sticksandbones IC Inbox

[bluebasketballed]

powers nerfed & gained
❆ - superhuman strength: nerfed to the point he couldn't destroy, like, a building in one hit, but even hakuji as a human could punch people's bones apart so good luck!
❆ - self healing: nerfed from instant to delayed 5-10 minutes.
❆ + conditional sunlight immunity: an enchanted anklet that nullifies the harmful effects of sunlight and sun-based magic so long as he is wearing it.

deaths & resurrection prices
none..... YET

other permanent changes
❆ scarring - november 2025: a solid scar the width of his fist at the crux of his ribcage and at the same height on his back, implying impalement. any sensation to this scar, including pain, is shared with kyojuro.


weasel's note: akaza's handwriting is the very sad and choppy scrawl of a man who barely knows how to write. the netbook is just polite enough to make it legible. i just type it in all lowercase bc i'm too lazy to pick out the spelling/handwriting mistakes. thank u for your understanding. i'm having fun now thx

he lives at the inn, the room next to kyojuro's. his window is boarded up from the inside. it is very dark in there. mentitycave

he lives at the soryu dojo south of the river, in koyuki's old room. he offers unarmed self-defense training at the dojo.


plotting contact: PM // discord @ fuckweasel

Comments

[bluebasketballed]

[... it's harmless enough, he decides.]

Yes.

[haha kyojuro will have to pry more if he wants more than that.

his free hand shuffles around the box, feeling the knitting needles, the yarns. it is a surprise after all, and one akaza decides he doesn't immediately hate.]

I've never tried needlecrafts before. That will make it more interesting. Thank you.

[he keeps a level tone, casual, not making a big deal of using those words outright. then he fishes past the cardboard insert, fingers landing on the butcher paper. his brows furrow, his throat tightening as he glances back up at kyojuro.]

What is this? [he already knows. given the packaging, and the scent that permeates even the seal around it, he knows.]

[tempurahair]

[Interesting! Unfortunately, it doesn't leave him a lot of room to snatch another feather, so to speak, so he backs off. Instead, he finds himself puffing out his chest in the slightest. Look at him! He did well! Akaza seems pleased enough!]

If nothing else, you can knit yourself a sweater! And, what was it you said? Cover those up?

[It's a shame, of course, that things cannot remain so lighthearted. He can tell there's conflict here, and so even before Akaza asks him anything, Kyojuro's mouth is opening to speak.]

It is ethically sourced, just as you asked for. The shopkeeper here... He seemed to imply you were not the first person to have more... dangerous cravings.

[bluebasketballed]

[gods, any other moment, and he would have laughed almost as obnoxiously as kyojuro. as it is, he still looks largely uncomfortable.

he can't deny wanting it. being tempted by it, even now, when he's fed very recently in the grand scheme of things. but the very human part of him is sickened by the idea, by the countless memories of it.]

... So it's just... available. Just like that? Any time I ask?

[tempurahair]

Apparently so.

[Gone is the jovial note within his tone, but it is not replaced by anything harsh or threatening. One's heart and mind could change all they liked, but it ultimately would have no bearing on their physical being. Akaza was still a demon, and a demon needed to consume. If he didn't, the consequences would be far greater than either of them would be able to stomach.]

I do not know what sort of war you are fighting with yourself, Akaza. Nor will I assume it is my right to know. What you choose to do — and share — is solely up to you. My only duty, as your ally, is to provide you with the same courtesies you have me.

[bluebasketballed]

[his fingers tighten around the box, easily warping its shape. he has the wherewithal not to crush the gifts kyojuro got him, at least at the moment, but just barely.]

Courtesies? What courtesies have I given you but a mortal wound? [the way kyojuro just... addresses, out in the open, that he sees akaza struggling feels simultaneously like instant relief and being raked over coals. akaza doesn't deserve his, of all people's, understanding or compassion.] What courtesies besides mocking you for valuing all those human lives enough to die for them? And now you -- offer me this, all but wrapped up in a bow.

[tempurahair]

[Perhaps he should have expected this response. Despite their growing companionship, the tension brewing within Akaza was not lost on the slayer. The regrets he mentioned were, undoubtedly, in direct opposition to what he was. Akaza was all gunpowder, barreled up and one spark away from exploding.

No, Kyojuro definitely should have seen this coming.]

Do you want the list, Akaza?

[It's posed as a question, but Kyojuro doesn't give him the chance to answer. His voice rises in volume, lined with both passion and familiarity. He knows this war all too well. The skin might be different, but the heart of the matter was being born for something he no longer wanted to be.]

You have seen my wounds first hand, and rather than condemn me for my failings, you have sought to offer comfort. You have detected my shortcomings and rather than taken advantage, chosen to drive me forward. And, more than anything, you have seen my weakness and offered your strength in its stead.

