you appeared to his left and he swivelled prepared again but gone! You vanished again.

His right! Akaza spun round a growl slipping through his mouth at you jumping around. This continued four more times. You continued to vanish just as he caught you in his sight and each time you did you sliced him. His arm, leg, elbow, shoulder and thigh. Five slashes in five places and with each one the sparks following your sword grow brighter and burned hotter when finally you stopped behind him.

Akazas breath hitched as he felt the swoop of your blade towards his neck and almost froze. You caught him unguarded, quickly he threw his arms up to block and sacrificed them both as he jumped out of the way. The now severed fore arms burned and oozed out blood. His eyes narrowing as he turned to face you but you were already on the move again and he grinned arms already regenerated.

“Ahh! How exciting! Someone formidable! Worth my time” You charged with that same move and this time he was ready, turning and blocking each swing planting his feet firmly, initiating his blood demon art.

Destructive death.

You jumped back as he began to fight back instead of just defending himself. His fists sent shockwaves towards you. One caught you and slammed you into a tree making you gargle as you felt a rib break. You groaned but you quickly picked yourself up and regained your footing facing the grinning demon.

“You’ll die here tonight demon!” You yelled as you met his eyes. Akazas yellow eyes widened when yours locked. He only really focused on them now, on your whole face really now that you caught his attention.

You seemed familiar. Why?

He clenched his fists and pushed that question to the back of his mind and readied himself for your next move. He wanted to entertain you for as long as he could so he’d take it easy. You seemed like you could put up a good fight anyways.

You tightened your grip and ignored your sore body as you sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. Your mind wasn’t focused for the first time in a battle those stupid memories were trying to push to the front of your thoughts and it was throwing you off. This was upper three and you needed all your senses aligned. You could die tonight. That was the reality. Especially after an upper rank killed Rengoku.

You needed to distract him and get close again now that he was using his blood demon art. He could easily keep you at bay with those shockwave attacks. His movements reminded you of those in the dojo just next to you.

Second form- bursting blossom.

Akaza watched with wide eyes as you vanished once more and appeared in the air. Fireworks followed with each movement you made. His body tensed as the sky lit up and he found his guard dropping pupils dilating to take in the sparkling show above him. Akaza was always drawn to fireworks and he could never place why.

His body reacted before his mind but still it wasn’t quick enough and even though you missed his neck again you caught his shoulder and your blade slashed straight down his chest, slicing him down to his shorts when you pulled back. Breathing heavily as you stood behind him. Your own clothes were now speckled with blood as you huffed from the exertion.

Akaza jumped from his position in front of you and moved farther forward and turned to face you. His body slowly healing itself back up and the sight made you grimace. He was growing annoyed at his own mind. Why? Why was he so distracted by you. He had never met you before but something about you seemed so…

Intimate.

You sucked in a breath as he narrowed his yellow eyes at you and punched a clenched fist into his palm. Heels dug into the ground as he readied his next move. You prepared yourself watching carefully and then it came.

Destructive death - disorder

Quicker! These were far quicker and held more power than the last barrage of shock waves as they shook the trees and sent weak branches flying. You ran and jumped from each one trying your hardest not to get caught but there were too many in too many directions and again you were sent flying through the gaps in the tree. Your body rolled into the dirt as it caked itself in your hair and up your face.

But you couldn’t rest. He was behind you almost immediately and you jumped spinning as you did slicing his hand that was above you off and darting out of his line of attack. Akaza just grinned once more.

“Amazing! You had no time to recover yet you sensed me immediately!” You tried to steady yourself but everything burned. Your eyebrow was split and blood stained your lips. You definitely had multiple ribs broken now.

“Become a demon! Join me!” He laughed and you sneered at his request.

“Join you? And become a mindless puppet to someone’s stupid cause? I’d die before that happens” his grin quickly flipped upside down at not just your words but the blood that seeped down your face from your brow.

You were hurt. He had hurt you. Why was that bothering him? Why were your eyes so haunting to him. Akaza pulled his lips together and shook his head of these stupid thoughts. You were still quick even after the damage you took.

