walk steady on this cruel world's path
By: Aviantei
Part Twenty-Four:
"Promoted Storm Front"
Fuck me.
Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me.
Remember that time I was like "Oh, there's no way that the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps cares about my complaints for the system, and talking about this is going to go nowhere?" Well, turns out the joke was fucking on me because not only did Oyakata-sama care about my complaints, he had even built a new mentorship program and was going to let me be in charge of reviewing it! Yes, that's right; I, your local dumbass who can't keep their mouth shut, was now the head of organizing a system to help keep alive newer Demon Slayers who didn't have the benefit of plot armor to help them out! And, on top of that, out of special consideration, I'd also been given another bullshit promotion up to Hinoe that I did not ask for whatsoever!
Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!
Three weeks into the process of sorting through the project proposals and the potential mentors, I slammed my head onto the desk at Headquarters I'd been lent for the job. It wasn't too difficult of a process—Oyakata-sama had done more than enough with setting up the project details, including all sorts of things like establishing a check-in system, outlining basic skills goals, and even creating an application system for mentors and mentees alike. All I needed to do was make sure there weren't any major loopholes, slap down some potential names to do a test-run of the system, and then get back to my normal Slayer responsibilities.
Except nooo, I had to take this shit seriously! I'd already drafted out some extra proposed teaching methods for working with the lower ranks, and Sensei had even given me his input on my thoughts. He thought my dilemma was hilarious, but he also viewed it as good practice for the day when I'd take over as successor with Zenitsu and Kaigaku, so it wasn't like I could just back down.
This program would help people. I'd just expected someone who had an actual fucking clue about how these things worked would end up in charge instead of me!
Unsticking my face from the desk's surface, I pushed aside the half-written program tweaks I'd been working on and instead thumbed through the neat little file of Demon Slayers from rank Hinoto and up who were potential mentor candidates. Headquarters kept all sorts of neat little statistics on us, such as number of completed missions, injuries sustained in the line of duty, Breathing Style mastery, and general personality traits, all of which I suspected had some magic bullshit explanation connected to our Wisteria Engraving Marks, but how we got the info was much less important than what I needed to do with it.
Aside from the couple of Hashira who'd agreed to help out (Rengoku, Kanroji, and, to my surprise, Iguro among them), Oyakata-sama had suggested starting with a small pool of twenty mentors to work out any kinks in the system. Since I was trying to be responsible, I was going to be one of them, and Shimizu said she'd be willing to help out once she was at the proper rank. A few other Hinoto and above had already been paired up with some lower-ranked Slayers in the field, but there were still a few slots left—a couple of people who'd been requested hadn't replied, a couple had outright refused, a few weren't fit for the task after a verbal assessment, and the rest was my indecisiveness.
Without interviewing candidates, it was tricky to tell who would be good at looking out for another person and helping them grow, so I needed to pick out a few more names and get the fuck on with it already. After all that, I had one more name to add to my latest list before Oyakata-sama would allow me to send out a fresh summons. Just like always, I skimmed through the Corps member data sheets, and, just like always, I stopped on a certain page.
Kaigaku – Hinoe.
In the half a year since he'd become a Demon Slayer, Kaigaku had completed mission after mission, hardly ever needing to take a break for major injuries. Sure, he'd ended up tucked away in a Wisteria House for recovery here and there, but nothing too drastic. His latest promotion was just as recent as mine, except he'd earned his in pure battle way more than I had; without favoritism, I was certain he'd already outrank me. His combat stats were overall impressive—those alone made him one of the most qualified options. But still…
I chewed on my lip, pushing aside those papers as well and pulling myself up from my chair. I'd thought myself in circles over this for hours on end and gotten fucking nowhere. I'd had a few missions in between, but all this desk work made me antsy. So I proved my sheer inability to be responsible and went out to the yard to work through drills in the hope of getting my mind under control and get on with it.