I was born to protect. I have sworn it since my youth. And the moment I was not able to fulfill that oath, you stepped in. What could be more courteous than that, Akaza?

[He nods to the package within Akaza's hands.]

As for my offer. I know full well the gravity of it. I know what it implies.

[He trusts the shopkeepers here, because everyone does. But even he knows that this has to have come from somewhere. To encourage Akaza's consumption crosses a line. He can only hope the master will forgive him, will see the options laid out before Kyojuro and know he did his best.

Just as he always did.]

I do it because I value those human lives. Because we know what will happen if we do not find a way to stave off your hunger.

Your regrets have changed you, Akaza. I can feel that much from your presence. You are no longer the demon that I loathed, but a man I feel I can begin to respect. But right now, that sentiment does nothing against the form you were given. That is our reality. That is what we both must accept.

[bluebasketballed]

[gods, why did kyojuro have to do this during the day? akaza feels his eyes sting, and all it does is infuriate him. if he could just go out, find a secluded spot where he could just hit the trees and the ground until he didn't feel so much anymore... if he could scream in this man's face how ridiculous he sounds, how wrong he is. but kyojuro doesn't deserve that. not from him.

for a time, he glares down at this box -- this absurd, insightful, thoughtful gift from a human to a demon. his muscles and his jaw tense ever tighter. for all his incessant talk, he has no idea what to say here that isn't cruel.

eventually, he knows, he has to say something. but he can't look kyojuro in the eyes when he does, and it's all he can do to keep his voice down.]

I will never be worthy of your respect. I don't... [his shoulders slacken. hah. his strength? he's never felt more pitiful.]

I don't want you to change for me. [the man who nobly stood up against him beside the train tracks would never, in a thousand years, have offered him human flesh. even worse than killing him, akaza has made kyojuro betray the very core of his values.]

[tempurahair]

["I will never be worthy of your respect," he says, and Kyojuro almost wants to laugh. Only a week ago, he might have been inclined to agree. But from the very moment they met, the instant in which he realized Akaza had been ready to step into the sunlight, something had shifted. Demon or no, he's never been one to beat someone when they were down. Even now, given those loose shoulders, clenching jaw, worrying fingers, Kyojuro cannot seem to locate the creature he was once supposed to kill.

He remembers, so very vividly, the way Akaza had never once looked away from Kyojuro during their fight. Unblinking. Unflinching. Unrelenting. It's a far cry from the man that stands before him. He seems small. Young. Vulnerable.

It makes his heart ache.]

The master of the corps is a very wise, kind man. He was the sort of man that could look at any of our flawed histories and still deem us worthy of his time. Not only that, but it was he who recognized that even our code, to slay all demons, without deviation, was flawed. [Akaza isn't looking, so surely he won't be able to push away as Kyojuru reaches up and lays his hand atop his companion's head.] I know in my heart that my master would surely find you worthy of his respect. And if my master would, then I know I am right to do the same.

[His hand falls, arms folding over his chest.]

But I will not defy your own wishes. This will be the last that I bring you. Whether you choose to seek out more from the source we have identified is up to you. Perhaps, though, you might consider speaking to them directly about where it comes from? I have witnessed the sort of magic they wield, Akaza. [He remembers the sword at his hip and very nearly pulls it out to show it off. Only at the last second does he realize that it might be a dangerous move, considering the nature of their conversation. Instead, he simply concludes:]

Perhaps you may find yourself surprised.

[bluebasketballed]

[all akaza had ever heard of ubuyashiki was the brunt of muzan's vast ire. he's known of at least a dozen in his time as a demon, and it seemed that each one was even more loathsome than the last. even so, kagaya had a special place in that man's black heart.

the rest of the tension in his body eases, his grip on the box evolving into more of a cradle. he finds himself wishing he could have met the corps' leader. would he have been like...]

... Then your master was far kinder than mine.

[he doesn't so much as flinch when kyojuro reaches for his hip, even though he stops himself. akaza, for as little sense as it makes, trusts kyojuro.]

You should come inside.

[tempurahair]

[It should make Kyojuro think twice, stepping into Akaza's room. Even from the hall, he can see that it's boarded up and dark. It is the den of a demon, one that he would have no chance of escaping, should Akaza finally think to break with his self-control. By the time he thought to get a single shout for help out, he would be dead. Not that anyone could do a damn thing against the demon.

But none of these thoughts cross his mind. He nods, stepping toward Akaza and the open door. There is no fear in his steps, no doubt. If anything, the last few moments have strengthened his confidence. He can trust Akaza at his word.]