Fifth form - blazing comet

You set off with your sword held high as it became surrounded in bright sparks. Akaza began his own assault of shockwaves towards you but just as he did a firework went off and took the damage of the barrage and you vanished out of his sight.. He tensed and his eyes darted trying to find you but again he was caught off guard and thats when he felt it.

The tip of your blade piercing his neck. His eyes widened. He needed to act now! Each second he wasted he felt more of his skin tear. A blazing heat ripped from his neck to the tips of his toes. Your yell rung out behind him.

Destructive death - Annihilation.

He knew this would work even if he wasn’t facing you. His blood demon art would penetrate all around him and so he began his assault, punching the air. You coughed out blood that sprayed onto the back of his head. He had caught you without facing you. His attack caught you right in the stomach just as you twisted out of its direction that was initially your head.

Sixth form - Dancing Dragon

You used your technique to avoid his barrage as best you could once again sparks and small fireworks were left behind with each of your movements. You stumbled once your feet hit the ground and huffed out more blood which dribbled down your chin. You were seriously injured now from that last barrage. He was becoming more and more dangerous with each attack.

Akaza took in your wounded form. The skin on his neck already stitching itself back together but regardless that was too close for his liking. He hadn’t been that close in years. You were struggling now with the amount of blood that covered you. You must have multiple ribs broken now. Akaza gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Become a demon! You’ll die if you continue” he almost begged you. You were incredibly strong and that breathing style of yours enchanted him. Maybe that was his sole reason.

He wanted to watch you move like that forever. It entrapped him.

“Stop begging! It’s a loss cause i’ll die before i do that!” You yelled back and found your footing. You breathed as deep as you could with how tight your chest now felt and Azaka sighed.

“At least tell me your name so I can remember you!” He asked. His round eyes lighting up as you spoke once more, even your voice sounded like an echo he once listened to.

“I’ll tell you but not so you can remember! I want you to know the demon slayer who is going to defeat you!” You snapped and again raised your sword.

“L/N) (Y/N) !” And with that you charged once more but Akaza didn’t ready himself.

Your name. It stung him worse than any of your previous attacks. Why? Why did that name ring so many alarms. It made him want to rip his own skin off as it prickled.

You needed to land this next move. If you didn’t you would definitely be dead as in your weakened form it would leave you immobilised for a few seconds but those few seconds would be all this demon needed to kill you. You put all your focus into your legs and arms and sprung forward. Your sword lit itself on fire, bright colours ripping from it as you danced forward with a your own barrage of fireworks igniting with each step.

Eighth form - God of the Firework Dragon.

A blazing dragon of colours engulfed your form as you ran at the still dazed Akaza. The trees around you caught fire too from your move. Your blade swung and the dragon opened its mouth ready to bite the head of the demon before you when he finally moved too quick to be beheaded but too slow to completely avoid injury. His left arm and leg were severed but he used his right to jump up into a branch and crouched down watching as the dragon roared before vanishing.

You crumbled to your knees where he once stood. Your body stiff, hands clenched around the handle of your sizzling blade. Everything was still around you. The only noise was the crackling of the trees that were singed from your attack. You didn’t even look as though you were breathing.

Akazas wounds were healing very slowly he assumed because of your attack but he made to move to go back down to you not out of fear but rather you made him uncomfortable. Everything about you from your eyes, how you looked, your breathing technique and now..even your name.

(Y/N) (L/N)

He felt his skin prickle once more as he replayed it in his head. Your voice echoing within. Why did it feel as though it wasn’t the first time he’s heard that name? Akaza has been a demon for more than one hundred and thirty years and whilst he only killed men and avoided women he remembered all those encounters. And he does not remember you, not in the slightest. You have obviously been a demon slayer for some time with how skilled you are and he has never encountered you.

He remained far up on the tree as his limbs finally regenerated. He watched at the same time you finally moved. It was only a few seconds you were still and in that time he could have easily killed you but where was the fun in that? It would be disrespectful to kill you when you couldn’t defend yourself. Akaza did not harm women they were weak so it wouldn’t be right nor fun.

But right now he wanted to get as far as he could from you. He would have won the battle he knows that but with how his mind kept freezing it would have been an unnecessary long one and the night was beginning to fade, so he left. He jumped from branch to branch with his mind still repeating your name.