Kaigaku's skilled, yes, but can he even handle looking out for someone else? We worked okay together, but the way he was with Zenitsu is another matter. He'd need someone already competent, or he'd lose his temper—but if I have to start accounting for things like that, then he's not suitable at all, is he? And even if he were suitable, would Kaigaku want to even do something like this? Groaning, I gripped onto my sword tighter. If Sensei's training had taught me anything, it was that if I could still think straight, I wasn't working hard enough.
After about a straight hour of going through drills, I'd worked up a sweat, though the weather was starting to cool as summer was coming to an end. I stopped to pull off my haori, folding it up. When I went to put it down on the porch, though, it became apparent that I'd picked up an audience in the form of a small black-haired child that seemed somewhat familiar—oh, yeah, they were one of Oyakata-sama's kids that had been there during my Final Selection.
Their gaze was steady, and that faint smile was still present on their lips. I mean, it had been over a year since I'd seen them, so they'd gotten a bit older, but it took me a moment to make the connection thanks to their changed wardrobe, which was much simpler than the ornate purple kimono they'd worn to Final Selection. They didn't miss a beat, though, dipping their head in a bow. "Apologies for watching you without permission. My name is Ubuyashiki Kiriya. It's nice to meet you."
Not in the slightest wanting to risk having a Hashira show up and accusing me of not respecting one of Oyakata-sama's kids, I dipped into a bow. "I-it's not a problem at all. I'm Rairi, Hinoe."
"Yes, I know," Kiriya said, and I had to wonder just which circle of hell this was supposed to be. Maybe I should have just stayed in my room and forced myself to pick someone for my stupid mentor program. You know. Like a responsible person. "You seemed frustrated while you were practicing. Is something wrong?"
Just like their father, Kiriya's voice had that peaceful quality that drained the tension and apprehension out of me within seconds. "Just having a hard time making decisions, is all, Kiriya—" I paused for a moment, holding my haori to my chest. "Do you prefer '-kun' or '-chan'? Ah, wait, shit, that's disrespectful; it should be 'Kiriya-sama.'"
Not even the slightest bit perturbed by my sudden curse word, Kiriya only tilted their head. "Which one I prefer?"
Right, right, Taishō Era! After three years here, you'd think I'd remember cultural shit like that, but it still managed to slip my mind, considering most of the people I dealt with on a regular basis respected my gender without too much hassle. Lecturing Zenitsu on the topic felt like a lifetime ago. "Well, yeah, I mean, like, look at me! I mean, I'm not a girl or a boy, so I didn't want to assume for you. It's not like our bodies have anything to do with who we end up being."
"I see." Kiriya's lips shifted into a slight smile, and they looked down at their hands folded in their lap. "Since I grew up weak and sick, my parents raised me like my sisters. But, with recent events, it's become clear that I'll have to take my father's place soon, so I've been trying to prepare for that role. I've never had the room to think about which one I prefer before."
"If I may, Kiriya-sama," I said, overstepping my boundaries once again, "you don't have to figure it out right away. You're still young—" Like, young enough that I was super worried for them having to take over for Oyakata-sama soon, because what "—so you have plenty of time to figure yourself out. I know it took me a while to realize what I was comfortable with." Plus I'd had the benefit of living in a society that had words for these kinds of things, parents who encouraged me, and Jaden as an example to learn from.
"Ah." Kiriya looked up to me, the plum color of their eyes entrancing. Had Oyakata-sama's eyes been like that before the blindness overtook them, or had Kiriya inherited those from their mother? "Father was right. You have interesting ideas, Rairi." I chuckled, but it was tinged with nervousness. Why, oh, why could I never ever keep my mouth shut? "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk some more if you could spare a moment from your training."
By this point, I was getting pretty good at identifying requests that weren't optional, so I dipped my head. "If you think I'm worthy of your time, Kiriya-sama."
