Unsure how they should continue, Tanjiro and Yua look at their sleeping comrades.
Shaking and slapping don't wake them up, so what will?
Nezuko lets out a questioningly Mhm-Mhm, making the couple turn to her.
Gently, they caress Nezuko's hair.
"There, there, Nezuko." Yua cooes. "All is good."
"Thanks. You did a great job, Nezuko." Tanjiro praises.
The little demon girl enjoys the affection and praises for burning down the ropes.
At the same moment, as Yua and Tanjiro stand up from their kneeling, they sense danger!
Fast, the three dodge the attack, Tanjiro holding Nezuko, as Yua stands protective before them.
"A girl?" Yua utters, surprised.
Indeed, their attacker turns out to be a young woman in a green kimono, with braids and wielding an ice pick.
"What are you doing?!" Tanjiro shouts, confused.
Why is a human attacking them? It didn't make sense!
"Get out of our way!" Braids growls. "Thanks to you guys, we won't be able to have dreams!"
Braids is joined by two other females, one blonde, the other wearing a bow in her hair and a young man.
Are they controlled by the demon...or acting on their own free will?
"What do you think you're doing? If you're awake, you'd better help us out!" Braids yells at a sickly-looking boy.
So they do it of their own free will, but why, wonder the demon slayers. "You may have tuberculosis or whatever, but if you don't do your job, I'm going to tell him, and then he won't show you any dreams, you hear me?!"
Ah, the man is sick, and his fellow passenger might be too or have another tragedy they want to forget in the beautiful dreams the demon creates.
Yua and Tanjiro share a glance.
They can understand them, however...
"Sorry. We have to go fight." Tanjiro says.
As fast as lightning, the couple takes out the four hostile passengers with a chop to the neck, till only the sickly boy remains.
Sadly, Yua and Tanjiro look down at the knocked-out passengers.
This was not fun at all...
"You want to stay inside a happy dream, don't you? I know. I wanted to stay inside my dream, too. If only this were the dream…" Tanjiro signs bittersweet.
Fast Nezuko run up to her brother, hugging him and Yua wraps an arm around her boyfriend, kissing his cheek.
"I understand you, Tanjiro." Yua amits with a heavy heart. "But my mother once told me happiness and tragedy are the same sides of a coin. Without tragedy, we wouldn't know happiness; without happiness, we wouldn't endure tragedy. The world is cruel and yet so beautiful."
Her boyfriend gives her a soft smile, tears sparkling in his eyes.
"Thanks, Yua, I needed to hear that."
"Anytime."
They turn to the sickly boy, Tanjiro, asking him if he is alright.
From what Yua can sense from his aura, the sick boy is not only alright, but incredibly thankful towards Tanjiro.
He will not attack them, no, he even wishes them good luck in defeating the demon!
Whatever the sick boy experienced in Tanjiro's soul, it changed him completely.
Heh, Yua could understand this good. Tanjiro had changed her also, first with his friendship and now with his love.
They thank the sick boy and then with Nezuko run out of the wagon, to find the demon resposible for all this.
Being outside, the disgusting smell of the demon weighs heavily in the air for Tanjiro and his narcotic aura twists in the air for Yua.
How did they not sense the demon before could only mean one thing!
"Tanjiro, I bet with you this must be one of the 12 Moons.", Yua shares her theory. "We have to be careful from here on."
"Right! Nezuko, don't come here!" Tanjiro turned to his sister. "Stay away from us and wait! Go wake everyone up!"
As the demon girl does as her brother says, the couple swings themselves onto the roof of the train car.
They run along the roofs till they find the suit-wearing demon with a bob cut.
He turns to them, and in his eyes are the Kanji for Lower Moon 1.
At least not an Upper Moon, a little consolation.
Lower Moon, whose name is Enmu, is quite surprised to see them and even has the gall to greet the couple with a friendly Good Morning.
Not wasting time, the slayers sheathed their katanas.
"Why did you wake up? Didn't I show you sweet dreams?" Enmu wonders. "I could've shown you a dream where your family were being slaughtered. Would you have liked that one better? No, of course not. Too distressing, right? All right, next… why don't I show you a dream where your father comes back to life? And you, girl, I show a dream of the sibling you always desired."
"Don't you dare intrude on our souls! I won't let you… Get away with this!", Tanjiro shoots back.
"You disgust me.", Yua states simply.
