Chapter 14: The Pillar Meeting
Notes: The Pillar meeting happens a few days after Natagumo mountain, for the sake of Tanjirou's recovery and the story's continuity. Sanemi has a potty mouth. Part 2 of the Rehabilitation Training Arc.
The Pillar meeting happened the next day.
Tanjirou was seated beside Shinobu who, as his physician, wanted to keep a close eye on his condition.
He greeted the other Pillars, as he slowly sat down, Rengoku-san, Kanroji-san and Uzui-san being the more openly enthusiastic and vocal in their replies.
And then, they waited patiently.
Tanjirou followed at some point Tokitou-kun's example and watched the clouds as he waited.
"The master is here." Hinaki-chan announced.
Tanjirou snapped to attention, as Oyakata-sama walked slowly towards them, Nichika-chan sitting across from her sister.
"Good morning and welcome, my dear children." he greeted them with a kind, soft smile, "It feels like a beautiful day. The sky is blue, right? It pleases me to no end to have our semi-annual Pillar meeting with no changes."
Everyone bowed their heads. Tanjirou waved, before he himself bowed his head.
"Tanjirou-san waved." Nichika-chan supplied.
"It's good to see you again, Tanjirou-kun."
"It's good to see you, too, Oyakata-sama, and in good health. You're in better condition than I am at the moment."
"Thank you, Tanjirou-kun." he smiled at him, as he sat down, "Now, the first part of our meeting was about something you had to report, Tanjirou-kun?"
"Yes, Oyakata-sama." he nodded, "Muzan was in Asakusa."
The Pillars were in uproar.
"What?"
"No way!"
"None of the Pillars has met him…yet the pipsqueak did?!" Shinazugawa-san exclaimed.
The others turned towards him.
"What did he look like? What abilities did he have? Where is he?"
"Did you fight him?"
"Did you find his lair?"
"What was Kibutsuji doing?"
"Answer me!"
"No! I asked him first!"
Tanjirou hid behind Shinobu, who along with Tomioka-san, wasn't crowding him, demanding answers.
Oyakata-sama raised his finger, an amused smile on his lips.
Tanjirou eyed the man.
"Most of your kids are unruly." he pouted.
"I haven't seen them this excited in a while. Forgive me." he smiled, "Please, proceed."
"Right. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, with short, curly, black hair, and wine red eyes. As for abilities, I know only that he is super fast. By scent I can tell he is insanely strong, but I didn't fight him, nor did I find his lair, though I'd assume it might be close to Asakusa, because not too long after we crossed paths, he sent two demons after me." he paused, "There is something else I need to inform you of, regarding Muzan; he was pretending to be human. With a wife and daughter."
There was a shocked silence that followed that statement.
"I see." Oyakata-sama nodded his head, "Anything else?"
"I went in Asakusa on rumors of a demon in hiding. There were…well, three before the ambush, six during it." he continued, with Tamayo-san's permission to explain the events in Asakusa as they happened, including her and Yushirou's role in it.
"That makes no sense, pipsqueak." Shinazugawa-san growled.
"There were two demons in hiding, and the ones the missive was probably about. Tamayo-san and Yushirou are…not what I had expected."
"How do you mean?"
"She is a doctor and he is her aide." he said, "After Muzan turned an innocent man into a demon to escape, she offered to help me."
"What if she was lying? Huh? You thought about that?"
"My nose would have caught a scent of deception from her. It never did. And besides, she helped me when Muzan sent two demons after me. They seemed to hold some resentment towards her as well. Called her 'runaway'. After the fight, their home was wrecked and due to their closeness to Muzan, they needed to leave."
"And where are they now?" Uzui-san asked.
"At my house." Tanjirou replied after a moment, glancing at Shinobu.
She nodded once, and subtly reached for his hand.
"The fuck do you think you're doing?!" Shinazugawa-san exploded, "Why don't we offer ourselves as dinner then?!" he shouted, "Oyakata-sama! I request permission to go to the Kamado Residence and kill those two demons!"
"You are not killing my guests!" Tanjirou spoke up.
"And wait for them to eat your family?"
"Tamayo-san knows Muzan better than we do." Tanjirou countered, frowning, "And she harbors great hatred for him. If she is willing to help us, why not trust her a little?"
"Oi, pipsqueak. You are not a Pillar just yet. Mizunoto should stay out of it."
"Um, actually I am Mizunoe…now?" Tanjirou said.
"Oyakata-sama. On the matter of the two demons Tanjirou-san is harboring." Rengoku-san spoke up, bringing the focus back on the matter at hand, "I, too, am conflicted."
"Kochou's weird ass ideas muddled the pipsqueak's mind." Shinazugawa-san spat out.
In the blink of an eye, Tanjirou had appeared before him and headbutted him.
"Never, ever, talk like that about Kanae-san or Shinobu-san in front of me." he said with a deep frown.
"Tanjirou-kun, it's fine. We all know Sanemi-san can be a brute." Shinobu-san smiled.
"Tanjirou-kun." Oyakata-sama called, "I understand your indignation, but please refrain from knocking unconscious your fellow Slayers."
Tanjirou blushed.
"I apologise, Oyakata-sama." he bowed, "In my defense, though, Inosuke wasn't going to listen to me otherwise and Shinazugawa-san just insulted my friend and her sister."
"If you can refrain from doing that again, I will accept your apology."
Tanjirou drew in a deep breath.
"I will." he promised.
"Now. Would Tamayo-san want to talk with us?"
"I think she wouldn't mind much. Yushirou will probably be a bit rude. He's very protective of her, you see. Though if all the Pillars were to visit would probably be a tad bit intimidating."
"How about it was just the three of us, then?"
"The three of us?" Tanjirou blinked.
"You, Shinobu and me." Oyakata-sama said with a smile, "Since they know and trust you, you'd ease their worries. I am not physically able to hold a sword, much more to raise and use it and Shinobu-san is the one who should meet Tamayo-san anyway."
"Whenever you are ready, Oyakata-sama." Tanjirou bowed.
"Would it be acceptable to go this evening?"
"Of course."
"Very well, then. I'll meet you later today."
They all bowed and then someone came and picked up Tanjirou, seeing as he wasn't up to walking himself back to the Butterfly Estate.
"Thank you." he said to the Kakushi, "Sorry for bothering you."
The man who was carrying him glanced at the boy on his back.
"It's fine. You're light."
Tanjirou chuckled.
"That would be Shinobu-san. Or Tokitou-kun. Or one of my three youngest siblings. Or Kiyo, Naho and Sumi. We both know I am not really light."
"You are light to the heart." the Kakushi said.
Tanjirou lightly squeezed the man.
"I know we are not allowed to know who you are, but you are my favorite. I can tell you apart by smell." Tanjirou said, "I hope we can one day meet without the need of the mask. You smell like a kind person."
Tanjirou was so tired, that he slept until it was time to go.