"I'd like it a lot. Feel free to sit down." They glanced to their side, and I took the seat on the edge of the porch, feeling very much like I shouldn't be daring to sit on the same level as them. "Before we got sidetracked, though, I was curious. You've been working on the mentorship project, yes? Is that what you're indecisive about?"
"Um, well, that's…" I was about to say nothing you need to worry about, but if this kid was going to end up serving as our leader one day (god, what a mess), there wasn't any sense in hiding things from them. "I'm having a hard time picking out people for the program, is all. There's someone that might be a good choice, but I just don't know." I gave a wry smile. "Maybe this is insensitive to say, but it's hard to make leadership decisions when you're so close to the people involved."
If I didn't know Kaigaku, would I even be hesitating? Would that be a good thing?
"You're conducting interviews to make sure candidates are suitable, right?" Kiriya asked. I nodded because, yes, I had given myself even more work than I needed to handle. "Then you'll be able to make a decision after that point. I can tell you care about this project, but you don't need to tie yourself up in knots over every part of it. Father wants it to succeed, too, so a single decision won't make or break it."
I was getting lectured on how to keep my calm by a kid who had to be less than half my age. If there was anything that proved how underqualified I was to be in charge of this kind of program, that was it right there. "Oyakata-sama does care about this, huh?"
Kiriya nodded, their lips forming a smile that finally looked like it fit their child's face. "Father says that, as the leader, it's our duty to care about the Corps members as if they're our children. He wants as many of you to survive as possible, though it's impossible to keep all of you safe. I want the same thing, too."
That little show of earnestness reminded me far too much of Zenitsu, and I just managed to stop myself from ruffling Kiriya's hair. Instead, I toyed with my haori in my lap. "I'm really glad to hear that, Kiriya-sama. Because there are people I love in the Corps, and I want to make sure they and everyone else who has someone that cares for them will be as well-equipped as possible."
"And that's why my father and I trust you with this, Rairi." Kiriya stood up, dipping their head in another bow. "Request and interview whoever you think is suitable. I'm sure you'll make the correct judgement." And like that, Kiriya took their leave, their measured gait steady as they retreated back into Headquarters. I looked down to my haori, the triangle patterns a reminder of those who did and could wear the matching design.
I bet if I offered the job to him, Kaigaku would just say he doesn't want anything to do with it. It won't hurt to just put his name down and move the fuck on already.
Within the space of the next few weeks, I received two surprising letters. The first was from Zenitsu, who wrote that he and Kaigaku had had a mission together and they'd managed to talk—oh, sure, some bickering was involved over what had happened with Michi (even if I ignored it, the Kasugai Crows did have a pretty impressive rumor mill going on), but Zenitsu stood his ground, and he'd even managed to wrangle a promise from Kaigaku to at least write to him every now and then.
Did I just hop into another dimension again? 'Cause this seems way more trippy than time traveling!
The second letter was from Kaigaku, who confirmed what Zenitsu had written about (with a lot more griping involved) and also agreed to come and talk about the mentorship program, saying that he wanted to help me out.
Am I losing my goddamn mind here? Hello?!
Again, it would have been easy if I had other people fill in the open slots and moved the fuck on—but as it was, I still had one slot left, and if I had to pick out another round of candidates, I was going to lose my mind. Pushing papers wasn't going to let me keep refining Thunder Breathing like I wanted to, and it wasn't going to let me mentor someone else, either—let alone let me put my skills to good use with slaying demons. And if Kaigaku was trying with Zenitsu, that was a good enough starting point, so he could do a trial period as a mentor, and, if it didn't go well, then we could scrap the whole thing and let Oyakata-sama handle things from here on out.
But if we're doing this—
There was a knock on my door, and I put down the book I'd borrowed from the Headquarters' library to pass the time to answer it. Kaigaku stood on the other side (even taller than me from a few months ago, ugh). "Rairi-senpai."
