The moon stared down at the cold nights, the thousands of cities, millions of people and billions of creatures. The moon was in its Waxing Gibbous phase, the phase before a full moon. Waxing Gibbous, the 'Waxing' meant that the moon was getting more full, while 'Waning' meant the moon was getting less full. The phases of the moon were just one of the things no one could control, no matter how hard one tried. In the entire cosmos, there were more things humans couldn't control than they could. After all, how could anyone interfere with these massive celestial bodies in their natural process? Moons, planets, stars, galaxies. There was always something bigger than the previous. The hierarchy of the universe was never-ending, humans were placed so low despite being the only 'intellectual' beings. You just can't control some things.
For once, in the active night, Akaza's desolate dojo was silent. Instead, the entire forest was awoken by the rumbling collapse of a tree. The usually calm atmosphere of the mountain ignited with crashes and sounds of conflict. Akaza and Ali had taken their usual sparring outside. The new area allowed for further development of battle instinct, and the crucial element of utilising surroundings. Ali's laugh echoed in unison with the rumble of the tree trunks' collision with the ground. Akaza gritted his teeth, in the confined space of the dojo, it was just head on, one on one with no obstacles in the way. Out here was different, Ali was able to use the trees to his advantage. Ali's legs tensed and he slightly squatted, as he pushed off the floor his entire body rocketed upwards several metres. Akaza's eyes narrowed, concentrating on trying to read Ali's next movement. Akaza's stomach turned as Ali's body rotated forward, Ali found stable footing on a tree trunk. Just for a fraction of a second, there was no sound, the very next fraction, Ali launched himself directly at Akaza. The wind rushed at Ali's skin as his body moved at an extreme speed. His fist was pulled back ready, his arm filled with power. Veins popped, this could be the first time Ali could seriously damage Akaza.
In the average human perception, Ali had travelled from several metres in the sky to Akaza in the blink of an eye.
To Akaza, he could see and prepare for Ali's attack perfectly fine, however, the unexpected launch had messed with his reaction time, instead, he just stared forward like he was clueless, eyes wide.
Upper Moon Three and Lower Moon One. The gap was clear. Akaza, as monstrous as he was, he wasn't the type who'd go all out on someone who couldn't handle it. He enjoyed the thrill of a fight, not the victory. He hadn't even gone all out in the fight against Rengoku, and Ali was still leagues below Rengoku.
But as Ali's tricky attack threatened to smash his face in, Akaza for the first time in a while acted on pure instinct. Akaza's fist shot up at an illimitable speed, as his knuckles made contact with Ali's elbow, the entire arm exploded with the force. Ali's body went tumbling behind, dirt and dust billowed as the ground trembled. Agonising pain shot through his body. The brutal collision with the ground was nothing compared to Akaza's lethal strike to his elbow. The feeling of his bones, centimetre by centimetre, twisting, cracking and combusting. The sharp shards then punctured into his flesh and caused his whole arm to burst. This all happened in less than a second.
Ali lay on the floor, his hand over the open hole where his arm used to be, blood spurting out at a fatal rate. Fatal for a human.
"So much for going easy," Ali's voice croaked, even in the extreme agony, he was still proficient in his quick remarks. Akaza looked back to see Ali with a smile on his face as he battled the wound. Akaza's grin widened as he felt the adrenaline surge in his veins, the thrill of the fight was none other.
"That was impressive!" Akaza's voice was loud as he crouched next to Ali, his hand quickly slapped Ali's back as a form of reward. To Ali, it was more of a punishment as the strong slap caused another surge of pain through his body.
"You're getting closer to my level every day. I believe you could take on Upper Six." Akaza brought up the topic again.
Ali stood up, his arm was in the process of healing. The red muscle slowly grew around newly healed bones.
"Let me absorb at least ten more demons, I'll go hunting tomorrow night. At the village." Ali nudged Akaza as he observed the havoc they had caused. Dust still billowed from the crater that formed when Ali collided with the ground.
"Just because I've lived over a hundred years doesn't mean I have the patience to wait another hundred," Akaza sighed and looked at Ali with narrow eyes, "Anyways, I have a mission tonight assigned by Lord Muzan, might even fight a Hashira. Hopefully, that fight is as thrilling as the one you just put me through,"
Akaza's chuckle echoed through the mountains. With one last glance at Ali, Akaza propelled himself into the air, a loud boom roared furiously as Akaza seemed to use a tree trunk to accelerate himself. In less than 5 seconds, Akaza's body was out of sight.
"He stole my move," Ali stretched and sighed. He slowly touched one of the many dark blue crescent marks on his newly grown arm. He exhaled deeply and headed back to the dojo.
Just as the moon glowed, the large banner that read 'Wisteria' glowed dimly. The trio of Demon Slayers had decided to rest in the nearest Wisteria House. The night was complete with a cold breeze and an unsettling lack of noise. Asumi and Kaze slept in their respective futons, effectively utilising this rare chance for sleep. Eira sat alone on the wooden veranda, in her hands was a small cloth and her light blue Nichirin blade. Her mind wandered, a non-linear path forming between memories and imagination. As she slowly wiped her sword with the cloth, she digressed far back into her own life.
