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𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 | 𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄

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🔥────────♪◞♡𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆♡◟♪────────🔥

▌ 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘺𝘰 ▌

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✧․ ⁺ ⊹༄🏹⁀₊➷🔥⁀₊➷🏹༄⊹ ⁺ ․✧

"𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 - 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨"
- 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯

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🔥 𝟎𝟐. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 🔥

(*ೃ༄➹ ☽ ˚ · .✩𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃, 𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘✩ ˚ · .☽ ➷*ೃ༄)

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HER HEART WAS A BURNING FLAME, BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL, BUT DESTRUCTIVE. Ever burning and roaring for the revenge she trained years for, to carry out against those demon eyes that haunted her dreams and her heart.

As the years passed on, Rika Nishiko aged gracefully into a thirteen-year-old girl whose powers grew stronger every day. How her dragon fire and flame breathing techniques grew over the years with rigorous training as her heart burned for revenge. How she barely allowed herself to indulge herself in the simple pleasures of life, how she didn't dare look at a beautiful kimono in the shops when she and Ryuuji went to the towns together, how she always picked out the plainest of foods and drinks to satisfy her hunger and her thirst and how she made herself sleep only the necessary hours, to not enjoy a sunset or a sunrise that graced the skies and made her red hair shine like a gentle burning ember.

Ryuuji Takibi watched daily how the little girl who was too shy and too timid to speak to him now blossomed into a girl who grew to trust him more, how he watched how Rika continuously cut and trimmed her unruly crimson hair to keep it short being above her shoulders. Whenever he asked her about it, she always told him that it was to not let it distract her in combat; and while he knew it was partially true another reason was that he saw how much hatred she held in eyes as she looked at her own hair.

Maybe it was because of Daichii Nishiko, maybe it was the way others have told her how her hair was a curse but he couldn't allow himself to just watch as she burned this hatred stronger in her heart every day, feeding it to grow stronger as she learned to wield the power of the dragon flame and fire while also inheriting and strengthening her other ancient dragon traits.

✧․ ⁺ ⊹༄🏹⁀₊➷🔥⁀₊➷🏹༄⊹ ⁺ ․✧

Rika never even bothered to count the amount of months, turning to years that she spent trying to strengthen her right arm and leg, as well as her eyes and her immunity system all to help herself inherit y these ancient traits passed down to every crimson dragon reincarnated, even if it was her she doubted there would be a possibility; but there was still that small chance of hope she allowed herself the luxury to hold onto. She didn't stop, she continued for years on Ryuuji Takibi's special training to show herself as the next inheritor of the crimson dragon's reincarnated soul.

Her hair was a special case to show she was, alongside the long dragon tattoo etched into her skin as she further mastered the breathing techniques of the dragon flame and fire, but still she needed to train harder.

Her right hand and leg, tied in ropes as she punched on wood covered in bandaged wrappings daily to strengthen her right hand in particular and even kick it with her right leg to get the same results. She always ignored the searing pain of the cuts that came from punching the wood or the throbbing pain of her leg of hours of kicking and exercising both body parts.

Her eyes were a different story however, her eyes had to be specially trained in being blindfolded lightly at the start to see further differences and even having mini training sessions of running through the forest to train her hearing as well and see through the blindfold of her obstacles, but over the years it grew more challenging as Ryuuji covered her eyes with stronger blindfolds for her to see through.

She believed training her immune system was the easiest part; she couldn't have been more wrong. In order to strengthen her immunity, she needed to build up her stamina and endurance. Which included with the help of Ryuuji Takibi's gentle teaching of enduring the hottest days in summer and the coldest days of winter in meditation to allow her body to grow used to the extreme weathering conditions until her body would no longer collapse from the heat or the frost would overwhelm her, it had taken her time and patience but soon the snow and the scorching heat had become second nature for her to endure. To enhance her stamina, however, contains days and weeks of swinging her sword to increase the strength of her arms, walking up the mountains and then running down before the sun had set with traps set up by Ryuuji Takibi himself to practice the strength of her dragon claw, her dragon leg and also her eyes to see the traps coming to either avoid or battle against.

Years later, the training had come to show to finally pay off. Her right hand started to grow claws much like one of a demon, but the difference was these were stronger and something she could control to grow or shrink on her own accord along with the strength, her claws could swipe through yards or trees, and Ryuuji even told her they could slice through the strongest armor and demon's skin. She would need to go into battle to see for herself.

