Chapter 12- Hinokami Kagura

The flames danced around me as I continued the dance, this feeling of nothingness, yet, total awareness of my surroundings, my hands moved for me. The clods that hung low were parted by what seemed like a heavenly tornado of fire. The demon was unable to get close, the temari balls that it launched were eaten up by the fire, "Dance Of The Fire God, Clear Blue Sky!" 

I twisted my upper body and released, resulting in a 360-degree slash of fire, hurtling itself at the demon, it dodged and retaliated, and at least a hundred Temari balls flew toward my face, "Setting Sun Transformation!", I back-flipped in the air as the Temari balls got closer and with a single slash of my blades, an arc of fire, of chaos shot through the balls, and all hundred of them lay, separated into halves, on the floor.

The demon charged, seeing that the balls were not going to faze me, I tried to breathe but the dance of the fire god was draining me too quickly, it was too unpredictable, too powerful for me to wield for too long, the claws of the demons went flying past my face as I dodged to the right, a single claw drew a straight line over my cheek, faint but it seared. 

I turned, I had to use the dance one more time but, only if I could get an opening, I had to finish this one in just one move, I had to stall until I saw the thread. "Water Breathing, third form, flow dance!" I dodged and weaved, enveloped in water as the demon continued its charge. Occasionally, as I dodged I would slash, taking chunks out of the demon. My weapons don't fit this style, looks like scythes were a bad choice! 

I turned and twisted, regulating my breathing, readying myself for that one move to end it all, but the demon would not let up, "Water-breathing, Fourth Form, Striking Tide!" I put one foot back and dodged and then charged, consecutive slashes finding themselves being blocked, but one slash found its mark, the demon's left hand was torn off, and it was slowing down, the bad news was that I was too.

I must not let it slip from my hands, "Flow dance!" I continued twisting and swirling, Inosuke had his sword through the neck of his opponent, but the demon pushed him back, his back cascading into a tree, I must focus and so should Inosuke, who was barely breathing. 

"Inosuke, regulate your breathing!" he nodded in response and I returned my focus to the task at hand, no matter how patient I was, the demon would not let up, for the past hour, we had been dodging each other, and that's when I saw it, the faintest of threads. I stopped the flow of water and let the burning rage of fire out.

"Dance Of The Fire God, Sixth Form, Solar Heat Haze!" This move hid the length and position of my scythes creating a mirror effect, an illusion that demons would fall for, it looked to the demon as if I came from the left, but I thrust both my scythes through its neck from the left and I watched as it's head rolled and disintegrated along with its body. Youshirou had run out and collected a blood sample. 

"Inosuke, hang in there!" 

I dashed forward dragging my scythes behind me, <bit like Naruto run>. 

"Hinokami Kagura, Kasha (fire wheel)!" With one slash, the demon's head was gone, but so were my scythes, they spun out of my hands and into a tree bark, and the hilts fell off, leaving the blades embedded in the tree. Tamayo-san rushed out of the building and was about to treat me when I pointed to Inosuke and told her to treat him first. 

We were moved back into the building and Tamayo-san bandaged us up and laid us to rest in futons, the last thing I remembered was a deep sleep.

When I woke up, I looked around, Inosuke lay on a hospital bed next to me, and my box was kept in the corner of the room, thankfully I checked and was relieved that Tanjiro was still there. The walls and door of the room were painted in vibrant colors, and butterflies and flowers were everywhere, but where was I? I closed the box and walked to the door but before I could reach it, the door was pushed open and a girl walked in, she was wearing a demon slayer uniform, buttoned almost up to her neck, over it she wore a haori, in the pattern of a butterfly. The pale skin on her face was adorned by two large inquisitive eyes, and amidst even this much of an awkward situation, I was wearing absolutely nothing except for boxers, she smiled as if forced. 

"Hello, Renjiro-kun, My name is Kochou Shinobu, the insect pillar, nice to meet you!"

<Aha, we have met Waifu #1, but I like keeping you guys waiting so don't expect anything or am too perverted? And will just make short of it? We'll see! Haha!">