Yua looks around in fascination when they enter the train wagon. As she mentioned, she had never taken a train before; it was an amazing experience.
Inosuke thought the same, and showing no manners like always, he stormed between seat rows, scaring passengers so he could look out the window.
"So fast! Hahahaha!" the wild boy laughed in amazement.
"Sorry! We're very sorry!" Zenitsu said to the passengers and grasped Inosuke. "Forget that! Get over here, idiot!"
"So freakin' fast! Hahahaha!"
"Boarhead, calm down. I know it's cool, but show some manners!" Yua hissed while Zenitsu pulled Inosuke away from the window.
The quartet makes their way through the wagons to find Rengoku Kyoujurou.
"He's a Hashira, right? This Rengoku person…" Zenitsu asks Tanjiro. "Are you sure you'll recognise his face?"
"Sure. He had this gaudy hairstyle, and I remember his scent, too." Tanjiro answered.
"That's good to know, Tanjiro. My Aura-Sensing is useless if I don't know what I'm looking for." Yua shares. "But in the next wagon is someone with a fiery Aura."
"That could be him. I think I'll know it's him once we get close." Tanjiro says.
The moment Tanjiro reaches out to open the door to the next wagon, they hear a loud shout of Delicious, which makes even the windows rattle!
Shocked, Yua and her boys stand still for a second.
Who has so much power in their lungs?!
As they enter the train car, they hear someone repeatedly shouting "Delicious!"
A warm and fiery aura is coming from this person.
They find themselves standing behind a young man with blond hair streaked with red, who is enjoying his bento with great satisfaction.
"Delicious!!", the young man again yells, and it looks like all the bento boxes fly into the air!
In disbelief, the 17-year-old girl gaped, (Was this the Flame Hashira?!), Tanjiro copied her, while Zenitsu hid behind them, and Inosuke just looked curious.
"Is that the Flame Hashira guy?" Zenitsu whispers-shouts. "Not just some random glutton?"
"The aura is in any case fiery and warm like a flame.", Yua tells, watching in bizarre fascination how the Flame Hashira eat and shout with every bite Delicious.
He is like a shouty black hole. She never met someone who could eat that fast and with such enthusiasm.
Tanjiro confirms that this is indeed the Flame Hashira they searched for. He tries to talk to Rengoku Kyoujurou, but the young man just eats and shouts to his heart's contentment.
"Uh, we really get that part already…" Tanjiro murmured.
"The people in Kyoto get this part, what a shout..." Yua agrees with crossed arms.
Two nice attendants prepare to discard a tall stack of Rengoku's empty bento boxes, as the overhead light flickers.
"And you're the kid from that day at the Master's.", Rengoku says, finally something different and stops eating.
For a second, Yua wasn't sure he could.
"Yes. I'm Kamado Tanjiro," her boyfriend confirms and presents the Hashira to them. "And they are my fellow Demon Slayers, Mochizuki Yua, Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke ."
Zenitsu and Yua bow in greeting, while Inosuke just puts his hand on his hips and lets out a loud, proud huff from his mask.
"It's an honour to meet you, Rengoku-Sama.", Yua greets. "Kocho-Sama only had good things to say about you."
That her fellow Hashira was a shouty glutton, she had left out.
"Now, none of that young Mochizuki, we are all comrades here. Rengoku is fine." Rengoku cleared up.
Alright?
In understanding, Yua just nods.
Then Rengoku turns back to Tanjiro.
"And inside that box there…" He trails off and Tanjiro confirm how Nezuko was in it.
"Right! That demon we saw that day, huh?" Rengoku remembers. "Since the Master has acknowledged her, I won't say any word for now."
Inviting the Flame Hashira pats the seat beside him, telling the young ones to take a seat, so they all settle down.
Tanjiro sat beside Rengoku, Yua with Nezoko's Box in the seat in front of them and Inosuke and Zenitsu settled for a seat nearby.
The wild boy is so amazed by the train that he pounds the windows, shouting how fast the lord, aka the train, is. Thankfully, Zenitsu grasps him and makes him sit down again.
"What are you four doing here? A mission?" Rengoku asks Tanjiro and Yua, while facing forward with crossed arms.
Surprised, Yua raises an eyebrow. Why isn't the Hashira facing her or Tanjiro?
Anyway, she answers him. "My crow, Kaguya, gave us orders. "The casualties of the Mugen Train are increasing. Join Rengoku on site," she said. And here we are."
"Yes! I see now! Understood!" Rengoku declares, still not looking at either of them.
"Right.", Tanjiro utters. "Also, there's one more thing. There's something I wanted to ask you, Rengoku."
