42 Disconnection

Ali and Eira met eyes. 

Two pairs of eyes that hadn't met in over half a year, they stared at each other both shocked. Eira's heart rate rapidly rose, and her chest heaved up and down quickly, it was as if she had forgotten how to breathe. She couldn't even sense Akaza's aura due to how much focus she was putting on Ali's still, monochrome, nonchalant grey aura. Ali's aura hadn't changed at all, it was still that mysterious grey, not letting any insight into his emotions. Eira's heart throbbed with painful memories as she stood still. Petrified. 

Ali shared the same emotion of shock and fear, his heart and stomach turned as he saw the iconic blonde hair and blue eyes of his dear friend. A mixture of joy and sorrow, however, the most prominent feeling was embarrassment, he was ashamed to be seen as a lowly demon by Eira. 

"It's Eira!' Ali fought the urge to smile, he was nevertheless excited to see her. Akaza studied the three demon slayers that stood next to the flipped-over train, Akaza and Ali were sent by Muzan to find a particular flower, the Blue Spider Lily. On the way, Akaza had heard the loud crash of the train, they came out of curiosity but it looked like it was out of destiny. 

The moonlight was dim as clouds coated The three demon slayers and two demons stood silent and still. The whole world didn't dare to intrude on the silence, the wind remained motionless. A single ray of moonlight shot down as the clouds strayed from in front of the moon. 

Akaza blasted forward, the dirt on the ground launched away by the sheer force that Akaza propelled with. Akaza's entire body flexed with excitement as his fist violently swung and aimed at one person, Kaze. Akaza knew from the moment his eyes saw the three demon slayers, Kaze was the weakest out of the three. Kaze's skin crawled and his eyes went wide as time seemed to freeze for him, he could clearly see Akaza's fist getting progressively closer to his own face, yet he couldn't move a muscle due to how fast Akaza was, he was seeing his last moments in slow motion before death. His brain rang with fear and shouted to move. Akaza's smile slowly crept further up his face as he pictured the head of this weak demon slayer flying off into the distance. 

Akaza's smile immediately fell as his fist met cold steel instead of human flesh. A passionate swing from a bold red katana, Rengoku acted extremely quickly to protect Kaze. Akaza's arm felt the searing slice right in the middle of his arm. Without a second to waste, Akaza launched himself backwards again, ensuring there was distance between him and the powerful Hashira.

"How powerful. I can tell he's powerful by a glance, he must be a Hashira..." Akaza's eyes narrowed at Rengoku, the two powerful figures stared at each other. Eira's whole body shook, the clash between the two powerful auras was enough to make her wince. She redirected her eyes back to Ali, her head felt lightheaded with this combination of Ali and Akaza. 

Akaza quickly glanced over at Ali, who seemed to still be in a state of shock. Akaza slapped the back of Ali's head to wake him up.

"We're here on a mission. I'll take care of the Hashira, you take care of those two weaklings by his side and continue the search for the Blue Spider Lily." Akaza's tone was demanding yet it hid the immense excitement he held for this fight with Rengoku. Ali looked at Akaza and slowly shook his head.

"I can't do it, it's… an old friend." Ali's voice trembled, his mind was blurry, Eira's still stature, her shining sword and all the memories they held.

"I'm not asking you to kill them. Knock them out, push them, just make sure they don't interfere with me," Akaza's face lit up with a crazed smile, he started to speak to Rengoku. Ali wasn't paying attention at all to the exchange between Akaza and Rengoku. He was paying attention to those who Akaza had directed him to. Eira stood slightly behind Kaze as if he was a shield. 

"Eira… You alright?" Kaze didn't take his eyes off the two demons that stood in front of them, Kaze slowly unsheathed the green sword at his waist. Akaza and Rengoku continued their conversation, Kaze could hear the hostility between the two parties increase with every reply. Kaze's eyes strayed and he stared at the demon who stood next to Akaza. He felt a strange feeling about the demon, just as his curiosity peaked, an answer was given.

