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1ST POV
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So much for not changing the timeline. Remember when I mentioned wanting to experiment with my blood and all that? Well, I went ahead and did it, and what I found out was that my blood is quite peculiar.

During my journey, I came across several demons. And by "came across," I mean I actively sought out the nastiest auras in the vicinity to conduct my experiments. You know, the usual. However, what baffled me the most was that every time I encountered one of these demons, it played out exactly the same way: "strange human blah blah blah, you're weird yadda yadda yadda, DON'T MESS WITH ME!" It was like a broken record. But this led me to a conclusion.

One: my scent was still puzzling them, which was well known - by me.

And two: they don't go crazy even if I have an open wound, despite being labeled as marechi, which I could not comprehend for the love of Allah above!

Trust me, it was a bit awkward when I deliberately cut my hand off, expecting a bamboozled demon, only to have the bastard stare at me in disbelief with an underlying tone of...concern for my mental health. That motherfu-

In short, nothing hinted at the possibility of me being a marechi. I was about to let go of that issue, apologize to the demon, and continue on my merry way when a memory of what happened to that meleoron-looking dude flashed in my mind. Without a second thought, I whipped my bloody arm like a wet towel, the target being his mouth.

I can only say one thing.

Things went south real fast.

That demon immediately lunged at me with a speed that would've put the Flash to shame. His eyes were crazed with bloodlust and hunger, drool flowing from his mouth like a rabid animal. And that, ladies and gentlemen, solidified my suspicions of being a marechi. Satisfied with my theory being proven right, I punted him into oblivion and continued on my way.

Well, that was the experimental part. It was all fun and games until I crossed paths with Kokushibo. Again. Yeah, I'm sure anyone with enough brain cells had already caught up on that earlier.

This occurred approximately two months after the onsen incident...

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'At this point, I'm wondering if fate isn't just messing with me or if the higher-ups had a hand in this - which I'm convinced is the case at this point, but anyway.'

Thankfully, this time I was wearing the cloak, so there was no way he could recognize me, right? Right? Well, I was mistaken. The demon stared at me for a good long time, which kind of creeped me out, to be honest. And when I tried to take my leave - you know, like a normal person would when meeting a demon - he followed me. Like, really.

At first, I was like, 'Sir, do you need help?' playing the oblivious card, you know? But that six-eyed fucker just kept watching me like I was some snack or something - which I am, alright - that is until he muttered one thing that made me pause in my tracks.

"Lith."

'Ah crap'-

That, yes, was far from ideal. Least to say, I did not appreciate the fact that he had easily recognized me, though I still attempted to salvage the situation the best I could.

"Me? Lith? Who's Lith? You must be mistaken, Mr. Demon! Haha!"

I never said I was good at it.

"...Your...scent is still the same."

My laughter choked in my throat as I stumbled over my own feet. Ah yes, that. Who was I trying to fool? My forgetfulness to conceal my presence turned out to be a significant mistake. I had been overconfident, thinking I wouldn't encounter anyone of importance that night, and I somehow overlooked the keenness of their senses. Typical.

Eventually, I abandoned the charade, realizing its futility at this point, and instead decided to question him. Why was he here? Why wasn't he attacking me or engaging in typical demon-related activities like trying to devour me? That's when he unexpectedly blurted out:

"I wish...to serve you."

Alright, I was not expecting that response, and I'm pretty sure he knew it because a heavy silence hung between us. I stared at him for a good amount of time before deciding to walk over to a conveniently placed boulder-with him still following me-I sat on it, and began pondering. Hard. Kokushibo just watched me silently.

"I'm not sure if I heard you correctly, could you repeat that?" I asked, my mask concealing my face.

The fact that he didn't even hesitate baffled me, honestly. "I wish to serve you."

"Oh my god, he's serious," I murmured in disbelief. "But why? Why all of a sudden? We've seen each other, like, once? So where is this coming from?"

The demon frowned, genuinely perplexed, and admitted that he did not know. This response only added to my confusion. Why was he following me? Why had he become so strangely docile all of a sudden? This was far from normal.