If there was one object that she would define her upbringing with, it would be her Father's icy blue blade. The very blade was a catalyst for Eira's life. It was the only thing her father had left behind when he isolated them, and it was the most important object in Eira's training. Her body remembered the vigorous days of training. Whether she was alone, or relatives watched her. She endlessly swung her sword with the memory of her mother's corpse being torn apart by a demon, every swing contributed to her pursuit of perfection. At times, her brother was worried about how much she dedicated to training, but he understood how much it meant to her.
Her Father's sword was still in their house, she had used it for Final Selection, but once she got her own, she had no use for her Father's blade.
Eira dropped the cloth and sighed deeply, the cold night surrounded her body and provided some relaxation.
Although her body was in a state of relaxation, her soul was restless, and urgency stabbed at her. Her brain filled with an intense desperation to feel her blade deep in Ali's flesh. She couldn't help it, the days grew closer and closer, and her ultimate dream became more and more realistic.
Eira had perfectly planned this whole mission, it served as a reunion for the trio. What better way to celebrate than to kill Lower Moon One?
As Eira took a deep breath in, she digressed to earlier in the day when she explained the mission in its entirety.
"Hey, mind giving us a little overview of the mission details?" Kaze playfully tapped Eira's elbow with a smile, "Or is that Hashira business?"
They had been travelling for over an hour by then, silence interrupted with occasional conversations and the noise of nature. Eira glanced at Kaze and returned a smile, she opened her mouth to speak. Kaze only sought the bare minimum on the mission, he was unprepared for the tsunami of exposition Eira was about to unleash.
"We're going to an abandoned village. The leads we have are two reports from the area. The area is demon-infested, and often assigned to lower ranks of slayers. Most of the demons aren't strong at all so there's no point in sending a higher rank. Anyways, both the reports are from Mizunoto, they both mention a demon with pale blue skin, dark blue marks and tremendous strength." Eira looked at Kaze with a 'you know' face, "the description fits him perfectly."
Kaze's eyes followed her facial movements, he could see her expression sour as she emphasised "him", almost as if she felt disgusted to even refer to Ali. He took a deep breath and nodded.
Eira's mind paid close attention to the two auras of her friends. She didn't want to sense even a trace of vulnerability.
Just as she thought that. She felt the slightest throb in Asumi's aura, the conspicuous red outline on her pink aura seemed to glow slightly.
"Over the next few nights, we'll scan the area, and if things go right... We'll find him." Eira consolidated the plan and her eyes glared at Asumi and Kaze. An underlying unsettlement concerning the mission.
"And if we don't find Ali?" Asumi cleared her throat, she asked a simple and obvious question. Eira had no answer for it, in her mind she had made up that this mission would be the mission where Ali died. The mission where things could finally go back to normal.
Normal?
"Then it'll be tiring trying to find new leads. Well, it'll already be tiring being up these next nights. But for tonight, we can rest at a Wisteria House," The Ice Hashira was particularly good at warming the conversation up with a sense of comfort.
Eira snapped back to reality, her digression faded as she stared back up at the moon.
Annoyance still jabbed at Eira over and over as she remembered the newly instated obstacle that came in Eira's path. Asumi's contract-like deal she had made, Eira's entire body shivered at the thought of Asumi or Kaze finding Ali before her. What would she do?
The wind breezed at Eira's face, her arms supported her as she leaned back slightly. Her excruciating desire conflicted with her undying loyalty. Her hands clenched tightly at the wooden boards beneath her. A wild river of frustration flowed through her entire body.
"Ali…" Eira closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Like a slap on the face, Ali's human face projected itself into Eira's mind. As the picture illustrated itself in Eira's mind, his laughter echoed in the background. The contagious laughter that Eira could never resist joining in on. Her lips slightly curved upwards, for a slight moment, her soul settled. Her eyes opened once again, a certain glisten to them, the moonlight made them shine as if she were crying. Was she crying? As the moon's light shone down on her.
"I have to kill you, Ali." Eira's smile remained on her face, "I can't wait."
Eira grabbed the cloth and her sword abruptly and stood, she slid the door open. She was met by the main room, where both Kaze and Asumi slept. As if Eira was being taunted. The moonlight crept into the room and shone on the most prominent objects. Kaze's two swords and Asumi's beloved Amare Flos. The very fact Kaze still carried around Ali's sword annoyed Eira. As for Asumi's flower, Eira still remembered the day she had figured out that Ali and Asumi were lovers.
"Ali's still alive, look" Asumi had said at the Hashira meeting after the incident where Ali turned into a demon. She had shown all the Hashira the precious flower that only died if one of the lovers died.
Eira's eyes narrowed at the flower, it lay silent next to Asumi's futon. Eira's footsteps were precise as she made her way over to the flower. She stood directly above it, the flower in front of her feet. Eira's shadow cast upon the flower, she blocked the moonlight.
Amare Flos, Eira's eyes glared at the light blue petals. Her thoughts were clouded. Eira's palm tightened around the hilt of her sword and she slowly pointed it down at the beautiful flower. She held the sword as if she was going to stab down, the tip of the blade just hovering above. Her wide eyes suddenly flinched as the blue flower lit up with a blue glow. Her eyes were mesmerised as the blue glow seemed to paint the entire room in a light blue glow. The flower's glow once again disappeared as Eira remained fixated on it. She took a step back with a slight smile on her face. A smile that indicated that she had forged a plan for tomorrow.
Eira had an epiphany.