Giyuu wasn't quite sure what to think of the new kids. (Although, could he really call Kanroji a 'kid' when she was only two years younger than him?) The sheer exuberance coming from either one of them alone, let alone together, baffled him.
Mitsuri Kanroji had arrived first in the most revealing demon slayer uniform he'd ever seen. Why would anyone fight in something like that? She had almost no protection! And did she dye her hair like that or was it natural? Could a hair color like that be natural?! He decided not to comment on it. It really wasn't his place and with his half-and-half Haori, he didn't really have any room to judge now that he thought about it.
She tended to be loud and forward and innocent but hungry all the time, and if he didn't see the way she unconsciously walked, ready to move at a moment's notice (and slightly clumsier for it, as it seemed to be natural and not conscious at all), he'd wonder if she was really the kinoe bordering on Hashira that Oyakata-sama had spoken of.
Just being around her made Giyuu want to curl up and go to sleep. She was… exhausting… but also kind of endearing. And if she could prove her skill, he wouldn't say anything. He could respect skill.
Then they met Kamado Tanjiro the day before the attack would take place. Yet another person with an unusual hair color (although, to be fair, nothing compared to Kanroji's) and eye color who came running up to them with the largest smile imaginable on a red (sunburned?) face. He wore a green and black checkered Haori and held a straw hat in his hand (why he hadn't been wearing it when the sun had been out all week, he didn't know).
It may not have been so bad if Kamado hadn't also been fourteen.
Fourteen.
To his knowledge, the record for the youngest Pillar was Kocho Shinobu, who had become a Hashira at sixteen, two years after her sister's death. Giyuu himself had been seventeen (although he didn't count, as he was just a placeholder until a better water Pillar came along). Kanroji was currently eighteen – a respectable age to become a Pillar, but this fourteen-year-old child?
And his eyes… they didn't look like the eyes of someone who had killed enough demons to reach kinoe. They were just… kind. He'd never seen eyes like that before. It probably didn't help that the boy looked at Giyuu like he hung the stars. It made him… uncomfortable. Why would anyone look up to him? No one should look up to him… especially some brat who didn't even know him!
And worse, while Kanroji had been happy to just keep talking – about many things from the mission to the taste of her food to the weather, Kamado kept asking Giyuu everything! Asked him about his opinion, about himself in general, about his experiences. It was…
He didn't know what it was, but he didn't think he liked it.
It left him wondering why, exactly, Oyakata-sama thought Giyuu would be the best choice to lead this battle. Or maybe he hadn't had a choice? That was… actually very likely.
Giyuu made sure to let them know that he would prefer to discuss the upcoming mission, and otherwise didn't answer any questions directed at him. While Kamado seemed a little disappointed at that, he didn't have any problems getting along with Kanroji… and the two of them seemed to feed off of each other in a terrifying loop of excitement and enthusiasm, despite Giyuu's attempts to curb it.
Surprisingly, though, when he brought their conversations and tangents back on track, they both had a lot of good ideas and information about the upcoming battle. Kanroji, it seemed, tended to work well in groups, as she'd done so often before. Kamado had a nose for intelligence (both figuratively and literally, Giyuu realized once he discovered the kid could smell like Urokudaki-sensei could) as he had the most information on the demons they'd be attacking.
He described a group of demons led by the Waning Moon Five, and that none of them are to be underestimated. (Giyuu approved of his attitude. Underestimation got you and your comrades killed.) He said that the demons had all taken on roles of a 'family', supposedly protecting their youngest brother, but that 'youngest brother' also happened to be the Waning Moon and the one in charge.
They could expect many demons on the mountain, but only the ones who looked like the Waning Moon – extremely pale, white hair, spider-like attributes and/or powers – were part of the 'family'. He didn't expect other demons to be on the mountain, but one could never be sure. (Giyuu wondered exactly how this kid got all of that information, but decided not to ask – it would require too much talking.)
They decided that they would each approach the Mountain with their own group of demon slayers several kilometers apart, entering the forest covering the mountain at different points so as to create a larger net and allow fewer demons to escape. Kamado did warn them that there was a spider demon who could control people like puppets with spider silk, and if someone began to act strangely, to use their breath style to cut the air around the person to stop that from happening. The spider demon could do that to corpses as well as they could to living humans. They would all need to be on their guard.
