The Good Demon [KNY]

Part 19: The Sun Breather

It had been two days since he had his chat with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. The three of them were starting their recovery training today. Akai sat criss-cross on the floor of Shinobu's room. He was tinkering with a belt and seven cups. He glued clips and put lids to the cups so that they could be attached to the belt.

"What's that, Akai?" Shinobu appeared behind him out of nowhere.

"How does she do that?" Akai thought, startled by the Insect Pillar's ability to sneak around unnoticed.

"It's just some invention I got going." Akai said and went back to tinkering with the belt.

"What is its function, if I may ask?" Shinobu sat next to Akai.

"It'll be my second method of healing my body when I burn myself out. I made it so these cups can store my blood. So if I burn myself down to the bone and my syringe is broken, I can pull out a cup and heal myself. It's less painful and quicker than just biting chunks out of my arm." Akai explained.

"My my, Akai. This is quite the invention you have here." Shinobu approved.

"Thanks." Akai said. He turned back to the cups and began systematically filling them with blood.

"Wait a minute... I could've just used my Forging Fang to make the belt! I wasted like three hours of my time!!!" Akai realized and grunted.

After finishing that, he placed it in his room and walked the halls. He decided he'd keep Tanjiro and his friend's company.

"Hey." Akai waved as he entered.

"Oh, hello Akai!" Tanjiro said weakly. He and Inosuke had been worn out by the training. Like really worn out. Like a lot.

"My cookie?" Inosuke lifted his head.

"...No... sorry... I don't know where to get cookies around here, to be honest." Akai frowned.

"It's fine..." Inosuke laid his head back down.

"Akai, I've been meaning to ask." Tanjiro began.

"Hm?" Akai was ready for the question.

"My family has had a sacred dance passed down for generations. Since you've lived so long, have you heard about something called Fire breathing?" Tanjiro asked.

"I spent like nine hundred ninety-nine of those asleep. So don't expect much." Akai warned. "Okay now..." Akai closed his eyes and thought.

----------

Approximately Four Hundred Years Ago:

Akai leaned on a tree and slept in the demon forest. It had been a long time. So much so that moss grew on his clothes, and a mushroom grew next to him, where it was nourished by stray blood drops. Akai slept with his forearm in his mouth, growing ever so stronger with each drop of blood he drank. It happened to be daytime, which meant the demons were all underground or under the large trees. Like bugs, those bastards were.

Akai didn't budge as a tall, well-built man with long red hair and hanafuda earrings approached him. He wore a red haori over his brown kimono. A single sword and its sheathe was attached to his hip.

"Hello there." Akai opened his eyes and removed his arm from his mouth.

"Are you the original demon of this forest?" The man asked.

"I believe so. They built all this around me." Akai nodded.

"Why do you not attack?" The slayer asked.

"What's the point? I have no hunger and you are no threat to me." Akai said as he lapped blood off his arm.

"How would I be of no threat to you?" The man asked.

"Any and every slayer that has tried to kill me has failed, as I regenerate all wounds. I am even immune to the sun." The slayer's eyes widened as Akai held his hand past the shadow of the tree and in the sun. No damage came to Akai's hand.

"You are an unusual one." The hanafuda wearing slayer commented.

"I guess so." Akai closed his eyes and sighed. "You're welcome to try and kill me." Akai said finally.

"Very well." The man grasped his blade handle.

Akai sat and took in a deep breath. He was ready to get it over with. The slayer in front of him was just like the others.

"Huh?" Akai's eyes widened as his head flew off. All he had seen was the glimmer of a bright red blade covered in flames as it passed through his neck. He couldn't even feel the blade as it passed through him. He only felt the searing heat that came after. It was the exact same as the heat of the sun he had once felt when he was weaker. Akai's severed head flew high enough for him to see what the slayer had done. It was impressive, to say the least.

Akai's body was sliced cleanly into four pieces. The tree behind him was sliced the exact same. Akai's body parts fell on the ground with the desecrated tree as the slayer sheathed his blade. This had all taken place in a period of three seconds.

"That was cool." Akai admitted. Not once had a slayer told to kill him been that fast and powerful.

"Your words were true when you said you were unkillable." The slayer turned around.

"Well, duh. I told you. And my pops didn't raise a liar." Akai's body pieced itself together, attaching the head last.

----------

"So that is the truth?" The man asked, having heard Akai's story.

"It is the utmost truth. Unless I'm lying. But that is very unlikely." Akai swore that what he had said was the truth.

"A benevolent demon, huh..." The red bladed swordsmen muttered. He expected to never see anything like the person next to him. "What is your name?"

"Akai Suisei." Akai gave his name as he wiped the blood off of his body. He pierced his clothes back together with his Forging Fang.

"Hm." The swordsman looked off into the distance. "I see you have no bloodlust. I'll just say you escaped me." He decided and turned to leave.

"Before you go, can I get your name?" Akai got up and drew a small smile. He hadn't smiled in hundreds of years.

"My name is Yoriichi Tsugikuni. One and only user of the Breath of The Sun."

----------

Back to Present Day:

"I think I remember one guy... hold on..." Akai thought about it for a bit more. It was on the tip of his tongue. "I think there was this guy named... Yor... Yori... Yo... Yoshi. I think his name was Yoshi." Akai decided on that name. "He had... red hair I think? No wait his sword was red..." Akai tried to remember more about this 'Yoshi' character.

"What breathing style did he use?" Tanjiro asked with wide eyes. He was sitting up and gripping his sheets, hoping to find answers to his questions.

"I don't know honestly. I all O remember is that that Yoshi guy was REALLY. REALLY. STRONG." Akai put the emphasis on really when talking about Yoshi.

"Never Mind. It's fine..." Tanjiro laid back down and sighed. It seemed he'd never get any detailed answers on the origin of his father's dance.