Chapter Text
In the small dojo, the demon waited for the sunset. The glow of the setting sun was beautiful, though he couldn't witness it.
Ever since he was reborn a few weeks ago, he knew instinctively that the sun was lethal to him. So he hid in the shadows, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness.
The demon was called Akaza, a name given to him by his master. He was rather enjoying his new life. He was powerful and had no need to worry about thirst or fatigue. His new body was strong. Now he could do things no human could dream of, if he wanted to, he could make trees fall to the ground with a single blow or rip through the walls as if they were made of paper. Not that he remembered how it was to be a human, but still, being a demon was so much better.
Where his memories used to be now was a black void. From time to time, a snippet of memories would resurface for a split second before despairing once more. Akaza had to be honest with himself - it was incredibly annoying.
He may have become a demon, but the habits of his previous life remained in him. Sometimes he just made choices that merely didn't make sense. The only explanation was that they were remnants of his human life. Scraps of his humanity. Like his decision to live in the dojo, for example.
The place was nice, but there were at least a dozen better places to hide. But, there was just something about this place that made the demon feel safe. Had Akaza lived here before? Or did he study in the dojo? Unfortunately, every time he tried to remember, a shattering pain would take over his senses. After a few tries ( which ended with him screaming from pain on the floor) demon gave up. After all, if there were something important, surely he would remember it, right?
Still, there was something that made him take care of this place. The floors of his hideout had been swept clean, and the furniture dusted. The entire dojo was neat and clean, in stark contrast to the other houses in the village. Akaza didn't question his sentiment too the building or why he kept it clean. After all, living in a clean house was much better than living in a crumbling ruin. Plus, he had something to occupy himself with when the sun was up.
There wasn't much for him to do while the sun was out. He would usually train, but he didn't feel like doing so today. He already took care of his clothes by "borrowing" some nice baggy pants and red haori with the flame pattern. Haori clashed horribly with his skin and tattoos and was slightly too tight. The demon, for some reason, liked it, as creepy as it sounded, it smelled nice, like sweet potatoes and burned wood. He took great care to keep it in one piece. Sometimes he even took it off before a fight just so it wouldn't get ruined.
But today, he chose to wear it. He was quite a messy eater preferring the prey which fought with him. Usually, his trousers were stained after his meals.
But Akaza ate already, and he ate a lot. A few fools ventured into the village, hoping to find something to steal. They were pitiful fighters, but at least they were entertaining.
He spent the last few weeks searching for prey. He even ventured for days before eating but always returned to his dojo. That was the best way for him to grow stronger. Strangely. He couldn't force himself to eat women. There seemed to be something about him that didn't want to hurt them. Every time he encountered one, he let her go unharmed. It was strange, but Akaza already had so many bizarre behaviors that he simply accepted that women were not on the menu for him.
"Grow stronger, Akaza, and don't disappoint me." His master said. Akaza felt excitement even thinking about him. In a month, "he" would send somebody to check on the young demon. Akaza couldn't wait. The pink-haired demon did everything he possibly could not disappoint his master. He ate as much as he could and trained when the sun was high.
Akaza had even fought other demons, but they didn't pose much of a challenge to him. Unfortunately, these fights were utterly disappointing. He could understand that he tore easily through humans. They were weak, after all. But, demons were supposed to be superior ones. But his fellow demons were weak. They were decades older than Akaza but still lost within minutes. Without breaking a sweat, Akaza tore their limbs off and left them to burn in the sun. How could Akaza become stronger for his master when his opponents were so pitifully weak?
So yes, for some time Akaza had been craving a proper fight. He was growing more and more desperate. He was even thinking of leaving the dojo for good to seek a better challenge, and then he appeared - Kyojuro Rengoku.
The demon rolled over onto his stomach, kicking his legs in the air like an excited teenager. While Akaza already had fought with a couple of demon slayers, Kyojuro was just on another level. He was magnificent and shone brighter than the sun.
The young slayer was the best opponent he had the pleasure to encounter. The demon had a gut feeling that he would never meet someone so magnificent. There was something about the young man that made Akaza feel alive.
Akaza was aware that he was weirdly obsessed with the man, but who could blame him? Kyojuro was so skilled and awesome. Even thinking about the man made Akaza all excited and flushed. His undead heart beat faster. But who could blame him! Kyojuro's fighting spirit shone so brightly. He chopped Akaza's limbs off with such grace. If the slayer hadn't hesitated at the last moment, he cut off the demon's head (and Akaza would be fine with that).
Not only was the demon slayer a skilled fighter he was also gorgeous. His hair was so fluffy and looked so soft. Akaza would commit genocide for a chance to bury his face in this wave of gold. At this, Akaza had to stop his thoughts from wandering too far. Not to think of this board shoulders, lovely sun-kissed skin ( he would love to see what color Kyojuro's skin was under the uniform). Akaza flushed when his mind conjured a very inappropriate picture. Yes, now he definitely had to stop thinking about the slayer.
So he shifted once more and wandered through his hideout. There was some time left before the sun sets. He was now itching for the fight. To punch something or tear somebodies apart.
He could always try training again, but it probably would end up with another hole in the wall. Akaza signed loudly before unceremoniously throwing himself onto the floor. From here he could see the sun while being out of range of its deadly rays.
He wished to run into his favorite human, but unfortunately, Kyojuro was probably still healing. Humans were so fragile. Akaza even felt a bit bad for breaking his opponent so much. It would be months before they could fight again. All of this easily could be avoided. If only Kyojuro would accept Akaza's gracious offer and become a demon.
Akaza couldn't help but fantasize about how it would be if Kyojuro agreed to become a demon with him. Kyojuro was young and already so powerful. He would definitely become much stronger after his reborn. What blood art would Kyojuro gain? What would his new body look like? In Akaza's mind, the blond man could look like a frog, and Akaza would