That's when the Lower Moon notes the Hanafuda earrings of Tanjiro. He gets all excited since the Demon King told him to kill a Hashira and Tanjiro. He talks about how he will get more blood from his master if he brings him their heads so he can challenge an Upper Moon for their position.
"Enough with the monologue!" Yua decides. "Moon Breathing! Seventh Form: Mirror of Fortune, Moonshine!"
She performs a frontal crescent-shaped slash that unleashes straight and curved slashes that expand outward, racing up to the demon.
While Yua stays back, Tanjiro performs the Tenth Form of Water Breathing, Constant Flux, which forms a water dragon, running up to Enmu.
Even with the crescent moons storming him and Tanjiro getting closer, Enmu stays calm. He jumps in the air and uses his Blood Demon Art.
From one second to another, Yua is back in the dream Mochizuki Estate.
"Damn it!", she shouts. "How can I wake up again? Before, something triggered my aura-sensing, maybe like this...?"
She concentrates, trying to feel Tanjiro's familiar, warm, beloved aura and the repulsive, narcotic aura of the Lower Moon.
It takes her a few seconds, but she wakes up in time to see how Tanjiro decapitates Enmu.
A reason to celebrate it is not, since the demon didn't turn to ash.
Battle-ready Yua looks around.
"Tanjiro, get ready!" she alarms her boyfriend. "This isn't over yet!"
Her instincts are right, as a mass of flesh forms under the Lower Moon's head. Cackling, Enmu tells them how the body they saw wasn't his body anymore, and he managed to fusion with the train. He makes clear how the passengers in the train are not only his food source but also his hostages.
He formally challenges them to protect them all from him.
Tanjiro tries again to decapitate the Lower Moon, but sadly, the head and mass just vanish into the train.
"Tanjiro, you go after the Demon, I will take care of the wagons!" Yua proposes.
This earns her an astonished look from her boyfriend.
"Yua, these are too many wagons for you alone to protect!" Tanjiro points out. "You can't keep an eye on the whole train."
She grits her teeth. He is right, of course.
"Yes, but I can protect at least 5 alone. This is better than nothing. Someone of us needs to go and end the Demon, or this nightmare never ends."
Anyone could see on Tanjiro's face how he didn't like this plan, yet what else could they do?
They were only in two.
However, it seemed Tsukuyomi wanted to help them.
A train roof breaks open, and Inosuke jumps out of it!
"Follow me, damn minions! All right! Explosive awakening!" the wild boy hollers. "Comin' through! Lord Inosuke's comin' through!"
It's like a giant weight falls from their heart.
At least they are in three now.
"Inosuke! It's not safe anywhere on the train anymore! We have to protect the sleeping passengers!" Tanjiro informs. "This whole train's turned into a demon! Can you hear me? This whole train is a demon!"
"I knew it! So, I was right on the money! That means I was a total stud as a leader!" Inosuke states, madly proud of himself.
"Yes, yes, now help us to protect the passengers!" Yua just deadpans.
Boys and their ego!
You don't have to tell the self-proclaimed king of the mountains this. Inosuke jumps back down the hole he came from, and the couple can hear how he slices something fleshy.
Yua lays a hand on Tanjiro and makes me take some steps.
"Inosuke can alone protect the two. You go five wagons up. I will take care of them."
Her boyfriend nods and starts running.
Elegant Yua kicks in a window and gets inside the carriage.
Already, it's consumed in the flesh mass, and fleshy-like tentacles reach for the passenger.
Like she is a whirlwind made out of moonlight, Yua cuts through any tentacles she sees. She runs her five wagons up and down, cutting tentacles on her way, using her Breathing Style in the best and most efficient way.
At one point, she hears a thunderclap. This surely means Zenitsu is awake now, too.
But she can't miss a bit of her passenger are meals!
So she continues with her task.
Suddenly, an explosion goes off, sending Yua tumbling to the ground. She catches herself at the last moment.
"What the???", she asked out loud, confused.
What was that?
"Young Mochizuki!" Rengoku yells, surprisingly in her ear, and she jumps a bit into the air.
The Flame Hashira stands beside her, grinning brightly.
"I see, you protected five wagons on your own. The yellow guy and the demon girl are taking care of the three. I shall proceed with the remaining five. Young Mochizuki, let me tell you how proud I am of you, and I will pledge to our Master to make you a Hashira."