Again, Giyuu found himself impressed with the sheer amount of intelligence information the boy had and shared.
The other demon slayers had met up at different locations so as to not draw attention, and they would all go to the mountain that evening, so it would only be the three of them until they met up with other factions where they were supposed to gather at the base of the mountain.
Once they had a working plan, signals set up to call for help and secret phrases so demons couldn't infiltrate them as easily (just in case they ran across a demon art that could mimic humans somehow), Kamado suggested they get a room at an inn to sleep for the rest of the day. Since they'd discussed most of their plans at lunch (Kanroji's insistence – and Giyuu couldn't help but stare as Kamado seemed to eat almost as much as she could), the other demon slayers agreed and headed to the local inn Giyuu had been staying at.
Once they were all settled, they each fell asleep quickly. Giyuu was only too thankful for the quiet.
xXx
Naohisa Imagawa shifted nervously in place where he stood on the side of the road next to a rice patty. He'd met up with a large group of fellow demon slayers at the base of Mount Natagumo as instructed and now could do nothing but watch the sun go down. Beside him, his fellow slayer who had passed the test with him, Sawame Miyabe shot him a reassuring (if nervous) smile. He appreciated it. They'd teamed up at the final selection, one of them keeping watch while the other slept and when a mission required two or more people, it often ended up being the two of them working together. Having her there helped. A lot.
He often felt bad for having to rely on her so much, but he also realized that of the two of them, she was definitely the sturdier, more powerful one. With a larger frame than most women he knew and straight-black hair cut to frame her face in a more modern, western style, he knew she often got flack for not being a more ideal female, but honestly, he wouldn't want his friend to be any other way. Her body type and determination allowed her to use the stone-breathing style and kept her alive. How could he not be thankful for that? Just watching her charge into fights so confidently gave him the courage to do so himself despite his different breath style. His wind to her rock. And as neither one of them could perform all of the techniques of their individual styles, he liked to think they made up for each other's weaknesses.
However, this was larger than any group they'd been a part of before. Apparently, Mount Natagumo was a veritable nest of demons, but unfortunately their kasugai crows didn't have any more information to share. So now they could really only wait for the Hashira and kinoe-level demon slayers to show up so they could get this raid started. Imagawa both wanted to hurry up and get this over with while he simultaneously wanted to run in the opposite direction. He'd never had to deal with more than two demons at once before, and that was with Miyabe by his side. He hated this anticipation and wished the Hashira would just come already!
He didn't know how long he waited there on the side of the road next to his friend while more and more demon slayers arrived. There had to be at least two dozen or so by now, but none of them had stepped up claiming to be a Hashira.
Then someone across from him, who had taken a seat stood up quickly, looking down the road. Imagawa followed their gaze to see three more figures approaching. The one leading looked calm and collected, despite the left and right sides of his Haori mismatching. The two behind him, both shorter, although one in particular, seemed to be caught up in an enthusiastic discussion of some kind.
"Tomioka-sama!" the person who stood said, then bowed at the waist. "Thank you for coming to lead us in this!"
The man's steps slowed, but his expression didn't change.
"I am following orders," he replied.
"Still," the man next to Imagawa said, "from one water breath user to another, I am glad you were the Hashira chosen."
Perhaps it was the darkness of the fading daylight, but Imagawa could have sworn he saw confusion cross the newcomer's face. Water Pillar, huh? He'd heard about the Water Pillar being a young man about Imagawa's age who tended to come off as stoic. It seemed he hadn't misheard.
Behind the Pillar, the two demon slayers he'd been traveling with had stopped speaking and seemed to watch the interaction in front of them with various expressions: one of utter happiness from the girl (was she actually squeeing? Why?) while the shorter one, a boy of maybe thirteen years, had a warm, approving smile on his lips.
The apparent Hashira didn't actually answer the man, instead getting directly to the point.
"All demon slayers over here," he called out, then waited for a moment while the corp members meandered over and formed around him in a half-circle.
"I am the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyuu. I will now inform you of what we have decided for the attack on the demon nest on Mount Nategumo. You will be split into three groups. One group will follow me, one will follow Kinoe Kanroji Mitsuri and the third will follow Kinoe Kamado Tanjiro. Kanroji-san's group will go to the left, mine to the right.