Yua watched with bizarre fascination as Tanjiro sought more information about the Hinokami Kagura Dance from Rengoku. Their conversation was like a tennis match, with each of them taking turns speaking.
In the end, however, the Flame Hashira had no knowledge of the Hinokami Kagura Dance.
What a bummer!
"Um, can you try to help me a little more?!" Tanjiro begs desparet.
"Why aren't you looking him in the eyes?!" Yua calls Rengoku out. "My mother always said that's super rude."
"You should become my Tsugukos, my apprentices! I'll look after you!" Rengoku promises.
"Hold on a second! And just what are you looking at?!" the couple shouts in disbelief.
What was going on?!
"Flame Breathing has a long history."Rengoku doesn't answer them and begins with a little history lesson. "In any given era, there's always been a Flame and Water swordsman among the Hashira. Flame… Water… Wind… Stone… Thunder…Moon...Those are the fundamental breathing techniques, even if we only had one Moon Hashira till now. The other techniques were created as offshoots of those six. Mist is a fork of wind. Young Mizoguchi and Young Mochizuki! What colour are your katanas?"
"Huh?! My name is Kamado." Tanjiro corrects. "And the colour is black."
"Mine is light purple," Yua replies.
"Ah, light purple. All know Moon Breathing Users' katanas possess this colour. Curiously, only your family, the Mochizukis, brings forth Moon Breathing User." Rengoku muses. "Moon Breathing is the most difficult and most powerful Breathing Style to learn, that we know of. Light Purple stands for an honourable and strong lineage. I worked with Mochizuki Noritaka a few times before he left the corps. He is your uncle, right, young Mochizuki?"
"Erm, yes."
"The colour of your katana indicates that you are just like your uncle. A strong sense of justice and great creativity, and imagination. No wonder Noritaka invented a new kata, there is hope you will too."
"Erm, thank you?"
The midnight blue-haired girl wasn't sure how to feel about that. Rarely did fellow swordsmen sing praise for her family. For others, her light purple katana indicated a traitorous and cursed nature.
Still without looking, Rengoku turned the word to Tanjiro. "A black sword, huh? Well, isn't that unfortunate? Hahahaha!"
"For real?" Tanjiro questions in disbelief.
"I've never known a swordsman with a black sword that became a Hashira. On top of that, I hear that they have no clue which style to master." Rengoku shares. "Come to me, and I'll train you! You can rest easy now! You also, Mochizuki. With my training, you will become the second Moon Hashira in the history of the corps!"
"No… No, thank you! And just what are you looking at?!" Tanjiro shouts, while Yua deadpans.
Silence falls over them, and Yua takes the chance to do a good aura-sensing of the Flame Hashira.
Yes, indeed, like she had noted before, fiery and warm, also caring and just.
Rengoku really cared for her and Tanjiro and wanted to help them.
The Mochizuki decides that Rengoku might be a bit weird, but his Aura clearly shows a good heart and soul.
Meanwhile, Inosuke tries to jump out the window to try to race the train (Idiot!), and Zenitsu tries his best to not let him jump out.
"That's dangerous.", Rengoku warns. "You never know when a demon might appear."
And that was the thing Zenitsu didn't want to hear. He thought they were travelling to the demon and not that the demon was in the train, as Rengoku explains.
Of course, the blonde freaks out and wants to get off.
"If you wanna jump out of a driving train, be my guest," Yua says with crossed arms. "But I don't think you would survive it, Agatsuma."
The scared boy only shakes and whines more in fright.
Tanjiro sends his girlfriend a look, and she shrugs her shoulders.
She was just telling the truth.
Yes, but you could say it nicer, it's clearly written in Tanjiro's face.
A train crewman enters the train car and begins walking along the aisle
"May I… see your… tickets, please?"
"What's he doing?" Tanjiro wonders.
"The conductor is going to check your ticket and punch a hole in it," Rengoku explains.
The conductor punched a hole in the tickets of the Hashira and the four Demon Slayers.
When he is done with Yuas, the light flickers again.
Suddenly, the young woman feels how her aura-sensing goes crazy, but before she can check what caused this, all turns dark around her.
(*)
She is underwater and drowning.
Deeper and deeper, she sinks.
There was something.
Something important!
Yua tries to swim, but her arms don't have the strength.
She sinks deeper.
(*)
Yua is leaning against the Nezuko box, while Tanjiro leans on Rengoku, and Inosuke is draped over Zenitsu.
All of them are sleeping, unaware of the danger they are now in.
(*)
Something is tickling Yua's nose.
With a little sneeze, she wakes up and looks around.
Huh?
