"Also, I'd prefer it if you called me Rengoku instead."
But why? Kyoujurou seemed fine to her. She had called him by that a moment ago without much thought, and nothing disastrous happened.
"But I'm also Rengoku," she said. "Wouldn't it be less confusing to simply call you by name?"
"Yes, but until we're closer, you should call me Rengoku."
She stared on, unrelenting. Moving an inch to the right, she could almost feel the sway of his haori blowing in the wind, and the frizzle of his hair. The closeness gave her the scent of something earthy, but apprehension outweighed her intrigue as she drew back from his heat.
"Now we're closer," she said.
The vibrations of his laughter resonated within her, and she felt every crest and dip of the sound as she was right next to him. They faded just as quickly, and he said, with the ghost of a laugh,
"Physically, yes, but still no! If you were a few years my senior, then maybe you could call me by first name, but cases like that are still rare!"
Theoretically, she was much older than him. Much older than even his great great grandfather, and maybe their great grandfather as well. Her consciousness may have been dormant for those countless years, but that doesn't mean she wasn't technically alive.
She retained all her knowledge during that time sleeping, but those memories were just that—memories. No amount of sleep could make her connect the dots, or do anything with the gathered information.
If Kyoujurou asked her how lava formed land, how plains flourished, and how mountains eroded, she had an answer, but if he asked for a deeper analysis, she wouldn't know.
The question at hand now fell into the second category, the one where no answer could be deemed wrong as it was open-ended. So really, this meant any answer she gave could technically be right.
"Then I'll call you Kyoujurou-san. Would that be better?" Honorifics made it less familiar or something, right? She wondered why someone would deliberately use an honorific that distanced themselves from someone else.
"Hmmm." He brought his hand to his chin, head tilted to his left. Tilted towards her. "It doesn't really work that way, but you do have a point!"
She didn't hear him, as her attention solely focused on not combusting right then and there. Bundles of yellow hair swept into each other, acting as a vessel for the heat his neck radiated. The intensity increased as she suddenly didn't want to be close to him anymore. Satisfied with thinking, however, he straightened just before she decided to step away.
"Remember to call other people by their last name, though! And don't forget your honorifics either, or else you'll be seen as disrespectful!"
"Understood." The cutting of wind gave rise to her clothing as they fluttered behind her. The wind wasn't cold, but it was better than hot.
She made haste to leave him behind, picking up her pace, however futile that might've been. The fortune of that, though, was that they arrived much earlier than almost all the other pillars, at an estate she remembered sensing, but never seeing.
The gate guarding the entrance opened with ease, and upon entering, she spotted a clear pond. Fish danced and gathered in it, swimming around the edges, overlapping in the middle, and gently testing the water's surface.
She bent over to watch them play, but as soon as her shadow was cast, all the fish scampered away in a panic, and a mass of color dispersed.
"You have to be more careful if you wish to watch them." A taller shadow loomed over her, cast by a man at least two hundred centimeters tall. "Fish are easily scared by even something as harmless as a shadow."
"Himejima-san!" Kyoujurou greeted, "Good afternoon!"
"Good afternoon."
The rock pillar was exactly like his title said. A rock. His legs rooted firmly in the ground, hands clasped together, and although rigid, his stance stood unwavering.
Rather than facing the fish, however, he stared directly at her. Or rather, at something that seemed to be her.
"What technique are you using, child? I can't sense you."
The whites of his eyes gave it away. How curious, she thought then, because blindness wasn't a trait usually attributed to someone powerful, and the rock pillar was anything but weak.
If he couldn't see her, then sensing her must be a task near impossible. It was harder than picking out a slightly greyer rock from a path of lined stones. She wondered how he managed to even know she stood there in the first place.
"I can sense that you are well-balanced," she said, evaluating the tilt, or rather, lack thereof within him. "The energy inside you is almost completely equal." It was almost enviable, the balance he's managed to achieve.
"As for your question, the reason you have trouble sensing me is because I am the earth."
"That's bullshit."
She turned to the commenter, who wore a face full of scars. Two lines crossed at his chest while more ran horizontally across his chin and forehead. They weren't symmetrical.
"I can assure you it's not." Her commenter only scowled, sending her a sharp glare before turning away.