"Kaigaku." I gave him a smile and punched his arm. "Come on. We have a lot to talk about."
After hanging around here on and off for about a month, I could at least make my way to the training hall and back without any troubles, so that's where I took Kaigaku. He looked around the place with an appreciative glance, though his expression still had traces of confusion in it—which I didn't help in the slightest whenever I drew my sword and got into an opening stance.
"Hey, what're you—"
"Spar with me," I said, and Kaigaku's nose scrunched up in such a ridiculous reversal of our old roles that I couldn't hold back my laugh. "Come on, Kaigaku. Humor this senpai of yours with a little challenge." I bared my teeth in a grin. "Gotta make sure you're up to snuff if you're gonna look after someone else, right?"
Kaigaku scoffed and drew his sword in one fierce yet smooth motion. "You sure you wanna play that game, Rairi-senpai?"
Oh, he could look as intimidating as he wanted to; I'd started this challenge, so I was going to see it through. "No Thunder Breathing forms, no major injuries, anything else goes." Kaigaku nodded, and we both sucked in a breath at the same time. "Start!"
As expected, Kaigaku had managed to get even stronger in the past months since we'd had our team mission, but I'd been refining my own skills as well. Tanjirō was a sweetie who shared whatever Rengoku was teaching him, and Shimizu wrote about regular tips and tricks she picked up in her letters. And while I doubted that I was ever going to reach the same level of speed as Zenitsu, but I'd taken a bit of inspiration from his Shinsoku strategy and had been doing extra enhancement on my legs to score whatever agility boost I could, since that fit my style well enough.
We were close enough matched that I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the time he'd managed to get a one up on me—but no matter how much he'd grown, Kaigaku still had some of the same old weird angle in his sword style, and I managed to pick open the spot in his stance that let me get my blade by this throat, the yellow color gleaming in the sunlight from outside.
"Yield," I said, and Kaigaku lowered his blade with half a frown on his face. "Don't look so dissatisfied. You're improving as much as ever. One of these days, the fact that I'm the senpai isn't going to even matter anymore."
The faintest traces of a smile pulled on the corners of Kaigaku's lips. "So then…?"
"Yes, you're more than good enough to help me out." Sheesh, if Kaigaku would just smile instead of holding it down all the time, he'd be a little bit cute for once. I would have teased him for that—if it weren't for priorities. "But," I said, narrowing my eyes, "there are rules here.
"I won't lie, Kaigaku; I had my doubts about even asking you to do this. I know you're skilled, but you haven't shown yourself to be a good senpai, no matter how much Zenitsu looks up to you. How you treated him was wrong, and you know it. And while he's excited that you two are talking again and willing to forgive you, I'm in charge of this program, which means I'm responsible for your actions. If I hear even the slightest word that you're treating your trainee the way you've treated Zenitsu, I'll make sure you regret it."
Kaigaku scowled, bristling with his fight response despite the fact that I still had my katana at his neck. "If you were so fucking worried, why you'd even bother to ask me to help in the first place?"
"Because I know you're better than that!" The anger slipped right off of Kaigaku's face, replaced with pure surprise. I was telling the truth, though; despite everything, Kaigaku had it in him to be a better person. "Sensei chose you to be a successor, too. He wouldn't have done that without thinking you were worthy of that title, and I believe in you, too. So I know you're capable of building people up instead of just breaking them down, Kaigaku. Now—are you going to prove me right or prove me wrong?!"
I saw Kaigaku swallow, something like hesitation flickering through his eyes. "I'll prove you right." I drew in a breath. "What? Did you think I would back down from a challenge, Rairi-senpai? We're…we're going to be Sensei's successors, and I said I would help you. Of course I can handle this much."
"Glad to hear it, Kaigaku." Satisfied, I sheathed my sword again and patted his shoulders. "Then you should have no problem helping your senpai with updating these mentoring systems and dealing with all the bullshit paperwork that goes with it!"