Her right leg had also shown to grow the same strength of the dragon's foot she rightfully inherited, she could run at great speed and her reflexes improved as well and her umping abilities surpassed those of a normal human being and even demons could possibly fear as well. Her kicking power and strength could knock down even the strongest of trees and even metals could show serious dents when she was serious.

Her eyes by the time she reached the age of twelve had grown more powerful, seeing long distances very clearly even when she was blinded temporarily by objects. She was even able to see objects and people from miles when she concentrated properly, but there was a power that came with her eyes that Ryuuji warned her to not use right now. A power where her eyes could paralyze her enemies if she willed them to do so, where her opponents and victims who fell under this paralysis would fall victim to fatal hallucinations that could possibly drive them into madness and in extreme cases, including their hearts; their bodies would stop functioning, but she would become temporarily paralyzed as a result as well.

Her immunity had even strengthened, days and weeks of training barely weakened her but even the body of a thirteen-year-old had its limits, Ryuuji Takibi often had to force her to rest when she would collapse and have bad periods of being very sick from the exhaustion of training which forced her to be bedridden for days in a row, even a whole week in some cases.

Rika Nishiko however at growing closer to the age of fourteen, grew even stronger and more beautiful as the months passed. The girl with crimson hair, grabbing a kunai as she started to properly trim pieces of her scarlet locks and curls that were slowly growing longer. The snippets of hair falling gracefully around her matt as her black kimono, embroidered with red stitchings of floral patterns carefully crafted by Ryuuji Takibi, was also partially tainted with small bits of her cut hair.

After taking an hour to properly cutting her hair, Rika sat up from the matt she had seated herself on her knees for and picked it up to take it outside, little traces and strands of her hair she cut off flowing around. Stepping outside the house, she first laced the matt outside on the doorstep of the house and grabbed a broom, going to sweep the strands of hair away in the room first.

The moments within her own company were quite peaceful, if not the thoughts and plagues of hatred that burned within her heart of her cousin Daichii Nishiko. How his bloody soaked clawed hands and his frown, angry and vengeful as he slaughtered her family and those hated her as a monster. How could someone so kind and gentle like himself commit such a twisted and evil act in the end? She was too angry to search the answer; her hands grasped the sword everyday ready to sever his head and to make him pay for his sins within the depths of hell.

Ryuuji Takibi had arrived back to their home, carrying bags of vegetables and meat for their next dinners as well as Rika's favorite dessert of tricolored dango. The mentor walked slowly through the early summer afternoon sunshine, the heat gently warming his body as he reached the entrance, and inside Rika Nishiko was sweeping the room.

The power of the dragon eyes never left him, so it was easy for him to spot the strands of crimson red that were in short strands that laid idly before they were swept away. His friendly neutral expression was tainted with a small frown that curled on his lips.

Rika too focused on her task, didn't notice that her mentor who took her in and raised her was standing at the doorway until she turned around, her body straightened a bit before she bowed. "Master Ryuuj Takibi, welcome back home. I apologize, I created a bit of a mess here so I'm just cleaning it up", the crimson haired girl apologized, her voice clear and precise.

Ryuuji shook his head and the frown disappeared bit by bit, "Thank you for cleaning, Rika. But once you are done, I'll need you to continue your training afterwards. I need you to be ready for the final selection and to make sure you can wield your abilities properly"

Rika nodded in return, finishing quickly the area she used to cut her hair and dusting out the mat before she stepped outside with Ryuuji, her black pants and her kimono stayed on but dusted off of the hair she cut off earlier.

In the forest where Ryuuji and Rika would openly practice Rika's dragon flame and fire where Ryuuji would be able to stop it if any forest fire were to occur in a more open space where trees were cut down around them, but sparks could ignite a simple fire if she were to be reckless with her newfound powers.

As she rigorously trained herself, writing down Ryuji Takibi's words in multiple journal entries and repeating them in her lessons. To create fire and flame with her hands to embody within her sword, she took a breath to help her focus sharpen and within her hand burnt a bright orange and yellow flame she summoned several times with proper practice from her mentor and now even in the coldest winters could hold it strong for an hour.

Ryuuji nodded in approval, watching how Rika put the blade of the sword to her dragon fire and flame. "Now Rika, just breathe and know why you wield this sword and this fire. Imagine what you wish to happen next", his words, soft and encouraging but also firm and gentle for her to listen properly, Rika's mind wandered in anger and hatred. All she could see was blood, Daichii with her father and her family's blood on his face.

The kind smile that spoke gentle and encouraging praises to her, how his hands hugged and held her when she was ostracised only held wickedness in the end that deceived her. Little did she know as her anger burned, the fire and flame of the dragon's power darkened in color and grew hotter.