[bluebasketballed]

[there's no ulterior motive, of course -- not to devour kyojuro, anyway. akaza walks silently over to the dresser.]

You should sit.

[the bed is bare, but at the very least, the mattress is a comfortable place to sit.

once akaza's hands are empty once more, he turns around to face kyojuro with... obvious enough pity on his face.]

I'm sorry to tell you that your master is dead.

[tempurahair]

[As Kyojuro approaches the bed, he finds himself expecting an entirely different conversation to play out. Given how they had tread upon topics clearly close to those tender secrets Akaza held, the demon slayer cannot help but wonder, in the back of his mind, if this will be his own story.

He waits expectantly, ready to try and understand the demon that has plagued him for so long —

Only to find himself winded by those words.

The Master's death is not entirely surprising, not on its own. He made no attempts to obscure how ill he was, and that had only grown worse over the years. Every Hashira knew that each second with him was precious, and clung to his words. It was no secret that the man had deeply influenced each of them. Kyojuro, for example, would not have become a Hashira if not for the opportunity that had been given to him. Naturally, he cannot help but mourn, laying his hand over his chest and bowing his head as the news washes over him.

It's only after a few seconds of silence that Kyojuro lifts his head. There is a faint sheen in his eyes, but it does not diminish the determination there.]

Tell me what happened.

[For Akaza to know of the master's death meant that the demons had to be involved somehow. It is a dangerous, perhaps terrifying, thought to have. If nothing else, he owed it to the master to honor the man's death, just as he was certain that the master had honored his own.]

[bluebasketballed]

[it's plain to see just how influential ubuyashiki was, how much he meant to the slayers, based on kyojuro's reaction alone. the grief is enough to silence kyojuro for a time. akaza can't help but recall the times he received such devastating news.]

I wasn't there, and only saw bits and pieces. That man found him -- or rather, he allowed that man to find him. There was an explosion, and some sort of drug meant to erase his power. It was after that that the rest of your corps was spirited into his stronghold.

That man is somewhat weak right now because of it. If they ever had a chance to defeat him, it would be tonight, because of your master.

[hopefully that news alone will be some consolation to kyojuro. at least his beloved master had a say in his own passing; at least he did not die for nothing.]

[tempurahair]

[Kyojuro does not make an attempt to hide the emotion that wells up. A few stray tears manage to streak down his cheeks. Kagaya had been a father to so many. That influence had not been lost on Kyojuro either — that kind and gentle voice a balm when his father's own words felt like glass. Yet even still, he finds it within himself to smile. He can all but see the master's plan scrawled upon the page. He understands, more or less, what happened that night.]

I am told he often lamented his physical weakness, for it meant he was sending we corps members to our deaths without ever daring to do the same. It is why he memorized our names, every name of every slayer who lost their lives for the sake of this cause.

[His hand lifts, brushing away a single tear as it settles against his jaw.]

We will win against Muzan Kibutsuji. I know this, now more than ever.

[bluebasketballed]

[as much as things change, they remain the same. though he maintained eye contact to pass on such news, akaza glances away as soon as tears begin to fall on kyojuro's face. he understands -- gods, does he understand -- but he still has no idea how to react.

hell... how many of those names had been committed to both akaza's memory and ubuyashiki's? at least one that he's certain of.]

I wish I could have aided them. [it feels bizarre to say out loud, despite his wanting to kill douma and kokushibo for so long.] But if I hadn't let go, he would have erased me, anyway. [or worse, forced his hand.]

[tempurahair]

[It's such an outlandish thought that Kyojuro can't help but laugh. it's far from a cruel sound, more amused than anything. He tries to envision it, Akaza striking out against Muzan Kibutsuji. Barring how impossible it was given the curse laid within the demon's own blood, he admits it makes for a good mental image.]

It would have been a much different fight, I think! [But his voice softens just as quick as the enthusiasm came on.] It seems, though, you were able to claim the end you wanted. There is little more that can be asked for.

[Once more, he feels the itch to ask about what happened, what changed. Perhaps Akaza will even notice the way his lips part around the question, but push close once once more.]

Fear not, though! You will have a chance to fight alongside a demon slayer before long! [He thumps his chest with his palm.]

[bluebasketballed]

[the end he wanted... or so he thought. akaza knew full well he was hellbound, but this place is a torture he could never have dreamed up. right now, he thinks he could actually talk about it... but it feels disrespectful to take the conversation away from mourning those who deserve it.]

I will. Not exactly how I pictured growing stronger together, but I think I prefer this.

[tempurahair]

[His brows lift in gentle amusement, smile warm despite the nature of their conversation. It would take a hell of a lot more to extinguish that flame, as Akaza had no doubt learned.]