"Ali…" Eira's voice was soft. Kaze immediately looked back with a worry in his eyes. Kaze's mind connected the dots in an instant. Of course, Ali was a human who got turned into a demon and taken by Akaza, it would mean… Kaze's eyes moved back to the demon, pale blue skin, the dark crescent-shaped marks on his body tensed, his light eyes looked hostile and sharp. Kaze had realised that the demon was Ali. His grip on his sword tightened.

Just as the tension between Ali, Eira and Kaze grew, the quarrel between Akaza and Rengoku exploded as their differing perspectives on human life clashed. They both attacked each other, even if they were at least fifty metres apart, they closed in on each other in a superhuman amount of time. An Upper Moon and a Hashira, the most powerful of each race. 

Eira's mind set off in colours as Akaza and Rengoku both dashed at each other, the two extremely powerful auras bounced off one another as their intense battle began. Her mind slammed her with thousands of different emotions as the intense battle overwhelmed her with fear. Akaza and Rengoku's battle quickly escalated and they moved far away in a short amount of time. Both Akaza and Rengoku trusted their underlings to handle themselves, their battle went elsewhere.

Ali, Kaze and Eira were left there, motionless. The cloudy coat that covered the moon slowly travelled off, and the moon shone with its glory on the three souls who were caught in such a misfortune situation. Ali made the first move by taking a step towards the two.

"Stay there." Kaze pointed his emerald green sword at Ali. Kaze felt a certain guilt at this action, after all the sword originally belonged to Ali, it felt as if he was in the wrong. 

"I mean no trouble." Ali put his hands up and smiled slightly, his eyes were slowly drawn to the familiar glint of the sword as he continued to slowly progress towards them. It was his sword, his eyes lit up but he chose not to speak. He wasn't exactly the most welcome to engage in conversation, he didn't even know who this person holding his sword was. 

Kaze's lungs filled with air as he studied Ali, Kaze didn't want to harm him, not after the countless positive stories he had heard about Ali's bravery and courage. Kaze slightly lowered his sword, he still stayed cautious but allowed Ali to move forward slowly, after all, Ali was Eira's friend, and he would love to see the reunion between them.

Kaze's eyes moved toward Eira as she sluggishly stepped in front of him, her body trembling as she stood only twenty metres or so away from Ali. She was robbed of words, what should she do? A conversation replayed and replayed in her mind, just seeing Ali as a demon reminded her of a memory in her mind. 

The morning after the loss of Ali. The distinct smell of burning flowers, her shut eyes as her clasped hands as she prayed. Her tear-stained face as she coped with the loss of her friend. The shine of the bloodstained sword that was wedged deep into the ground.

"Asumi. If you see Ali. Will you kill him?" Were the words that Eira asked Asumi not even a day after the incident with Ali. Eira had asked such a confronting question to Asumi, but Eira herself was undecided. Would she kill Ali? The Ali she laughed with? The Ali she got wounds protecting? The Ali that she once so deeply had a bond with? Eira's heart thumped as she analysed Ali. Did he mean harm? He was a demon. There wasn't a single good demon.

"Get away." Eira's eyes narrowed at Ali, Eira's mind was reminded of the gruesomely disfigured nightmare form of Ali, the sandy beach and the cycle of waves that crashed on the shore. 

"Hey… Eira. It's me. Ali." Ali's face slowly lifted with a smile, he hoped his friend had just a hazy memory and didn't actually mean that. Eira's whole body tensed as his voice penetrated her ears. Eira felt Kaze's hand tap on her shoulder, the calm purple behind her and the neutral grey in front of her, she ignored Kaze and gripped tightly at her white sword hilt. 

No.

Eira's nightmare pounded at her head. 

