The Scorch Queen || Rengoku K. || (Book One)

The Fortress from Hell

Kana awoke once again from a violent nightmare. She was drenched in sweat and her face was covered in tears. She felt and hand on her back as she struggled to calm her uneven breath.

"What's wrong?" Kyojuro asked from next to her softly. She could tell she'd woken him up because his eyes still hung slightly closed.

"Nothing. Just a nightmare." Kana said quietly.

"What kind of nightmare?" He asked as he leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Nothing serious." Kana said trying to avoid the subject entirely.

"Do you wanna go for a walk? Maybe that'll help you calm down a bit." The sleep deprived flame Hashira asked. He didn't want to push Kana because recently her nightmares had been much more consistent and she'd yet to tell him anything about them.

"Yeah. A walk sounds nice." Kana said as she got up from the bed. She felt a hand grab her own and she looked back to the smile she'd adored for ages.

"THE MASTER'S ESTATE IS UNDER ATTACK!" A crow screamed from behind her gaze. Kana's head whipped around and both Hashira frantically prepared themselves for a fight.

The two sprinted through the woods, following Kyojuro's crow towards the master's estate. Kana could sense him. She sprinted ahead and clashed head on into the demon king. He swords dug deep into his stomach and sliced clean through. However you never would've known with how fast he regenerated. All the Hashira ran at the demon king but the very ground changed and Kana fell through into a hole.

She landed on the ground hard and sat up quickly. Her surroundings had changed completely. A familiar presence lingered nearby and Kana's body tightened. She rose to her feet and began to sprit full throttle towards the distortion. Her eyes narrowed on the blue figure in the distance. This time, he wouldn't get away.

Her eyes flashed red as her mark cascaded down her cheek. She'd kill him here and now. Akaza.

"Die!" She screamed as she tore into his back.

Akaza's eyes flashed fear. He couldn't sense her.

"You again. Tsk." He scoffed at the Hashira as he jumped away from her.

The blood red color of Kana's eyes was unchanging and intense. She could no longer hide her murderous intent. Her rage boiled over as the anger flooded into her stance. For Akira, she would get vengeance.

"Kana!" Tanjiro yelled, he and Giyu were approaching, along with Misumi.

"You. You're here." Kana said as she and Misumi locked eyes.

"I'll kill him. Go find the other one. He's here and he's dangerous." Misumi said quietly.

As much as Kana wanted to stay and kill this demon, Misumi was right. She was needed elsewhere. These three would handle this, no doubt.

Kana closed her eyes and began to search with her senses. A bell rang in the distance of her mind and a clock began to tick. She'd found him, the countdown had started.

Elsewhere, the others all had burdens and problems that had began. Rengoku, Mitsuri, and Obanai had found Nakime. Shinobu and Novioka had found Douma. Muichiro had found Kokushibo. All was going according to their dear master's plan. All was as it should be.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I need more time." Muzan's voice echoed from inside his cocoon. "She'll ruin everything."

"You should've known." A crimson ghost said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Damn you and your cursed daughter! Damn you! Damn you Ember!" He yelled.

"The clock has started, Muzan. Your time is ticking. I'm waiting for you here in hell." The ghost cooed in his ear.

"Just shut up! I swear!" He yelled.

"Your death is coming." Another ghost said. Lady Tamayo. "Forever you will burn in hell with me."

Seeing as he'd absorbed both of them, their thoughts plagued his mind. He was losing his sanity.

"You can't win." The voices echoed.

"You're wrong! I just need more time." He said wickedly.

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This one is short 💃🕺💃🕺💃🕺