The sun shines warm down on her as she lies in her family garden.
"Strange...", she mumbles. "Wasn't it night? Wasn't I somewhere else?"
Confused, she scratches her head and realises just how long her hair has grown; even her bangs now reach her hips.
What the...?
Why did she let her hair grow this much?
Why wasn't it styled in her usual five braids?
It will be a huge hassle in a fight with a demon.
"Blossom." A sweet voice calls her.
Immediately, tears spring into Yuas' eyes as she stands up.
No.
It can't be.
She hadn't heard this beloved voice since she was 14 years old.
But...but there she is.
Wavy light pink hair, big pretty red eyes, a soft, lovely smile and wearing her favourite cherry blossom Kimono.
In her hands, a little tablet with a cup of tea, probably.
It's her mother!
But mother...but mother...wasn't she...?!
"Blossom?"Mama repeats, worried. "Is something wrong?"
With a shout that resembles more a wounded animal, Yua races up to her mother and hugs her tightly.
The tablet with the tea fell to the ground.
"Mama! Mama! You are here!" Yua cries, gripping her mother so tight, scared she would leave her. Her tears wet the kimono.
"My sweet blossom, where else would I be?" Mama coos, hugging her back and kissing her forehead. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"Yes, this must be it." Yua agress. "Just a long bad dream..."
(*)
In the real world on the Mugen Train, Yua sheds tears.
She isn't the only one.
Tanjiro dreams of his dead family and cries about being reunited with them.
Rengoku dreams of his family, especially his beloved brother.
Zenitsu dreams of his beloved Nezuko.
Inosuke has a wild adventure with a bunny Nezuko, a deer Yua, a raccoon dog Tanjiro and a rat Zenitsu.
They don't know nor feel the five people who bind themselves to each of them with a robe, so they can enter their dreams.
And kill them from within!
(*)
All is so perfect, Yua can't believe it.
Grandma Junko is fine! She didn't die when she was a little girl and is now clan head.
It was her grandfather who had died.
Good riddance.
Under Grandma Junko's lead, the Mochizuki have abandoned the Demon Slayer Corps forever and are now just a big, happy family.
Everyone is living the best life and working in their dream jobs.
Aunt Chiyako has opened up a flower shop in the nearest city and has become a master in Ikebana.
Uncle Hansuke helps out his wife, Chiyako, in the shop and works as a merchant.
Cousin Taiga, the oldest, who Yua had thought had died in a battle against a demon, is working as a wood carver. He always liked to make them little figures out of wood, she is happy her older cousin could make out of his passion a job he liked.
Cousin Daku goes to school, and it seems like he will go to the university in Tokyo! Studying Physics, he likes it so much.
Cousin Kaito is enjoying kindergarten for now, but he likes to build houses with his wooden blocks. Maybe he will be an architect?
Her father, Haruto, has opened up a bookshop, sharing his passion for books with everyone.
Her mother and she helped him out with it.
Yua isn't sure if she wants to continue her father's work, but she enjoys the tranquillity of the job.
Uncle Keitaro became a fisherman, turning his hobby into his job. He isn't often at home, but he lives his dream.
His wife, Aunt Miwa, decided to stay home and raise the kids.
Sayako, her beloved pain in the butt of a cousin, has an apprenticeship with the local pharmacy and is on the best way to take it over.
Hikari also enjoys kindergarten. The youngest is still too little to have a future job in mind besides becoming a princess.
And then...there is Uncle Noritaka.
The 17-year-old grins at her favourite uncle as he cleans his face from the theatre makeup from his last show.
Her uncle always wanted to be an actor, and he was it now.
"Peach, you seem so happy, it gives me the creeps." Noritaka jokes, ruffling her long hair.
"I'm just so happy! We are all free from the curse of the Moon Breathing. It's amazing!" she chirps, hugging him tight.
Noritaka chuckles amusely and hugs her back."Yeah, maybe we are egoists, but our family has done enough for the Demon Slayer Corps. They can do just fine without the cursed Moon-Breathing."
"My bitch." Sayako calls for her. Her cousin enters Uncle Noritaka's bedroom with a shit-eating grin. "Your little coal lover boy is here."
For a second, Yua doesn't get what Sayako means-
(*)
Yua opens her eyes.
She is underwater again.
Something is wrong!
Something is wrong!
She needs to get out of the water!
It only drags her down deeper...
(*)
-Till she remembers again.
Oh, right, her love, Tanjiro.
Tanjiro and his family moved two years ago near them and started to sell coal around the city and to them.
They had become friends and now, after years of pinning, a couple.