I couldn't shake off my suspicions, and squinted-though he couldn't see me-I probed his aura for any hidden motives. To my surprise, I found nothing that could hint at deception. His aura appeared sincere, if not unusually patient, which left me stunned. Truly baffled at this point, I asked if something strange had happened. To my further surprise, the male frowned as if recalling something and then vaguely insinuated that I had something to do with it. First of all, rude! I'm an angel! Secondly, what on earth was he implying? I pressed for more answers, but the male didn't elaborate further, leaving me growing increasingly frustrated.

"Alright, I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to, you know, head in that direction," I said, pointing randomly. He followed the way I indicated, then his eyes shifted back to me. "You, well, go wherever you...came from, alright? So, uh, see ya?" With that said, I began to walk away, still musing over what had just happened. However, when I glanced behind me, I noticed the male was still following me.

I paused, and he mimicked my action. "...Why are you still following me?"

He didn't respond and just stood there, staring. Not wanting to deal with this any longer, I decided to start running in no particular direction, sending a quick look behind me, only to choke in fright when I saw his determined expression. He was chasing me!

Naturally, I decided to increase my speed, foolishly thinking that I could easily outrun an upper moon demon. I was sorely mistaken. He effortlessly kept pace with me, displaying a level of agility I hadn't anticipated. This chase went on for a good two hours, turning into a cat-and-mouse game, with me desperately running in hopes of escaping. It reminded me of Haganezuka chasing Tanjiro, except without all the "I'LL KILL YOU!!" shouting. It was unsettling as fuck! I'd prefer being chased by someone who cursed me relentlessly; at least I'd have an idea of how close they were.

Midway through the chase, I had an epiphany and cursed myself for not thinking of it sooner. I swiftly concealed everything that could give away my presence and scent. Then I found a hiding spot in a cave. After a while, I cautiously poked my head out, fairly certain he wouldn't find me anytime soon as I didn't hear or sense anything nearby. I let out a sigh of relief and, perhaps a bit prematurely, let my guard down, feeling relieved yet overwhelmed by the ordeal. That's when I turned around, only to be met with the sight of six glowing, dead fish-like eyes staring back at me in utter boredom. To say that the undignified screech that followed wasn't one of my proudest moments would be an understatement.

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In a puff of smoke, I materialized a wooden box, similar to Nezuko's but with a darker hue. Surprisingly, the demon's expression remained composed, though his gaze shifted between me and the box in silence.

Now, with his stern and unwavering demeanor, there was absolutely no way Kokushibo would entertain my request! Ha! Was he going to cast aside his pride for my whim? Impo-

He didn't hesitate in the slightest and promptly shrank, waddling into the box. With six large gleaming eyes, he looked up at me, leaving me utterly flabbergasted.

(art by me)

"..."

WELP, that was settled-

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Yes, I'm a sucker for cute things! Besides, the fact that Kokushibo wouldn't leave my side was downright unnerving. Before the whole box incident that solidified our peculiar companionship, I had made another attempt to leave once the sun started to rise. You know the drill with demons and sunlight. So, I briskly jogged out of the cave the moment the first ray of sunshine pierced through. Sure, I had the option to teleport somewhere, but I'd have to locate Seppen first; otherwise, the poor bird would panic. It had happened once, and the guilt weighed heavily on me as I wept and repeatedly apologized to my feathered friend.

Anyhow, I was out of the cave, confident that I would shake off Kokushibo, and turned to look back at him. That's when I almost had a heart attack. I saw him rising, ready to follow me into the sunlight. Acting on pure instinct, I slammed into him just before his foot could touch the sunbeam, and we both tumbled back into the cave. I ended up straddling him while aggressively scolding him. The crazy guy almost got himself fried just to stick with me!

From that day onward, we began our journey together, and surprisingly, it was rather peaceful. Of course, I learned more about his situation and discovered that after tasting my blood once and going through the berserk process, he could no longer bring himself to eat humans. It wasn't that their taste disgusted him; he simply couldn't do it after sampling my blood. It had confused me at first. It turns out that turning demons berserk wasn't its only purpose. Sometimes, it could also tame them after ingestion.

As for the duration, well, I didn't have a precise timetable. I speculated it might depend on the amount of blood I shared. If it were just a drop, it usually took them two or three weeks before they started seeking me out. My theories were mainly based on Kokushibo's case since he was the only demon who had survived an encounter with me and gone through this change. He unintentionally became my prime subject of observation, so I couldn't be entirely sure. Fantastic, right?

