DISCLAIMER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA BELONGS TO KOYOHARU GOTOUGE

A/N: Now...I must confess that I have no idea regarding the future plans of UIB. Obviously past me had not think this far and through, for which I apologize for any future gaping plot holes that will stare into your soul. ...And how late this update is. I'm trying to keep it at least once a month... Hmm...

Alright, but please have fun reading fanfiction and stay safe


There was a respectable, revering silence filling the courtyard. All heads bowed. In Nezuko's case, her head was shoved unceremoniously into the ground, she had barely caught a glimpse of Oyakata Ubuyashiki.

Nezuko craned her neck. Oyakata-sama's face was young, but patient. What was startling to Nezuko, when she looked at Oyakata-sama's face, was the infection. Purple and gnarly, veining down his features. It had already made its way past his eyes, which were starkly pale, the color bleached from it.

"Good morning, everybody," Oyakata-sama said gently. "We have some wonderful weather today… I do wonder if the sky is blue."

"It is," Nezuko replied.

Oyakata-sama smiled. "Thank you, Nezuko," he said. "You are brought here to the Pillars and I's bi-annual meeting. It isn't too often that I can speak with my brave demon slayers face to face. So I am grateful to have such good weather."

Beside her, Shinazugawa Sanemi nodded politely, "We find it most honorable to be in your presence, Oyakata-sama. We eagerly pray for much happiness upon you."

As he spoke, Nezuko got a mental whiplash from Sanemi's abrupt shift of language. Who knew someone so vulgar could speak so politely?

Nezuko sure didn't-she was very impressed.

Two twin girls with short white hair helped their father down to a sit. Oyakata-sama nodded and thanked Sanemi, who continued speaking.

"Let me humbly say: there is a soldier present in today's Pillar meeting by the name of Kamado Nezuko who had brought with her a demon."

The Wind Pillar explained to his master the situation.

"Kamado claims that the demon does not harm humans, but who knows how long that will still be the case?" Sanemi's frustration leaked into his words. "What shall we do with them?"

"So it is like this. I'm sorry she had surprised you," Oyakata-sama said after listening.

"But I have already decided." He announced. "I have given my approval to Kamado Nezuko and her brother Tanjiro."

He smiled graciously. "Therefore, I'd like everyone to accept them as well."

Somewhere in the trees, a faded chorus of birds' songs could be heard, just barely.

Nezuko was dumbfounded. The Head of the Demon Slaying Corps has accepted me and Niichan, and so very easily… She thought to herself numbly.

The Pillars were as astonished as Nezuko. But they didn't share her sentiment.

"Even though it is Oyakata-sama who wishes upon this… I am reluctant to agree." the Monk shook his head, crying a steady river. He was probably very upset with this decision. Nezuko felt her heart sink.

Uzui flicked his dangling jewelry in agreement, "I also flamboyantly oppose this! I can never accept a demon slayer who associates with demons."

Mitsuri-san clasped her hands, "I will abide with all your accordances, Oyakata-sama!"

"Meh." said the long haired boy, "It's okay with me either way. I think I'm going to forget it soon."

Iguro studied Nezuko with narrowed eyes, "Don't trust them, Oyakata-sama, don't trust them. We all hate demons to begin with."

"Indeed!" the Flame Pillar agreed. "I respect you deeply, but this request I do not think I can. I completely oppose!"

"We are the demon slayers who annihilate demons," Sanemi said. "I wish to punish both Kamado and Tomioka!"

Oyakata-sama was unperturbed, as if he had expected this. Nezuko's worry didn't cease. She watched as the Master nodded to one of his daughters.

"Nichika, the letter."

"Yes." From her purple kimono, the girl Nichika pulled out a long piece of parchment. "We received this letter from the former Pillar, Urokodaki Sakonji-sama," she said. "I will read to you all a summary of it."

Urokodaki-san? Nezuko's teacher?

"'Please excuse Nezuko's ties with a demon,'' Nichika began, "...Tanjiro has a fighting spirit and retains his humanity, even as he was turned into a demon, and even when he starves, he does not eat humans. This has stayed true for more than two years, and no matter how difficult it is to believe, it is the unmistaken truth."

The girl turned to the next line.

"If for any reason Tanjiro attacks a human. Kamado Nezuko, as well as Urokodaki Sakonji and Tomioka Giyu, will slit their own stomachs open as an apology."

Nezuko gasped. Her surprise was incredibly audible in the stunned silence, she would've been embarrassed, but she's not. Why should I be embarrassed-when I have Urokodaki-san and the Water Pillar vouching for me and Niichan?

The muscles in Sanemi's neck tightened.

"What should I say if they're gonna kill themselves? If they want to die, they can just die and rot away! There is no guarantee in any of this!"

"Shinazugawa is correct," the Flame Pillar followed immediately. "If the demon ever ate and killed someone, nothing can be undone. The people who got killed will not come back."