"Thanks, you slut!", Yua gives Sayako a kiss and runs out of the mansion.
Tanjiro is waiting for her with Nezuko on his side, enjoying the warm sun.
...Something is not right.
Something inside tells her Nezuko shouldn't be out of the sun.
Then her future sister-in-law smiles prettily at her, and Yua forgets the thought.
"Yua-Nee, nice seeing you." Nezuko greets her.
"Always a joy to see you, too, Nezuko." Yua greets back.
Both girls hug each other before Yua kisses Tanjiro's cheek, and the couple embraces.
"Hello, Sushine," Tanjiro murmurs against Yua's cheek, kissing it.
"Hello, Lovely." Yua murmurs also, caressing Tanjiro's cheeks.
Nezuko smirks and tells them, "Okay, I will let you be happy for half an hour, and then we need to get going, alright, Nii-San."
"Thanks, Nezuko." The couple of chores and doesn't even look at how the other Kamado enters the Mochizuki Mansion.
They both are more invested in each other.
Their lips met in a tender and passionate kiss.
(*)
Yume herself wouldn't say she is bad.
Yes, her actions are bad, however, she isn't bad.
Born to a prostitute mother, who had stayed pregnant with her, a child with naturally blond hair, Yume hadn't had an easy life.
Her mother was abusive.
She saw in her the foreigner she had made Yume with. The foreigner had promised her to take her away to the far land of England to marry and raise their child together, never to return again.
All men were the same.
Only a promise and nothing following up.
Yume had experienced the same.
Thanks to her exotic looks, the boys swarmed her and she listened to their promises, opened her legs.
She had her first child at 13.
Thankfully, it was a stillbirth.
Or her mother would have killed Yume if she had brought another mouth to feed.
Then she ran away because she couldn't take any more of the hate from her mother, and did the same job as her.
Used, used and used.
The blonde was only a thing to play with for people.
Luck was not on her side as a client gave her Syphilis.
And her life would have been over, hadn't she heard about the Mugen Train.
Yume didn't have the money for the cure, so dying in a beautiful dream sounded way better.
That's why she helped the demon.
The blond-haired woman watched emotionless behind a tree as the female Demon Slayer dreamed about being together with the red-haired Demon Slayer.
All been cutesy and coupley together.
Something she never had the luck to experience.
It disgusted her.
Silently, she turned around and searched for the border of the dream and the subconscious. She found it at the edge of the little Wisteria Forest.
With an ice pick, she destroyed tit and entered the subconscious.
In it, all the air left her lungs.
What kind of subconscious was that?
The floor was silver with graters, and over her a bright night sky with a million stars, the sun shining warm down on her.
Yume walked around.
Where was the spiritual core? Only if she destroyed it, the demon slayer girl would die, and she would get her dream from the demon.
This landscape was so alien, yet so incredibly beautiful.
"I'm...on the moon?" Yume asked herself.
It made sense somehow.
She seemed to walk for ages.
A never-ending silver landscape, only the sun taking vigil over her.
Then she found it finally.
The spiritual core.
It was all silver and white, reminding her of a pearl.
"Beautiful.", she gasped. "A shame I have to destroy it."
She raises the Ice Pick, ready to stab it!-
(*)
Yua is floating down in the water, till all of a sudden her Aura Sensing goes crazy.
She opens her eyes and screams!
The water vanishes.
(*)
The intruder in Yua's subconscious never gets to change to stab the spiritual core, since the floor breaks under her and she falls screaming into the darkness.
(*)
With a jerk, Yua wakes up.
Huffing, she blinks frantically with her eyes.
She is back on the Mugen Train.
What the heck had this all been?
"Yua!"
"Mmh!"
The young woman looks up and sees Tanjiro and Nezuko awake. Rengoku is in the background, still sleeping, while he chokes a random girl, and Zenitsu and Inosuke are also asleep.
"Tanjiro! Nezuko!"
Fast Yua rises from her seat, the three hugging each other tightly.
"What is going on?" Yua wants to know.
Her boyfriend explains how they got pulled into a Blood Demon Art thanks to the train tickets. Then the people who hang them with robes also have a demonic smell on them.
They surely were sent into their dreams to harm them in some way.
Nezuko burns Yua's rope, and then, after Tanjiro asks her, she burns the others because Yua notes that it would surely be a bad idea to just cut them.
They had a very strange aura around them.
So the two awake Demon Slayers try to wake up their sleeping comrades.
Tanjiro tries to shake Zenitsu awake, while Yua just slaps Inosuke.
Hard.
"Okay, not even my bitch-slap helps," Yua notes dry.
The question was how they could wake the others up!
(*)
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