Anyway, having Kokushibo by my side was a given at this point.

Despite his altered condition, the Kanji symbols in his eyes still marked him as an upper moon. It seemed that either Muzan wasn't aware that his most potent demon had switched allegiances, or he knew but wanted to avoid drawing the Demon Slayer Corps' attention.

I thought about telling Kagaya someday. I had no clue how he'd react to the news, but I had no intention of killing Kokushibo anytime soon. Having him with me was a better alternative than letting him continue his killing spree. I made sure to feed him using vials of my blood, and he seemed to genuinely appreciate it, judging by the subtle creases at the corners of his eyes each time I gave him some. I borrowed the idea from Tamayo, who had managed to survive without consuming innocent lives. It also helped keep Kokushibo awake most of the time. Starving demons tended to fall asleep to recover after extended periods without sustenance. I couldn't stand the thought of watching someone starve when I had a readily available food source, be it humans or, in this case, demons. Besides, he appeared to grow stronger each time I shared some of my blood with him, although I didn't do it every day. I had learned that Kokushibo, with his four centuries of being a demon, didn't experience hunger in the same way as weaker demons did. Well, that was good to know.

I contemplated the idea of doing the same for Nezuko once she woke up. After all, I wasn't exactly human, so it wouldn't count as Nezuko consuming humans, right? Plus, it could potentially prevent her from losing control, or at least that's what I hoped. But first, I needed to discuss this with Tanjiro. Speaking of which, the boy had sent me a letter about a month ago, informing me that Tengu Gramps had left him to his own devices and given him a boulder to cut in half. So, he was currently at that point in the story...

It was amusing to feel his confusion through his letter, even though I offered no direct help, just advising him to keep breathing. I trusted Sabito and Makomo to guide him; it had worked out well in the anime. Hopefully, I'd get a glimpse of them eventually. But before that, which wouldn't happen for another five months or so, I had visited him with some extra challenges for his training. He was surprised by the box though. Tanjiro couldn't quite discern what was inside and assumed it was just an ordinary box.

Heh.

Now, let me explain why Nose failed to detect a literal Upper Moon.

The box I had been using to carry Kokushibo for the past seven months was more like a pocket dimension that led to a traditional-looking room designed exclusively for him. It provided him with his own space so he didn't have to emerge frequently or experience any unexpected disturbances while I was on the move. Think of it as his personal chamber. Just like how I needed to create a door to access my house, I created a similar setup for the demon to ensure he had a comfortable space within the box.

To ensure Kokushibo could be alerted when his presence was required, we established a secret knocking pattern. This allowed him to remain concealed within the box, undetected even by demon slayers with keen senses. This secrecy was crucial as I didn't want anyone, especially demon slayers, to discover I was carrying an Upper Moon until the moment I summoned him. It was all about maintaining the element of surprise and avoiding any inadvertent leaks of information that could reach Muzan.

So, with 11 months remaining before the start of canon, we continued our travels together. Strangely enough, my relationship with Kokushibo improved during this time. Apart from the initial kissing incident, nothing unusual occurred between us. I even introduced Seppen to him, although she initially kept her distance for obvious reasons. Over time, she grew more comfortable and would occasionally land on his shoulder, especially when he offered her mice he found along the way. They even formed an alliance of sorts, as Kokushibo's extended existence had allowed him to become familiar with various regions across the country. Their partnership proved to be quite useful!

During our travels, there were occasions when Kokushibo would emerge from the box and walk alongside me for no apparent reason. Whenever we reached a random village, he would even take on his human appearance. However, during these times, I would change my mask, cloak, and sometimes shape-shift into various forms, be it a child, an elderly person, or even an animal. This precaution was necessary to prevent people from identifying me and reporting my presence. I wasn't naive; I knew that after everything I've done, people might start recognizing me. But honestly, I found it quite hilarious to troll people while still lending a hand.

