Dancing in the Mist (Demon Slayer / Kimetsu no Yaiba: Tokito Muichiro x OC)

Prologue

A.N. I'll be constantly editing as I figure out ages and timelines esp for the Hashira (the internet is failing me QAQ) so be sure to check out older chapters from time to time to see what changed.

One man lost himself in the pursuit of overwhelming power.

He whetted his blade with the blood of virtuous warriors.

One woman lost herself in the pursuit of peerless beauty.

She rouged her lips with the blood of innocent maidens.

Two humans took the hand of the man who started it all... and only one walked away.

✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯

First person POV

My first memory is that of a swordsmith's forge.

No... Allow me to rephrase that.

My first of two childhood memories is that of a swordsmith's forge.

The harsh sound of metal crashing against metal.

The bright sparks that fly into the air, dying without a trace before even hitting the floor.

The sizzling of the water as a crude lump of metal is submerged into its clear depths, hot steam clouding my vision.

I remember the sharp flash of newly whetted blades as they were sheathed.

I remember the heavy weight of the whetstone that my mother had forgotten to put away.

I remember the pain of the blade that she thrusted into my small torso.

I remember... nothing else, other than suffocating fear.

The second thing I can remember is when I met my mother's killer.

✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿ ✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯

Third person POV

"Your wrist is too slack. Deepen your stance. Sharpen the angles of your arms," a smooth yet firm voice instructed, each statement punctuated by the sharp rap of a folded fan.

"Understood..." a soft reply came, the small body in front of the tall woman shifting accordingly.

Soft dark magenta hair swished through the air as the older woman guided the girl's movements, the silken strands tickling the girl's nose. The upper portion of the woman's hair was pulled into a bow-like bun, the "knot" portion held together by twin mahogany hair pins. Golden wisteria flowers jingled from the ends of the pins, delicate vines full of the flowers tumbling to the woman's shoulders.

"You're not concentrating enough, Kasumi," the woman reprimanded, tapping the young girl's head with her fan.

"Oh... sorry... Kiyomi," Kasumi apologized, her golden-bronze eyes widening a bit as she tried to shake off the dazed expression on her face. The small nichirin wisteria flowers on her own hair pins clinked against each other, the locks of ebony hair escaping from her bun wafting around her toffee-toned face. With a small puff of air, Kasumi blew her bangs away from her eyes.

"How many times have I told you to never lose your concentration? Do you want to die?" Kiyomi asked, flicking her fan open with an elegant twist of her wrist. The black-to-white gradient paper peppered with silver sakura flowers covered the amused smirk on her face.

"..." Kasumi remained silent, instead choosing to look at the heavy metal practice fans folded in her grasp. They were a far cry from nichirin blades, which she had heard were one of only three things that could truly kill a demon.

Demons... What did Kiyomi say about them again? Foul beasts wearing the skin of humans, hunting down people for their own revolting needs-

Kasumi's thoughts were interrupted by delicate fingers grasping her chin, then roughly yanking her face towards Kiyomi. The woman's smirk had morphed into an annoyed scowl. "Do you?" she snapped, sparing no mercy for the young girl.

"..." Kasumi still didn't answer, merely choosing to stare sleepily into the woman's enraged, crimson eyes.

"Listen here, brat," Kiyomi sighed, letting go of the girl's face. "Muscle memory will never fail you. No matter how many times you forget where you are, what time it is, or even who you are, your body remembers everything. Even when everything else betrays you, your body will never betray you."

Kiyomi stepped away, her long hair gently waving in the cold night air. She reached into the sash of her intricate kimono and pulled out a metal fan. This one was similar in color scheme to her paper fan, the main difference between the two being the material. This fan was made of thin yet incredibly heavy nichirin metal, each thin blade stacking on top of each other seamlessly. Its pure black metal was interrupted only by silver swirls mimicking the movement of a wave, sakura flowers replacing the sea spray.

https://youtu.be/oTWJnfVJpQw
(Imagine this dance)

"Clear your mind... feel the wind flow against your skin... Allow your limbs to move freely... and dance," Kiyomi murmured before beginning to move. Slowly at first, but as the speed picked up she was a whirlwind of cloth and hair. She somehow managed to not cut any of her clothes or hair with the sharp blades of her fan, but Kasumi could feel the forceful bursts of wind emanating from each wave of the fan.

Kiyomi was truly a force of nature.

The older woman finally came to a stop, then smoothly slid the fan back into her sash. "Come now," she simpered with a deadly smirk. "If you can't even follow my instructions, how can you ever hope to kill Upper Moon Zero, your mother's killer... myself?"