"The demons in this area have been identified as Tsuchigumo." Next to him, Miyabe sighed as Imagawa shuddered. He hated spiders. "The leader of your group will discuss more about the individual demons you may come across. We do expect to come across Waning Moon Five here, at least."
Imagawa could swear his heart stopped. No wonder they needed a Hashira and two Kinoe. One of the Twelve Kizuki? Here?
"He is a smaller demon and will likely look younger than the rest of them. Do not let this fool you. He is incredibly strong and any one of Muzan's Kizuki will be ruthless. Now, split into three groups."
"Don't forget to introduce yourselves!" the girl (did she have pink hair? Or was that the lighting?) who had been with the man spoke up. "Your comrades need to know your fighting style and rank and everything!" Also… what was she wearing? It was hard for him to take his eyes off of her… assets, and only managed when Miyabe elbowed him in the ribs.
"Maybe we shouldn't go with that group," she said, sounding amused. "Too distracting for some of us…"
Imagawa could only nod his head, blushing. Why would anyone wear so little?!
It took them a couple of minutes to split themselves into semi equal groups, but once they did, they all began to talk among themselves. The group that Imagawa and Miyabe ended up in would be led by the third Kinoe (who was apparently already there?).
"Well," Miyabe said firmly once their group had gathered. "I'll start. My name is Sawame Miyabe, rank: Hinoe and I can perform three of the five stone breathing techniques." She stopped, then looked deliberately at Imagawa. He swallowed, but forced himself to step forward and bow.
"Naohisa Imagawa," he said, probably too loudly but couldn't seem to control his voice. Then he stood, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. "Pleased to meet you! My rank is Hinoto and I can perform six of the nine forms in the wind breathing style!"
And so it went around until it got to the kid that Tomioka-san had come with.
"My name is Kamado Tanjiro, rank Kinoe. I know ten of the eleven water breathing techniques and thirteen out of thirteen of the Sun breathing techniques! I hope we work well together!"
Silence met his words.
Then one of the men, Imagawa didn't remember his name but did remember that he claimed to be able to perform three of the six thunder breathing techniques, stepped forward.
"You claim to be our leader?" he asked, incredulous.
Kamado (if that was indeed who he was) looked surprised. Then he smiled a huge smile that did not look remotely menacing (rather welcoming, actually) and spoke. "Yes! Pleased to meet you, Teruano-san!"
"You're like… twelve," one of the others said in a similar tone to Teruano.
"Fourteen, actually," Kamado returned, still smiling that huge smile.
"We're supposed to be led into this by a fourteen year old?!" Teruano asked, beginning to sound angry.
Kamado blinked. "Well, yes. Those were my instructions from Ubuyashiki-sama."
"Are you really a kinoe?" Someone else from the group sounded just as skeptical as Imagawa felt.
The boy nodded, said his password and held up his hand as the mark that appeared indeed showed the word 'Kinoe'.
"How do you know two breathing styles?" Another person asked.
He looked them dead in the eye (still smiling) and said, "I trained until I almost died."
Before anyone else could say anything, Miyabe stepped forward. "I think we should focus on the mission," she said, glaring at Teruano. "We are all here under orders, and our current ones are to follow Kinoe Kamado Tanjiro."
The boy practically beamed up at her (seriously, Imagawa hadn't seen him frown once yet…). "Thank you, Sawame-san!" Then, while his smile didn't fade, his countinence changed somehow. He looked at each of them, completely serious as he spoke. "Let me tell you about the demons we may encounter in the forest."
He then went on to describe demons with full-on spider bodies that could turn anyone into whom he or his minions injected poison, into said minions – spiders with human heads. He spoke of a demon who could attach spider silk to arms and legs of anyone (including corpses – what the actual…) and play them like puppets against their comrades. He spoke of demons who trapped people in acidic balls of silk and waited for the humans to literally digest before she drank what was left; of giants with spider-like faces, of other ones he wasn't even sure of… and none of those were even the Waning Moon.
(At this point, the only thing really keeping Imagawa there was the fact that Miyabe would go with or without him, but his knees felt weak and his stomach had dropped to somewhere around his pelvis and the only thing keeping him upright at the moment was his total concentration breathing.)