Okay, so I wasn't petty enough to make Kaigaku help me with my paperwork problems, but I did gripe a bit about some of the issues I was having with pulling together the outlines for training plans, and he was nice enough to listen while still being enough of a little shit to look amused at my suffering. I was able to finalize my list of testing period mentors, though, and the two of us split up when I went to turn the last of things in to Headquarters' administrative staff so they could work on calling in Kaigaku's new mentee. Wrapping that stage up would mean I would have to handle maintaining this program, but that was a problem I was going to leave for future me to take care of.
I was wrapping up pleasantries with the clerk who accepted my papers whenever an all-too familiar voice called, "Rairi, my friend! I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Rengoku-san," I said, dipping my head into a bow. "I hope you've been well. Ah, it's nice to see you again, too, Kanroji-san."
Kanroji giggled, her smile sunny. "It's nice to see you again, Rairi-san. Were you here working on your mentorship program?"
I nodded. "I just finished picking out the last person for the test group, so that's a weight off my chest. Um, thank you both again. For agreeing to back this." After my talk with Kiriya, I knew that Oyakata-sama cared about this enough to push the program forward, but having Hashira support me didn't hurt matters.
"Well of course!" Rengoku said, loud enough that a few people near us winced. I'm so sorry for bringing this upon you, hardworking secretarial staff. "Based on what I've heard, you've gotten a good start, so I hope that you and everyone else can help out our lower ranks further!"
"Oh, but if you've gotten that far, Rairi-san, that's reason enough to celebrate, right?" Kanroji asked, a finger pressed to her chin. "Kyōjurō-san, why don't we invite them to come along to dinner with us tonight?"
"An excellent idea! What do you say, Rairi, my friend? Want to come along? We were already having a group dinner, so more company the better!"
Ah, yes, yet another request that doesn't feel like a request, I see. "It'd be rude of me not to spare the time to join in with all the help you've given me," I said, managing to keep my manners. "I'd be honored to join you, then, Rengoku-san, Kanroji-san." They both smiled, and I did my best to return the gesture. "Who else are we eating with, then?" If I wanted this mentorship program to grow any further, networking a bit would be a good plan, so I should know who I was dealing with so I could prepare in advance.
And so, like I should have guessed, Rengoku gave me that unrelenting smile of his and spoke without any awareness of the horror his words would cause me: "We're having dinner with some of the other Hashira, of course!"
[Author's Notes]
RIP Rairi, 2004-193?. We'll miss you.
But in all seriousness, thanks to ILikeFoxez828, gg (guest), wildman9002, Oth Man1, ocomolinaehain, Keelan1210, nmunindrakmardangi, Leviathan1914, FuwaFuwaMonstaa, Anubis eye, Tamapyon, LocomotiveClown, krausa4017, and Bluearmada for the favorites, folows, and reviews! Uh, those numbers just keep climbing, don't they? You're all fabulous. Would anyone be interested if I made a fan discord server or something?
I can't tell who's having a worst time: Rairi, who's dragged into this mess; or me, who got knocked the fuck out by being sick the last week. Well, at least I'm feeling better. Rairi...has plenty of other things they need to contend with.
But, yeah, Kiriya has those tiny enby vibes, so I wanted to explore that. Plus they're just precious, so! We'll have this floating around. Plus Kaigaku things are finally happening! I promised you there'd be a character arc, so here is more of it. Hopefully it all seems plausible within the context of the fic.
It's time for a Taishō Era Secret! While there are regular meetings throughout the year where the Hashira report to Oyakata-sama, that's not the only time they gather. Every now and then, a handful of Hashira will stop by Headquarters to report on some of their duties, and they usually plan a meal during this time. However, these gatherings rarely involve all the Hashira, since some are still out in the field to help with missions and the like. These gatherings are impromptu and tend to happen every two to three months.
Next Time: Second Interlude: Kai. Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[11.20.2021]