The Demon Queen

The Approaching End

I watched Muzan leave. I stood there, numbed of my emotions as he disappeared from my senses. I felt nothing for him at the moment -- no love, no hate, no fear, no connection at all.

Kokushibou came over to me. "Is there anything you need from me?"

"No."

His eyes scanned over me.

"Where were we before we showed up?"

Kokushibou had to think for a moment.

"You can't remember," I said. "He sucks so much of everything that you can't remember back thirty minutes ago."

"We were going to practise."

I nodded. "Yeah. That's right. And I was teasing you, wasn't I?"

"You were." He smiled a little. He looked at me with softened eyes. "Sakura, tease me again."

I said nothing, still staring off in the direction Muzan had left in.

Kokushibou stood in front of me so that I could only see him. "Tease me," he said. "We must get back in the proper mood for sparring."

I looked at him dully. "You act like an old man," I said with no pleasure of the words rolling off my tongue.

"You don't mean it. I don't believe you." Kokushibou leant forward and stuck his face in front of mine. "Get some spark back into yourself. Come on. You're supposed to be the sun for me. The sun is hot, fiery, and always ablaze. It's the largest, most powerful star that is able to push away all darkness."

"Maybe I've been hit by an eclipse."

Kokushibou's top eyes narrowed as if they were his eyebrows pushing down into his brow bone. He put his finger to my forehead and poked me after each word he spoke. "You. Are. Not. Hit. By. An. Eclipse."

I said nothing. My eyes softened at him a little.

"Insult me, Sakura," he said, in a tone as if he was challenging me. "Tell me why you don't like me."

"You wallow in traditions."

"Tell me why you don't like me."

"You supported Muzan over me."

"More. Why don't you like me?"

I started to sneer. "You did nothing when Muzan locked us up for 60 years."

"Keep going."

"You did nothing when Muzan locked us up for 60 years!"

"That's right. I did nothing."

"You did nothing and you told me to do what made Muzan happy!"

Kokushibou paused for a moment, remembering the conversation we had the night he came back announcing that he killed Yoriichi.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You wanted me to sacrifice my own sanity and well-being for Muzan!"

The muscles in Kokushibou's face loosened. His eyes drooped a little, as if disappointed in himself while reflecting on his past decisions.

"All you did was kowtow to him! You had no mind of your own!" My hands balled into fists. "All you wanted was to play samurai with Muzan as your Lord to make up for everything your whining human self failed at!"

Kokushibou grit his teeth a little.

"Well, good for you, Michikatsu. You and Muzan succeeded to full out piss me off! You happy!?"

"I am happy, you spoilt brat," he said calmly.

"What did you call me?"

"Spoilt brat." He shoved me backwards a little. "That's what both you and Muzan-sama are."

I breathed heavily a couple times. "This is exactly what you wanted, isn't it, you samurai roleplayer ..."

Kokushibou smirked.

"Fuck you, Michikatsu!"

"Let's take this outside, shall we? Hm?"

That was exactly what we did. A couple hours later, Douma joined us. Douma, too, had become so intent on avenging Gyutaro that he would willingly come to practise and never had to be dragged out against his will.

It remained peaceful and rather mundane at the Eternal Paradise Faith Cult. The three of us had gotten into a routine that no one came around to disrupt. Under Kokushibou's supervision, Douma and I were constantly improving. In a matter of weeks, we had gotten so good that Kokushibou said that we were reaching a Hashira-like skill level. Kokushibou and I also worked together independently of Douma, and started to experiment on how to combine the powers of Moon and Sun Breathing.

"To my knowledge, none of the breathing styles have been combined to compliment each other in battle," Kokushibou had said. "I want to take this opportunity to accomplish something they never could."

"Or do you just want to steal my Sun Breathing from me?" I had asked with a smirk.

"No. I want us to be a perfectly-intertwined team. You and me."

"You mean, you and Sun Breathing."

"I mean, me and you." He had started to blush. "Let's keep working. We don't have time to waste."

It didn't take more than several experimental sessions for Kokushibou and I to create a combination attack. Kokushibou named it the "Combination Form: Radiant Nightfall". After we discovered it, Kokushibou had a very proud smile on his face for days on end.

It wasn't until Akaza showed up with some news that we knew that we would all most likely be fighting soon.

"Muzan-sama sent me to inform you. Gyokko and Hantengu have been killed."

"Gyokko ..." I said to myself. I hadn't seen him since before Gyutaro died. He had picked up the habit of keeping himself occupied on missions so that he wouldn't be expected at the Castle.

Hearing that he died made my chest ache. He had been my friend, too, and he successfully kept my secret of being able to go out in the sunlight. He was a loyal and trustworthy friend.

"NOOOO!" Douma erupted. He fell to his knees and grabbed Akaza's pants. "No! Not Gyokko! It can't be! I never got to say good-bye!" He started to cry. "Akaza-dono! This can't be happening!"

"Get off me," Akaza said.

"Douma." I got down and pulled him off of Akaza.

"How could they have gotten Gyokko! My friend!" Douma cried.

Akaza looked at Kokushibou and then to me. "It's only us, Nakime, and Muzan-sama now," he said. "They will get to us very soon."

Kokushibou nodded. "Then we will fight and be the ones to destroy them."

I hugged Douma as he continued to cry.

Akaza bowed. "I must return to the Castle. Be on high alert."

"You too, Akaza," I said.

He left. I stayed there quietly with Douma.

"Sakura," Kokushibou said.

"Yes?"

"We'll be going into action soon."

"I know."

Kokushibou got to his knees beside me and wrapped his arms around me.

I looked at him. "Michikatsu?"

He rested his head against mine. "I'll protect you with my life," he said quietly. "Not out of duty, but out of ... something more important ..."

"I've lived so much longer than you, though."

"I don't care."

I looked to Douma, who was still sobbing into my shoulder, completely wrapped up in his grief. "I'm not letting anyone else die," I said to Kokushibou.

"I believe in you," he said. "I believe in us all. But if the time comes that I must die, I'll be fully prepared for it ... and I won't hesitate to give my life for you."

I put one of my arms around Kokushibou. "You won't need to ..." I held Douma tighter with my other arm. "You won't need to."