These outings only occurred when Kokushibo was outside the box, which wasn't all that frequent since he wasn't particularly fond of humans. I could relate to that sentiment. Speaking of him, he didn't display much surprise at my powers, and I briefly contemplated whether or not to share the full extent of my abilities with him. Ultimately, I decided against it, considering that Muzan had the ability to read their minds, unless they were free from the curse like Tamayo. Still, I did put a mental block in place, with Kokushibo's permission, just to be on the safe side.

Other than that, everything had been relatively smooth during these past few months.

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This peculiar incident unfolded on a random night when Kokushibo was uncharacteristically out of the box for one of his rare moments of socialization. We were following our usual path through the forest, engaging in what could be described as a mostly one-sided conversation. You see, Kokushibo was a man of few words, often responding with mere nods or grunts. Not that it bothered me; I welcomed any semblance of companionship after so long.

Anyway, during our stroll, I found myself rambling about some obscure manga I had read ages ago. I took it upon myself to explain the intricate plot to Kokushibo, who showed mild interest by his standards. Then, out of nowhere, in the midst of my enthusiastic rambling, a shoji door materialized beneath him, sending him tumbling through as it slid open. A peculiar buzzing sound, resembling that of a biwa, accompanied this bizarre event before both the door and the sound vanished, leaving me standing alone in the forest, utterly flabbergasted, and gaping at the spot where Kokushibo had been just moments before.

"Holy Crap."

That had been a ridiculously close call, let me tell you. Thank goodness I hadn't been holding his hand this time, a habit I inexplicably picked up months ago for no apparent reason. If I had, I would have surely been dragged along with him, as it appeared he had just been summoned by Muzan himself. To say I was shaken would be an understatement.

In my frazzled state, I decided to wait for his return, opting to sit atop the box with my feet dangling, trying to quell the unease that had settled within me. I could still sense his aura, which meant I could have followed him if I wanted to, but I refrained, not willing to take such a reckless risk. Who knew what they were up to?

Approximately an hour later, that same shoji door reappeared in the air, and Kokushibo tumbled out, landing gracefully on the ground. The door promptly vanished, the same peculiar buzz echoing in its wake.

A brief silence hung in the air as the demon furrowed his brow, scanning the surroundings before locking his gaze on me, a faint expression of relief crossing his features. I arched an eyebrow at this, then shook my head slightly, dismissing any curiosity, and stepped down from the box.

"So, what's going on?" I had asked casually, not really anticipating a response from him. To my surprise, he began recounting everything about his meeting with all the Upper Moons and Muzan. I must admit, I hadn't expected him to be so forthcoming, and I still had my doubts about his sudden change of loyalty. However, his willingness to share all the details left me convinced that he was indeed genuine.

A warm, fuzzy feeling welled up inside me at that realization, and I couldn't help but surprise him with a spontaneous hug. Kokushibo stiffened in response, clearly not accustomed to physical contact, even after months of our companionship. He didn't push me away, though, and once I was done, we continued our aimless stroll, me in a much better mood, and the demon remaining silent.

"Taiyo-shin, huh...?" he finally spoke after a prolonged silence.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I don't know where they came up with that nickname, but I kinda like it."

His next words, however, caught me off guard. "Are...you not aware...that they've mistaken you for a male...?"

I turned to glance at him, my mask concealing my expression as I secured the box on my back like a backpack.

"So? It's not like it's the first time that it happened. Not that I mind it in the first place," I nonchalantly shrugged, waiting for further comments.

When none came, I returned my focus to the road, humming little tunes to pass the time. Minutes drifted by, and I was on my fourth song when I heard Kokushibo's voice again.

"...You have...a beautiful...voice," he uttered quietly.

I froze, my heart nearly skipping a beat. A bashful feeling washed over me, and I waved a hand dismissively, playfully responding with, "Oh, you!" I decided to grasp his hand, and while he stiffened slightly, he allowed me to continue as I hummed and swung our hands back and forth like children. It seemed Kokushibo was willing to go along with it.

It was amusing because one of the reasons Kokushibo had stumbled upon me at the onsen was because he heard me sing from the bottom of the mountain. Good ears, I guess, or maybe it was just his excellent demon senses. I had no intentions of becoming a singer, but it was certainly an ego booster to hear compliments about my singing skills.

As dawn approached, Kokushibo returned to his box, and I called for Seppen to lead me to a nearby town.

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[Taiyo-shin]

EDITED