"That is very true," agreed Oyakata-sama, not missing a beat. "They can't guarantee or prove that he won't attack people. However, you yourself cannot prove that he'll attack people either."

"I— !" Sanemi opened his mouth to argue, but then clamped it back shut. Nezuko watched him warily. He reminded her of a pot of milk on a stove, always threatening to boil over. (Even his hair is white. Hmm...)

"The truth is that Tanjiro has been living amongst humans without eating anybody for more than two years." Oyakata-sama continued, "And because of this, two people are putting their lives on their lines. To deny this, the deniers will have to present something more than what is here."

The Flame Pillar considered this for a moment. "Hmm!" he nodded.

"Another important issue,"— said Oyakata-sama—"Nezuko has come into contact with our shared enemy, Kibutsuji Muzan."

"What!"

Uzui stood so fast he knocked over Mitsuri-san. Nezuko felt someone even lift her by the collar as she was bombarded with questions.

"How did you meet Kibutsuji?"

"What did he want with you?"

"Where exactly did you meet him?"

"Did you fight him?"

"Where was he last sighted before he got away?"

Shinobu-san shook her head incredulously, "Not even us Pillars have gone in contact with Kibutsuji."

"Exactly!" agreed Uzui, "And this girl did?"

Nezuko's head was spinning. Sanemi was shaking her by the collar like he wanted to rattle the answers out of her. She was beginning to see stars.

The excitement was only calmed when Oyakata-sama, standing at the edge of the engawa, raised a finger to his lips.

Quiet.

"I'm aware that you all have many questions," said Oyakata-sama. "But for now, let us listen to what Nezuko has to say."

Nezuko blinked the stars out of her eyes. She recalled her confrontations with Kibutsuji Muzan. It wasn't hard, she had a knife with his name on it in her mind.

"I've met Kibutsuji. Twice, actually," she added.

Sanemi studied her, "Talk."

"The first time… I was at Sagiri Mountain, and Kibutsuji came to me in the form of a woman. The second time, it was in Asakusa city. He was a man that time."

"Kibutsuji said that she's watching me, when I first encountered her," Nezuko fisted the sleeves of her uniform in her palms. "I don't know what Kibutsuji wanted, but in the second encounter, Kibutsuji was a man, so he must have some shape-shifting ability. He was running a…noodle stand."

"What was it called?" the Flame Pillar inquired.

Nezuko shook her head, "It was my second mission, I was too shocked. I'm sorry. It was a small noodle stand, and it got destroyed when I tried chasing him."

"That's strange," Iguro interjected. "The demon lord progenitor ran away? Did he care for mass damage? Was he scared of you?" He glared at Nezuko, his eyes were heterochromia, green and yellow, like having a snake stare at you with it's lightless eyes. "If you are lying…"

"I'm not," Nezuko said, gathering her wits, which was really hard when she was surrounded by powerful slayers. But they were human too, they had to be. "I'm not. I managed to chase him to a place where there was a thick crowd, but when I reached him he turned another man into a demon. I was too late."

She tried to keep the regret out of her voice, someone fell into the claws of Muzan right in front of her eyes. But in the process, she met Tamayo and Yushiro-san, who were working on a cure to turn demons back to humans. "Afterwards, he sent two demons after me, I barely managed to defeat them."

Nezuko shook her head, remembering the horrid image of Susamaru choking on her own blood. Kibutsuji sowed pain wherever he went.

Evil, Nezuko thought. So evil.

Uzui crossed his arms. "That's a lot of attention he's giving you," said the Pillar. The sun tattoo over his eye turned fuschia in the shade, "Kibutsuji also said that he was watching you. That doesn't settle easy with me."

"At your master's mountain no less, what did he want from you?" Mitsuri-san wondered.

"I don't know." Nezuko said, feeling helpless. But she wasn't scared anymore, she will always face the sun and the snow is behind her.

"Kibutsuji coming after Nezuko may simply be just to close some loose ends," Oyakata-sama said, "but it seems Kibutsuji has a more personal fixation behind his motives. It is the first he has shown himself in many years, I do not wish to let go of this trail Kibutsuji has shown just yet."

The Pillars nodded solemnly in agreement.

"I believe something unexpected has happened for Kibutsuji," Oyakata-sama tilted his head with a smile."Perhaps?"

Something akin to a chill ran down Nezuko's spine. She wasn't very excited to be part of the demon lord progenitor's "personal fixations." She searched Oyakata-sama's face for any elaboration, but his smile was almost amused, as if they were sharing an inside joke.

Sanemi had veins popping over his forehead. "We can let humans live," he growled, "but demons must not. I cannot consent!"

Fast as a viper, Sanemi drew his blade against his own arm. Nezuko's face twisted in horror.

"Oyakata-sama! I will present to you, the ugliness of what we call demons!"

He held his bleeding arm over Tanjiro's box, blood splattering.

"Hey, demon—!"

Nezuko could hear Tanjiro inside.

"Time to eat!" the Pillar's teeth were baring into a crazy smile. "Sink your teeth into this!"