"Rika, stop! You're going to burn yourself if this continues!", Ryuuji called out to his protégé, noticing how she was too lost in thought to notice how the fire was burning her hand and the flame was turning the blade a black color as well.

Rika was barely present in the moment, her one hand burning with the black dragon flame and fire growing darker and her other clutching the blade, anger and rage creating a circle of flame and fire around her. If this would continue, she would burn down and destroy everything around her even in the coldest night of winter.

"Crimson Dragon Heart, Fifth Form: Pain Extraction!", Ryuuji yelled out, putting his hand on Rika's scalp with his thumb focused on her forehead as he closed his eyes tightly.

With focusing his technique, Rika had awakened from her fantasies of bloodshed and revenge, she released out a scream of agony and dropped to her knees, attempting to shelter her hands as the burns grew worse in pain. Tears streamed out of her violet colored hues and cascaded on her pale cheeks, her teeth gritting together and her breathing becoming heavier from the pain and the panic.

Ryuuji knelt to his knees in following Rika slowly, his dark purple eyes staying on his student as he took her hands into his own and closed his eyes. Rika whimpered and gritted her teeth from the pain, looking up at Ryuuji's face, his eyes closed and his expression calm and neutral as slowly the pain started to disappear from her hands and slowly the burns started to heal, to disappear.

Rika felt her breathing return to normal and the tears that poured down her cheeks, disappeared one by one and dried on her face, the pain was completely gone from her hands.

Ryuuji opened his eyes once again, seeing the burns that disappeared from Rika's hands made the former Hashira feel relief but, on his lips, stayed a frown while his eyes narrowed at his student.

"Rika, you are a powerful, diligent and prestigious student, you are a fast learner, and I could not be prouder of your progress", while the praises and compliments from him were true, his sharp tone did not change at all, "You, however, are not ready to wield the dragon fire and flame techniques fully just yet", he lowered his head, shaking it slowly before standing up from the ground.

Rika's mouth fell open in disbelief and anger, "Ryuuji-Sensei! No, I am ready! Please, I can do it again just give me another chance!", standing up, running and pleading to her former hashira sensei, he turned his head slowly and his expression stayed neutral.

"We will talk more about it at home through dinner, you will need strength for the mission I will prepare for you personally", Ryuuji stated, before he turned his head and continued walking frward.

"If I'm not ready for the dragon fire and flame, then why are you sending me on a mission?", Rika snapped, gritting her teeth as she kept walking behind him, "Am I not strong enough? Am I not good enough to go against demons? I am not a child anymore! I can wield the dragon flame and fire! I can do it! Just give me another chance!", Rika's voice echoed throughout the woods, shouting and yelling as frustration and anger boiled within her heart.

Ryuuji didn't stop walking however, he didn't even stop to turn his head back to her as he answered. "All of your questions will be answered at dinner, please do not fret yourself about your strength and capabilities for the moment and just listen to me"

Seeing how he wouldn't answer her question, this only infuriated her even more as she grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the tree while she kept her teeth gritted from saying anything too immature and childish.

✧․ ⁺ ⊹༄🏹⁀₊➷🔥⁀₊➷🏹༄⊹ ⁺ ․✧

Reaching their small but simple home, Rika and Ryuuji sat quietly in the fireplace where Ryuuji finished cutting slices of beef and also vegetables before adding them to the stew boiling in the cauldron as it laid over the fire.

Rika helped in cutting the carrots, taro, radish and potatoes while Ryuuji put the focus on boiling the white jasmine rice in the water with his powers after he finished cutting up the beef strips. Rika watched enviously at how Ryuuji's hands had not burnt with just using his powers simple and even for such long hours, while she struggled to keep the fire for hours and even putting it in her blade without her hands nearly severely burning.

Ryuuji noticed the stare with a prominent frown on her lips; he broke the silence as he poured the beef into the stew. "You do not need to be disappointed or angry in yourself, Rika, but I will tell you why you're not ready"

"Why? I trained for months, and I was doing so well, why did it want to burn me now?", she asked not only him, but also herself, looking down at the vegetables she mostly finished cutting.

"It doesn't want to burn you; you want your powers to burn your enemies rather than to use it to protect and keep your loved ones warm. The dragon flame and fire respond to your hearts and minds desires, and right now, your heart is still in pain and wants revenge which is why it creates an imbalance within you and why it burns you rather than helps you", as Ryuuji finished explaining, he lifted the pot of boiled rice off of the table and near the fireplace.