"Ahhh, Rengoku-san!" Braids flying behind her, tight strands of green gave way to a head of bright pink hair. The girl running towards them had a cheery voice, and eyes of bright green. She stopped just short of crashing into them, and as she came to a halt, her hair settled, revealing a rather curious scene.
Her breasts were barely covered by her clothing, and her uniform seemed to be loose. She looked down at her own chest to check, just in case.
"Kanroji! It's good to see you!" Kyoujurou looked at her, though she noticed he made an effort to stay focused on anything and everything above her chest.
"Hi there, it's nice to meet you!" She turned to greet her, and her braids flew everywhere but in her face. Though intricately woven, she wondered if her hair could be considered a hazard in battle. "You can call me Kanroji! What about you?"
"Rengoku."
Kanroji's hand flew to cover her mouth. Her eyes darted from her to Koujurou, and then back again as openly stared. Even with all that effort, her shock and frown weren't well hidden.
"I can't believe it, Rengoku-san!" she cried, addressing Kyoujirou. "You didn't invite me to the wedding!?"
Kyoujurou moved to talk, but she stepped forward first. She didn't know of this supposed wedding, but there was one thing that Kanroji got mixed up, and it involved who got married to who.
"I was the one who got married," she said.
There were three seconds of pure silence before Kanroji hesitantly spoke. "Um...what do you mean?"
"She means that she just shares my last name!" Isn't that what she just said? She nodded at Kyoujirou's explanation anyway, as he kept talking away. "She didn't have a name, so I'm lending her mine until she finds one she likes!"
"That's a little weird, don't you think?" A voice spoke from above a tree, and the speaker lounged on a thick branch casually, as though it was as comfortable as a bed. A snake curled around his neck, and neither showed signs of distress as they laid on the tree.
"Not at all! If she likes my last name, then I have no reason not to lend it to her!"
The words he chose to use made her a bit uneasy, though she was glad that he did all the explaining. If he was planning to have her return his name, however, then he was severely mistaken. She stole this name for herself, and it was already too late to part with it now.
The sliding of doors made all the pillars rush to arrange themselves in a neat row, while she kneeled facing the garden, at the end of the row scrunched in between both the pillars and their leader.
The birds sang a while before he spoke, in a voice calmer than placid waters.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Is the sun shining bright?"
Her head stayed bowed, but she sought the answer to his question. She knew the wind today was cool, but the sun remained a mystery.
"The sun is as bright as can be."
Her gaze fixed on the ground, wide eyes hidden from the pillars. "Mother—?"
"You didn't think I'd miss your trial, did you?"
Something tickled her cheeks, and she almost swore the breeze by her had a comfortable warmth. "I can't have you revealing anything I need them to overlook."
The breeze was cool, she realized then, and the warmth she'd felt was a simple illusion. Her mother came to make sure she wouldn't make a mistake, or let out a piece of information that would foil her plans.
It was logical, and it was the right course of action for anyone to take. Her expression cooled.
"For starters, don't let them know of my existence."
"Understood."
Kyoujurou spoke first, returning the greeting with a booming voice.
"We find it most honorable to be in your presence, Oyakata-sama! We eagerly pray for much happiness upon you!"
"Thank you, Kyoujurou." No honorifics. She peeked at Kyoujurou, keeping her gaze clandestine. But unlike earlier, he seemed to have no qualms about being addressed by first name.
Oyakata began speaking again, apologizing for the sudden meeting and giving more context for the pillars that weren't as much to date.
"Congratulations on your mission," he said to Kyoujurou, before speaking to her. He never turned his head towards her, but she raised her own, still bent down just in case she wasn't supposed to. "Now, to our honored guest. Would you kindly tell us what you are?"
"Be concise," her mother warned. She heeded it, and said, in one simple line,
"I am the earth."
"That's bullshit if I've ever heard of it," said the man in scars, the very same one who deemed her words a lie a moment ago.
"I have to agree." The man with the snake spoke, keeping his eyes on her, one teal and the other yellow.
Oyakata addressed neither of them nor their rebuttals, instead asking Kyoujurou once again,
"Is it true that she accurately knew my place of residence without outside interference?"
"Yes! In fact, she was the one that led me here this morning, through several shortcuts as well!"
Everyone's eyes widened, from the yellow and teal of the snake man to the lime green of Kanroji. Everyone except Kyoujurou's, that is.