"I'm gone Eira." The nightmare was right, this wasn't the Ali she once cared for. This wasn't the Ali she laughed with or protected. This was Lower Moon Two, a demon. In that small moment, Eira's mind turned off, she cut the thread that connected her and Ali as friends. She was a demon slayer and she was facing a demon, not a friend. Eira's eyes glared at Ali, who was still slowly walking towards them. The grey aura stayed still as if it was taunting her inability to understand it. Eira's vast confusion has burst and transformed into annoyance, the stressful situation in combination with the hyper-stimulative battle of Akaza and Rengoku, two auras that were so powerful that they didn't allow her to think properly, all these factors constantly overwhelmed her, in addition to her paranoia on the train that didn't end until a few minutes ago. She had enough, she wanted peace, she wanted to get rid of all these auras that constantly crashed at her head. 

Ice Breathing. Fourth Form. Winter's Breeze. 

Eira's sword unsheathed and her legs moved on her own accord, her eyes wide as she darted forward with her sword close to her body. As she dashed forward, she felt Kaze's hand try to grab her. The air rushed into her face as her body travelled just inches away from Ali's. Eira's speed was extremely honed, Ali only noticed her when they were face to face. 

Her eyes met Ali's, the eyes she once considered kind, now she just considered them as strangers. Her heart screamed as she swung her sword towards Ali's exposed neck. Her eyes grew wide, her goal was outlined in front of her. Kill the demon. Just as she felt confident in her swing, an image of Ali smiling flashed in her mind. It hindered her motivation, however, she only slightly slowed down.

Ali lurched his body backwards to avoid the fatal slice, he struggled to maintain his balance as he fumbled backwards, mostly due to the unexpected attack from Eira. Ali was now alert, it was too close, his fists clenched and his body tense as he stared at Eira, they were still relatively close, close enough for Eira to swing and finish him. Her eyes glared as she regained her composure.

"Eira… What are you doing?" Ali asked with a certain worry to his voice, his posture was much more alert now, his legs tensed ready to evade attacks, his fists clenched if the worst situation played out. Ali's body was ready to fight, even if he didn't want to. The tip of Eira's sword touched the barren soil that they both stood on.

"My job." Eira replied in a tone almost cold and distant, Ali's stomach turned as Eira swung again at his left shoulder. Ali swiftly turned his body and progressively stepped back. Eira felt the purple aura of Kaze promptly making distance towards her, she needed to finish this briefly. She could imagine what Kaze would say. Her mind pictured the scene. 

"He's going to come and say, "He's your friend! Even if he's a demon!" Nonsense. Ali is gone." Eira's mind spoke as her sword rapidly flailed at Ali, her body leaned forward and she clenched her jaw as she ruthlessly swung her sword in all directions in an attempt to eliminate Ali. The swings were quick, precise, and relentless, Ali barely had time to react, he was forced to continue to evade by swiftly moving backwards, which prompted Eira to move forward towards him. 

"Eira, listen to me!" Ali grew more and more frustrated as Eira's cold eyes continued to stare at him as if this was the first time they met, "Why are you doing this?! We're friends!" 

Kaze sprinted as fast as he could, Eira was purposely continuing to move Ali away to buy time. Kaze gritted his teeth and threw the emerald green sword to the ground, it was extra weight. He was unsure in which side he wanted to support, he knew what Eira was doing was rightful and technically correct, but he didn't support Eira a single bit, she hadn't even listened to Ali. Weren't they friends? 

Eira felt a slight build up of moisture in her eyes, her eyes teared up as she relentlessly swung her sword at her former friend, the demon that stood before her and held Ali's face.

"Listen to me!" Ali's patience broke and he stomped his foot down, his reflexes weren't quick enough to completely counter Eira. Her sword sliced right through his chest, then his left bicep before he even lifted his arm. Ali's fist slammed into Eira's blade and her sword flew out of her grip. Her form was broken and she was left vulnerable. Ali's fist clenched and his eyes flashed with anger, his right arm flexed as he twisted his body to the right and swung his fist at Eira's face. Her mind filled with dread as she saw the light blue tint of her sword travel far away from her. She was hopeless, she was completely distraught from Ali's attack. 

Ali's fist didn't stop in the slightest.