The young woman doesn't even get a word out before Rengoku vanishes as fast as he came.
Blinking, she looks at the dust cloud and writhing tentacles he left behind.
Slowly, she registered what he said to her.
"THANK YOU!" she shouts after him, giddy, then gets back to work.
If she had to tell you, Yua couldn't tell how long and how many times she ran up and down her five wagons, slicing up tentacles.
It seemed like an eternity.
Then all hell broke loose!
A giant explosion occurred, and the train jumped off the tracks.
Gritting her teeth, trying to stay on top, Yua has her hands full with keeping her passenger safe and sound. She uses her Breathing Techniques to catch them or to destroy harmful things.
Finally, the train stops!
"Oh, thank Tsukuyomi!" she gasps happily.
Carefully, she checks on her passengers. Slowly, she assists them in getting up, provides First Aid to the wounded, and helps them exit the train.
Once outside, Yua lets out a deep breath and gazes up at the sky. The sun will rise soon, and it appears that the Lower Moon is finally history.
This long nightmare has come to an end. Now she can begin her search for her precious loved ones.
The first ones she finds are Nezuko and Zenitsu sleeping side by side near the train. After checking that both of them are alright, she lays her pastel purple haori with the peony pattern and the big full moon on the backside over them.
Since Zenitsu isn't trying to cup a feel, she will let him sleep beside Nezuko.
Next, she reunites with Inosuke, who excitedly explains how he and Tanjiro managed to behead the Demon Train. He then informs her that her boyfriend is injured. All that remains of Yua is a dust cloud as she disappears. Inosuke quickly chases after her.
However, the closer she gets to where Tanjiro is, the more she feels Rengoku's aura, wild and fiery, against a powerful demonic Aura.
No...it can't be!
After the Lower Moon, an Upper Moon appeared?!
The young woman ran faster!
She needs to check on Tanjiro and help Rengoku!
Together with Inosuke, she reaches Tanjiro and sees Rengoku against the Upper Moon.
Yua kneels beside Tanjiro, helping him sit upright. They gaze into each other's eyes, understanding without words that they are both okay, or at least Tanjiro is okay-ish.
After a moment, Yua stands up, preparing to unsheathe her katana like Inosuke, as Tanjiro tries to stand up.
Just then, Rengoku calls out to them. "Stay where you are! If that wound reopens, it'll be fatal! Stand back!"
"But Rengoku-Senpai!", Yua protests.
"That's an order! Mochizuki, you hear me?!"
Gripping her Katana, Yua doesn't know what to do. Can she help Rengoku? He told her he saw a Hashira in her, but now he wants her to stay out of the fight.
What should she do?
Meanwhile, the Upper Moon named Akaza mocks Rengoku, telling him he shouldn't waste his time with weaklings.
Akaza and Rengoku get locked in a fist and a katana fight.
The Upper Moon moves to hit Rengoku's eye, but the Hashira knocks him back. Rengoku slices at the Demon again, but he just regenerates his arm. The two are locked in battle, and Rengoku sends Akaza flying into the forest.
He goes after him.
The three younger Demon Slayers call out for Rengoku as he comes flying out of the forest!
"Rengoku!", Tanjiro yells.
"Ol' Google-eyes!" Inosuke hollers.
"Rengoku-Senpai!" Yua shrieks.
The Upper Moon attempts to sway Rengoku to his side, urging him to become a demon. However, Rengoku firmly states that he will not comply. They engage in a fierce and prolonged battle. Yua trembles with nerves. Although the order was to stay down, she feels a strong urge to help Rengoku, fearing that he might die if she doesn't intervene.
What should she do?
After an intense exchange of blows, both opponents leap away from each other to catch their breath.
In a climactic final attack, it seems that Rengoku has managed to strike the demon.
"Ohh… Did he do it? Did he win?!" Inosuke wonders.
The only girl checks the aura of Rengoku and gasps.
"Oh no!"
"Oh no? What's wrong Yunka?!"
She doesn't need to answer as drops of blood stream down Rengoku, and he breathes heavily.
"Okay, enough!"
Yua ignores Tanjiro, and Inosuke shouts to not do it as she runs up to Rengoku and the demon.
Surprised, Akaza looks at her and...is that hesitation in his eyes?
Whatever, Yua will not stop!
"Moon Breathing! Sixth Form: Everlasting Night, Populous Moon, Intermittent!"