Before the collective shock of everyone could gather, Oyakata turned his attention to her once more.
"If it's not too much to ask, how did you know my place of residence?"
Raising her head a little higher, she observed his black locks of hair before answering. Her mother made no comment to stop or warn her.
"I am the earth, and it is natural for me to oversee everything that exists."
"That's a fucking lie!" This time Sanemi stood fully, eyes focused solely on her. She waited for an order from either Oyakata or her mother.
Oyakata spoke calmly. "Stand down, Sanemi."
"Apologies." He bent down just as quickly as he stood, though she felt eyes pinned on her. She ignored his attempts at making eye contact.
"As for my second question, I'd would like why you chose to save Kyoujurou from Upper Moon Three."
"I was given orders to do so."
"And who issued your orders?"
"I cannot say."
He hummed lightly, tune almost identical to that of the birds. With more cooperation than she'd expected, he moved onto the next question.
"And if you do oversee everything, then you should know where Kibutsuji Muzan is, correct?"
"Say you do, but tell them the consequences of excessive interference."
"I do." This time, all the pillars, including Kyoujurou, stared at her. Oyakata didn't bulge, and looked as composed as ever. "I cannot tell you, if that is your next question, as if I do, it would disturb the flow of natural events. If not for me, you would have no knowledge of Muzan's residence, and so I would be going against fate."
"I have an objection." This time, a petite woman with a butterfly pin spoke, in a melodic voice. The smile on her face felt unnatural, and was only there out of politeness.
"With all due respect, she has the very information we need, and while I tend to avoid anything violent, I'm afraid this case would be an exception." The smile she had on her face said otherwise, and if she were honest, the butterfly pillar seemed more sadistic than she looked.
"Torture seems like a good option," the snake man hissed.
"...If that's what must be done…" Himejima's eyes had a glint below them, and droplets of water appeared to form at the ends.
"If we're going to resort to torture, we should do it flamboyantly!" She wondered how one tortured "flamboyantly". Maybe he would make her a public display. The knives chained on his back looked quite sharp and fit to draw blood. Too bad she didn't have any.
"Let's start now!" Sanemi stood again, blade at the ready.
"It's pointless," she interrupted. "I can't feel pain."
He didn't listen, choosing instead to charge at her. Judging from the position of his blade, if it landed, it would be fatal and thus not torture. She stood as well, but his movements weren't interjected by her.
Thick roots sprouted from the ground, trapping his legs up to the thighs as they tangled and wove together. He swung his blade anyway, and a slash of wind flew towards her and right into granite. Two slabs crossed each other, shape identical to his chest scar. A large scratch ruined the analogous color of the rock.
She wondered, but knew that if his slash had no wall of granite to weaken it, she would have the upper half of her torso cleanly sliced off.
"Thank you, Mother." The roots restraining Sanemi started to loosen.
"Think nothing of it."
"Sanemi." Oyakata said nothing but his name, but she could see the tremble in the holding of his blade, and the tension his legs adopted despite the loosened roots. "As for your disposition," he said, addressing her, "I also believe there exists a natural flow for events to follow, and my intuition tells me going against it would have adverse effects."
"He is an insightful man. A prominent trait of the Ubuyashiki's, of course. If only he wasn't afflicted with such a defect."
The grace of his lavender eyes was dimmed by the veins of purple running behind them, but to call it a defect seemed a bit harsh. The mixing of their shades went quite well, or so she thought.
"Now then, Kyoujurou." Oyakata clasped his hands together, and, at the mention of his name, Kyoujurou straightened. "What would you rank our guest's skill as a demon slayer?"
Kyouurou thought for a moment, before answering, "She is strong enough to join as a pillar, but if she did, she would be the weakest one!"
Oyakata smiled, a gentle one that made her more wary than assured. "Well, we need more seats filled, now don't we?"
"Hell no!"
"I object." The butterfly pillar looked at Sanemi, who, while on her side, wasn't very convincing. "Shinazugawa-san, If you will, please allow me to explain in your stead." Begrudgingly, he obeyed, and she continued. "I believe a test is needed if we are to allow her to join our ranks on such short notice. I will be happy to be the conductor of this test, if Oyakata-sama wishes."