"There are many strong demons on this mountain," Kamado concluded, "but if we stick together and watch each other's backs, there is every reason for all of us to come out of this alive!"
That sounded a little optimistic, right now, but Imagawa found himself clinging almost desperately to those words.
"Now, Giyuu-san and Mitsuri-san have taken their groups already," he said, looking over his shoulder at the now empty road. (And he was on first-name bases with a Pillar and another Kinoe… this kid…) "So we need to get going soon. Everyone pick a partner. We'll all watch each other's backs, but focusing on one person is easier than focusing on many. You keep your partner safe, and if you have problems, call out for the rest of us."
"But… there are an odd number, here," someone said. "Won't that leave someone out?"
"I'll check between all the groups and help where I can. Also, if you see Rui – the Waning Moon – leave him to me."
Rui? Was that the demon's name? Just… what? And leave him… to a kid?
"You… sure you can take him, Kamado-san?" Another one of the group members whose name Imagawa didn't remember (why was he so bad with names? Kamado didn't seem to have a problem…) asked unsurely.
For the first time, the boy's expression turned sharp and Imagawa could see a warrior. "Yes."
Then he brightened right back up. "So, does everyone have a partner?"
He made sure that everyone had someone to watch their backs before he turned and had them begin their trek up the mountain.
They walked for more than half an hour, straining to see through the darkness as a light of any kind would be a giant beacon. Fortunately, they had enough moonlight to light the pathway, although it made going into the darkness of the forest all the more ominous. Imagawa found himself tripping over far too many roots as they kept their senses peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
Then, finally, a distant scream reached them. Imagawa nearly lost control of his bladder. Fortunately, Kamado-san's voice called out, "That's Giyuu-san's group! Not ours. He hasn't called for help, so keep going."
Another ten minutes and they came across the balls of thread hanging in the trees. This time, Imagawa yelped, although he saw no demon. Then he remembered Kamado-san talking about people trapped in these things and being digested alive…
It took all his willpower to not throw up.
"We have to try and save them," Miyabe said softly, apparently thinking along the same lines.
Swallowing hard, Imagawa nodded, agreeing. But before they could do anything, a flash of color ran by them, jumping through the tree tops and slicing through the silk holding the balls up, while simultaneously cutting each one of them open. That had definitely been a water style… used by Kamado.
"Okay," Miyabe said, "he deserves that 'kinoe' rank."
"Yeah," Imagawa said, his voice a little rough.
They weren't the only ones that hurried over to each of the dropped balls of silk, as several others of their group rushed in, hoping they could still find living humans. The most they found were skeletons covered in tattered clothes.
He did lose his dinner then.
He was almost glad he wasn't the only one.
Before they could really finish checking everything, though, a screech of rage drew their attention to the edge of the clearing where Kamado and a white-haired, very pale girl fought. Well, she fought, swiping at him with her claws, while he dodged smoothly. They could really only watch for several seconds, each looking for an opening to help, but the boy made one himself, stepping around one of her thrusts and calling out, "Sixth form: Whirlpool!" He twisted his body around and spun in a whirlpool-like pattern, similar to (and yet heavier than somehow) many Wind Breathing techniques.
It was awe-inspiring to see.
The demon's eyes opened wide, gasping as she realized that the blade had sliced through her at least three times, one of those times had certainly been her neck. She fell to the ground as her body began to disintegrate.
"R-rui…" she whispered. "You… said you'd… save… me…"
Kamado sighed and then, to everyone's utter shock, turned and clapped his hands… as if saying a prayer over her body.
Just… what?
Next to him, Miyabe stiffened and she stomped forward. He really should have expected that. She'd lost her brother to a demon. That was why she'd joined the corps. She hated demons.
"Kamado!" she yelled, grabbing him by his collar (he totally could have dodged that…) and slamming him against a tree. He didn't so much as wince, just staring up at the taller woman. "What was that?!" she yelled.
"M-miyabe," Imagawa started, holding his hands up placatingly. She ignored him.
Kamado blinked. "What was what?" he asked innocently.
"That prayer! Over a demon!"
"Ah," the boy said, his eyes lighting with understanding. "I was just praying that in her next life, she didn't become a demon."
His happy smile seemed to throw Miyabe off as she spluttered. (She never spluttered…)
"Th-those monsters kill people!"