I'm sure you know how I feel on the matter. Regardless, I am happy we have wound up here. [And while he'd clamped down much of his curiosity, something manages to make its way through. A share for a share, in a way, just as Kyojuro had reasoned previously.] I suppose we both can thank young Kamado, for the changes he managed to awaken us. I would not be nearly so amenable to the possibility, if not for him.

[Kyojuro holds his hand out for Akaza to take.]

Together.

[bluebasketballed]

[it's difficult to imagine a less than perfect kyojuro -- how he could be improved upon. not so long ago, akaza would have easily found flaws, but through the eyes of a demon. as far as humans go, he's very near the ideal.

even so, he agrees, enough to gratefully clasp that calloused but pliant human hand in his.]

He's a remarkable person. [since kyojuro nudged him in the right direction, it feels alright to say. and akaza, incredibly, speaks with open admiration.] When he struck me down, in flawless form the likes of which I've never seen, he did so with no hatred. I wouldn't have thought it possible.

[tempurahair]

[The grip that takes hold of Akaza's hand is firm, a reminder of Kyojuro's own strength. It is not a threat, however, but a promise. He will get stronger, though not to defeat Akaza. He will get stronger because he wants to — to stand by his side and protect those within this village together.

Determination makes his heart beat all the stronger. Or at least that's what he thinks it is.]

I knew from the moment I met him, he would be incredible. His sword may not have changed color, but he possessed a strength of will that was unlike any other. [When he laughs, it's almost wry sounding.] To think I thought I would have anything to teach him. No, Kamado was more than capable of finding his strength on his own.

[And without any hatred... Kyojuro can only shake his head in sheer amazement.]

It must have been a sight to behold.

[bluebasketballed]

[even in his current state, far from his best, kyojuro's power, physical and mental, shines through. he doesn't shy away from touching akaza, and doesn't think to hold back when he does. no, this isn't what the demon pictured all that time ago. it's far better.]

Don't doubt yourself. It was clear to me that he held you in the highest regard.

[akaza closes his eyes and winces as if in pain. then his face eases, and for a moment, he appears almost peaceful.]

You protected the younger generation so that they could surpass the previous, and in turn, protect the rest of humanity.

[his hand squeezes kyojuro's firmly before he releases it and looks up at him again.]

He was magnificent.

[tempurahair]

[It is all he could ever want. Despite his weakness, his doubt — despite the words of his own father — Kyojuro had left his mark. Even if he was not there in those final moments, he could still feel a sense of pride. His words had, apparently, struck true. Tanjiro had set his heart ablaze, and the world would be changed as a result.]

Thank you. For telling me that.

[The absence of Akaza's hand feels... almost like a loss. He glances down at where their fingers had only just been connected, briefly curious about the thought, before tucking it away like everything else. He settles back down once more, arms carefully wrapped about his chest.]

Whatever happened in those final moments, I am glad his kindness was able to reach you. Even if I am having to eat my words, in the end. [Kyojuro Rengoku doesn't smirk by nature, but gods does he come close in that moment.] I think I quite like you, you see.

[bluebasketballed]

[oh, that look on his face is priceless. akaza laughs, and the sound of it is distinctly human.

it may be a bit forward of him to take his own seat on the bed, but akaza has never been one to understand personal space. to be fair, he isn't right next to kyojuro, but around the corner of the bed. in arm's reach, but not overly friendly.]

I won't claim to understand why [dude he literally just explained to you why like 20 minutes ago] but even so, I'm glad to make the cut.

You were right, you know, beside the train. Strength is not only physical. I didn't understand it then, but I've come to quite appreciate that strength of character that you and Tanjiro both share. Maybe as you nurse and then retrain your body, I can do the same for my spirit.

[tempurahair]

[Akaza moves, and Kyojuro's posture adjusts accordingly. It's a gesture without a thought behind it, no different than a planet orbiting a sun. The rigidity of a Hashira swiftly melts away, becoming all loose limbs and casual posture. Never mind the loose, if slightly amused, grin that he offers Akaza.]

Would you like for me to repeat my speech earlier? I admit, I spoke from the heart, so I may not remember all of the words.

[Amusement bleeds into something more thoughtful. A hum escapes Kyojuro. The mere concept warms him in a way he doesn't dare to consider, much less name.]

Seems we have much to teach one another then. Though I admit, your task is a much more difficult one! Finding something to fight for to the last breath is a difficult task. [He lifts a brow.] Shall we make it a challenge, then? The first to reach their destination is the winner!

[bluebasketballed]

That won't be necessary.

[the way it made his eyes sting isn't something akaza wants to repeat, even if the words themselves were kind. he isn't ready for that kind of vulnerability.]

That doesn't seem very fair to you. You have a strict timeline that will last a while, and I could make up a reason on the spot just to win immediately!