A girl beside Oyakata moved, unsheathing a scroll she started to unravel. She began, in a gentle voice,
"September 4th, 1887. The demon sighting assigned to Higurashi Yui was mysteriously resolved when the demon slayer arrived at the town, with testimony from townspeople saying that a swordsman had been in town just a few days ago. This unknown swordsman was said to posses white hair and wore simple clothing."
September 4, 1887. It wasn't a particularly important day, but she remembered it. The demon had been picking at the town's morale as it slowly targeted unprotected houses and killed the humans inside.
Her breath wasn't refined at the time, though the demon was still relatively easy to deal with. She never surveyed her memories before, because what was the point? After a task was complete, it became obsolete, and then it was onto the next task, and then another.
But now, as the girl listed off her interference in chronological order, she remembered. The number of heads she's cut off, the number of years she spent doing nothing but training.
And then she stopped reading out loud, and with that, Oyakata began speaking.
"As you can see, she's defeated well over fifty demons, and although she was not a Kinoe, or held any rank at the time, she has also managed to defeat Lower Moon Six."
Her face hardened at this. "You are mistaken," she interrupted, earning a glare from several of the pillars beside her. "I have no memory of killing a Lower Moon."
"No one in the area had enough skill nor matched the description of eye-witnesses. You must also acknowledge that not remembering doesn't mean it didn't happen."
Someone who matched her description? She waited, but her mother stayed silent. Maybe there had been someone before her, another child Mother had. The idea of meeting this other child seemed nice, and she wondered why Mother had never told her before.
"Now then, we will need someone to train our new pillar, since I believe her skills can be improved. Is there anyone who would be willing to take her as a tsugoku?"
"I volunteer!" Her eyes met with Kyoujurou's own, as bright as ever in contrast to the flat color of her own. She wouldn't mind being trained by him, and with him around, her days were unlikely to get boring.
"I also nominate myself for the position." Himejima's shadow gave her a cool shade, but looking into his eyes, she couldn't understand why he chose to take her as a tsugoku. They had barely known each other for an hour, and the only thing curious about him was the gleam of something building in his eyes.
"Who will you choose?" Oyakata asked.
"I—"
"Choose Himejima."
Her tongue froze, and with it, she could swear that her brows twisted and furrowed. Questioning Mother was never a good thing, but she did so anyway, because she believed her opinion held some weight in the final decision.
"May I ask the reason behind your decision?"
"Are you doubting my choice?"
Ice climbed up her spine. "No—"
"I will tell you, since I am in a rather decent mood. I'm sure you've noticed, but Himejima is stronger and more skilled, and he can provide you with more effective and worthwhile training. The fire pillar, on the other hand, is eccentric and not the ideal teacher. His skills are fine, but when given a choice, it's second nature to pick the superior one.
Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Then choose."
Mother's explanation made sense. It always did, and even being given such a detailed explanation was rare and considered an honor. Even so, her mouth opened slowly, her tongue clicking before making the words.
"I choose Himejima." She didn't see Kyoujurou's expression because she looked away, though she didn't know why. Looking would be more beneficial as she could grasp his reaction and thus give a better assessment of his feelings toward her, but the ground seemed much more comfortable to look at.
"Then it is decided. You may accompany Himejima back to his estate, and how he conducts his training will be up to him. I wish you two the best of luck."
With that, the meeting was adjourned, and the pillars rose before saying their goodbyes and leaving. Himejima left quickly, leaving no time for social interaction as she followed behind.
His estate ran large and placed itself in the heart of nature, with large waterfalls framed by boulders and foliage all around. A simple dojo lied near the center of the estate, with trees lofting high above the roof. The wind passed through with ease, quiet and cool as the waterfall pounded against the rocks.
Something was missing, she realized then. Himejima must've noticed her mind wandering, since he stopped and asked,
"Is something the matter?"
She didn't feel cold because she had no muscles, no nerves, nothing. The sounds of nature should've eased her and balanced her mind, but the gentle ambiance only made her more aware of the omitted factor.
The vivid warmth was missing—a warmth she had grown used to in the short time its accompanied her.
"The heat," she answered. "It's not here anymore."
Himejima said nothing, only staring at her with blank eyes as he nodded, seemingly in understanding. He continued walking then, along the paved path to the dojo and the buildings around it.
She wasn't cold, but her arms tightened at her sides anyway, as though keeping them close would make the heat dissipate slower.