Kamado nodded, still as calm as ever. "To live. They have to. It's a lot harder to just let yourself die than one might think and few people actually want to become human-eating monsters."
Imagawa had never seen Miyabe at a loss for words before.
"Demonic cells are like a virus, you know?" Kamado went on as if they were having a calm discussion over tea (and not in the middle of the night, in the middle of a demon-infested mountain). "Muzan's cells attack and convert human cells at a terrifying rate. That's why demons have to eat other humans – Muzan's cells need more to infect. They don't like being dormant and that's why they increasingly drive a demon to be feral the longer they go without food – as a general rule.
"Demons are infected humans – they're sick both mentally and physically, which is why we have to kill them. But then they just… disintegrate. We give even the worst of our criminals a decent burial but these sick people don't even get that. That's why I pray over every demon I kill. It's what I'd want if the worst ever happened to me."
For the first time, he looked away from them, down and to the side and suddenly seemed so sad and haunted. Was that the right word? Imagawa wasn't sure. All he could do was sit there and stare at the kid in shock. He'd… never seen it that way before.
He'd initially heard of demons after his family had gone to see his aunt and uncle, only to come across the blood-splashed home crawling with Kakushi, who had had to explain everything. His mother had been devastated and his father hadn't seemed to really know what to say. The idea that a sick person had done that…
Well… it did make a sort of twisted sense, he supposed.
He still found the thought… uncomfortable.
"Well!" Kamado pushed Miyabe's hand away and dropped to the ground. "We need to keep going! There might still be people we can save on this mountain!"
And with that, he began to march off through the trees. Just before he disappeared, he looked back at the group of demon slayers, all staring silently after him.
"Are you coming or not?" he asked, that innocent expression of his back in place.
Imagawa looked over at Miyabe and put a hand on her arm. She just turned to stare at him, as if she'd had her entire world turned on its head.
Maybe she had.
"Come on," Imagawa said as surely as he could. "Focus now. We can worry about what he said later."
She blinked and looked down at the spot where the demon had disappeared.
"R-right," she said after a moment. Then, more firmly. "Right."
And with that, she stalked after the kid. Slowly, the rest followed.
They were attacked by another girl about ten minutes later. This one, Kamado let everyone else surround. She could, apparently, make large, sticky webs that made it difficult to move. She had several people caught before Kamado distracted her and Imagawa saw his chance.
He shot forward and took off the girl's head with his wind-breathing style.
He turned around to see her head and her body hit the ground… but what was worse were the tears in her eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a demon cry, but it was the first time he really took a look at the expression on her face – fear, sadness, resignation…
Before he realized what he was doing, he'd clapped his hands together and said a quick prayer for her soul. It took him several seconds to realize what he'd done. He looked over to see Miyabe staring at him, somewhere between shocked and betrayed. He was about to apologize when a hand clapped him on the shoulder. He looked down to see Kamado-san looking up at him, eyes so warm and kind…
"Thank you," he said softly.
For several seconds, Imagawa just sat there looking at the boy, blinking as if to make sure he was really there. But then he felt himself smile sadly.
"Yeah. You're welcome. And thank you…"
The boy grinned that beaming smile at him for a couple of seconds and Imagawa felt as if he were standing in full sunlight.
Then a sound had Kamado whipping around and his eyes widened.
"Take care of each other," he said. "And if you run across Giyuu-san or Mitsuri-san, tell them I've found Waning Five!"
And with that, he took off into the trees, chasing a white-clad figure.
Imagawa stared after him for several seconds before he took a deep breath and turned back to the group.
"Y-you heard him! Come on!"
Several of the slayers looked at him as if they weren't sure what to think. To be fair, he wasn't entirely sure what to think. But he looked at Miyabe and saw her staring at him thoughtfully. He didn't know what expression he wore, but after a couple of seconds, she nodded at him and walked over.
"Let's go, partner," she said quietly, albeit tightly.
He almost melted in relief. For now, they were alright. So he nodded, and they continued on.
xXx
AN: So yeah, I feel like this chapter was a bit filler, and I feel bad that it's the chapter to be posted now, but the next chapter is one of my favs, so I hope you stick around.
Thanks to Quathis and TimeLordTim for their help on this! It really means a lot. :)
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