"You need to learn compassion and kindness that comes with your powers, which is why I am putting you on a mission to help you do that. I do not expect enthusiasm, but I cannot send you to the finale selection if your powers burn you more than you control it", The crimson haired man's words were firmer and stricter, looking down at a silent but angry Rika.

Rika silently gritted her teeth, frustration building within her mind and festering to her heart as she continued cutting the vegetables, her knife swiftly yet forcefully cutting them into pieces before she threw them in the pot of boiling stew.

Ryuuji stayed silent, he knew Rika was just frustrated and angry how her progress hadn't gone forward despite months of training and even doing well earlier on, now she was stuck with her abilities and her rage.

Rika sat down on the wooden mat beneath her as she watched the stew in the cauldron boil, her stomach growling softly, watching while Ryuuji stirred their meal with a wooden ladle. "This will be ready in a few minutes; you just need to be patient"

Rika inwardly groaned, rubbing her tired face with her hands. "I'll go wash up", she stood up, walking away from the room to wash her hands for dinner she was excited to eat.

Dinner was quiet between the former hashira and his student, watching as she devoured their stew mixed with rice after a long day of training, which he understood that she needed a lot of food to eat and plus she was slowly inheriting and mastering all of the dragon powers she was born with, slowly but surely. All she truly needed to do now was patient with herself and to allow her powers to learn the kindness and compassion of her heart that was buried under years of hatred and vengeance.

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The next morning that waited for Rika Nishiko and Ryuuji Takibi was a chilly early air, darkness still lingered to the skies while the sun was slowly rising, Rika was still half asleep as she walked behind her sensei who was holding a lantern through the dark morning.

"Try not to fall behind, Rika. As much as I will find and assist you if you truly need it, you must keep your senses aware when you go into unfamiliar territory", Ryuuji's voice was soft, but the crimson haired girl could still hear it clearly while she speed up her pacing to catch up to Ryuuji, rubbing her fingers over her aemthyst colored eyes to get the sleep out of them.

"Ryuuji-Sensei, where are we going so early in the morning?", Rika asked, groaning tiredly as she ran her fingers next through her short curly crimson locks.

"The earlier we leave, the better. Hopefully the sun will be down by the time we reach there", the crimson haired former hashira looked up thoughtfully, something Rika never heard in his voice was almost a painful desperation that he tried to hide away, a grief nipping away at a hope.

Rika was silent again, the hashira and the student walking through the early dark morning hours until sunrise came, with a few one-hour breaks with food and water (and even sleep for Rika in the later afternoon to get the rest she needed), continuing on their journey.

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𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓:

RIKA AND RYUUJI:

*jump out of the manga magazine cover together*

RIKA:

Ryuuji-Sensei! Where are we going? Where are we going? I wanna know! *asking like a curious little child*

RYUUJI:

*chuckles softly* Hey now, save your energy, you're going to need it for the next chapter / episode. It's going to really test your powers but you'll look really cool by the end.

RIKA:
*her eyes sparkle and there are sparkles surrounding her*

AHHH YAY! I CAN'T WAIT TO LOOK SO COOL!

RYUUJI:
*smiling sweetly while watching Rika*

Now it's time for a Taisho secret! *whispers to the camera* In my youth, they said my dragon flame and fire powers were so strong, they often asked me to cook their food and meals for them, and they even shared them. Sometimes I stopped by the other demon slayers family, and I joined them for dinner because my powers could help them cook. It was honestly quite nice

RIKA:

And it was also true that a lot of ladies swooned over you too! Sometimes you got marriage suggestions from families to marry their daughters but you said no to all of them too!

RYUUJI:

That is true, they were all very nice, but I was too focused on my work as a demon slayer, and I knew I wouldn't make a good husband so that's why I rejected them in the end. Next Chapter will come very soon, stay tuned!

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QUESTION FOR CHAPTER:

ARE YOU GUYS EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!💖

WHAT DO YOU GUYS' THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN?🩷

EXTRA NOTES ON THE CHAPTER (ANA RANTS):

YA'LL!

I AM SO SORRY THIS CAME SO FREAKING LATE!🥲

LIKE THIS FIC WAS LITERALLY UPDATED LAST YEAR ON RIKA'S BIRTHDAY!😭💀

BUT THE OTHER SEASONS AND THE INFINITY CASTLE MOVIE HAS GIVEN ME INSPIRATION SO NOW HERE I AM!💕

BYE MY LOVES, SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!💞💕💓

MWAH MWAH MWAH MWAH!💋💋💋

LEAVE A REVIEW (OF THE CHAPTER OR BOOK IN GENERAL) HERE:

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