She rapidly performs a multitude of curved slashes several meters in front of her that release a wild barrage of crescent moon blades capable of slicing up the surroundings.
The Upper Moon can dodge some of her blades, the one who makes wounds, he heals in an instant, but he doesn't attack her.
Why?
"Young lady, my fight is not with you.", Akaza says. "Please, leave."
"You made it my fight when you attacked my Senpai!" she growls and runs up to him.
She tried to slash him, but he only dodged her, never attacking.
What is going on?
"Why aren't you fighting back?!" Yua shouts. "I'm not worth it, you sexist demon?!"
Akaza grits his teeth. "I don't fight, nor do I eat women. This goes against my code!"
"You are a demon, an Upper Moon! And you tell me you have an honour code?!", she screams, slashing widely, getting cuts in. "If you don't fight back, your head will be mine!"
He jumps back from the big slash she wanted to perform on his head, while Yua again uses her Moon Breathing.
"Moon Breathing! Tenth Form: Moon shines on the Bambus Cutter!"
She creates three rotating circular saw-like slashes with crescent moon blades following their path.
They managed to cut the arms off the Upper Moon, so she jumped high in the air, aiming for the head, while he dodged the saw-like slashes.
Her Katana finds his neck!
Growling, Yua sinks it deeper, cutting a good quarter.
Of course, Akaza realise he is in a pickle. If he doesn't stop the Mochizuki, she will kill him!
But he doesn't hurt women and never will he do this!
And the sun is nearly up! He thinks rapidly. I will be as gentle as possible...
Surprised, Yua feels the Demon grip her under her arms and throw her away. He casts her so far that she lands in a bush, but miraculously, she isn't hurt at all.
"What the hell?!" Yua shrieks in disbelief.
"He's getting away!" Inosuke informs.
Yua tries to free herself from the bush, but the twisted branches have snagged her clothes.
The Upper Moon has escaped.
Filled with anger, Yua lets out a frustrated scream.
(*)
The sun shines warm down on Rengoku, Yua, Tanjiro and Insosuke, who lie side by side on the ground, getting First Aid by the arrived Kakushi, before they will be moved to the Butterfly Mansion for real treatment of their wounds.
"That was dumb and unnecessarily risky if you, young Mochizuki!" Rengoku scolds Yua. "You have gone against my orders."
"With all due respect Senpai, but you weren't anymore cable of fighting and I will be damned if one of my brother or sister-in-arms dies when I can prevent it," Yua replies, annoyed.
She feels how Tanjiro grips her hand to calm her down.
"Young Mochizuki, I respect your passion and blazing heart for your comrades, but you have gone against my order!"
"You would have done the same for us!" she shouts back, which makes Rengoku stop. "It said that people who don't follow the rules are trash, but I think the one who doesn't help his friends is worse than trash!"
It's still for a few minutes, only the Kakushi talking, before Rengoku lets out a quiet laugh. "I suppose you are right, young Mochizuki. My worries for you, young ones, have made me forget how we all would lay down our lives for our friends. You will make a formidable Hashira."
A little blush forms on her cheeks, and she thanks him.
"I'm happy that we all are fine!" Zenitsu cries, who sits beside them with Nezuko's box. "After a Lower Moon and an Upper Moon, this was too much!"
"At least we all are alive and none of the passengers died," Tanjiro adds, also crying.
Loving Yua strokes Tanjiro's knuckles with her thumb to comfort him.
"Still, I wonder why the ball head didn't want to fight Yunka," Inosuke says what all are asking themselves.
Could it really be just because she was female, and Akaza truly didn't fight them?
But why?
"Maybe we will never find out this, young Boar Boy, but we all did our best." Rengoku muses. "I don't think I can be a Hashira for some time with only one eye left. I have to adapt to that, so I think young Mochizuki here will be an amazing addition to us."
"You honour me with your words, Senpai. If Oyakata-Sama makes me a Hashira, I will thank you from the bottom of my heart.", Yua promises with a little smile.
"Yeah, yeah, that's all nice and stuff.", interrupts Sayako, in her Kakushi uniform, the bonding moment. "But you guys are ready for the Butterfly Mansion, you can be sappy there."
"It's always a joy with you, Yako." Yua deadpans at her cousin
"Just telling how it is, YuYu. Just telling how it is." Sayako grins cheekily back at her.
(*)
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