Kaigaku wasn't quite sure what to think when Gramps – no, Sensei, Sensei – sent him a crow asking for his return. He didn't know what to expect at all when he arrived at the familiar orchard he hadn't seen for almost a year and a half.

He also didn't know quite what to think of this place. He had some good memories here, but some that he'd rather forget too, mostly dealing with a certain annoying, yellow-haired wimp of a brat. At least he wouldn't run into said brat now, thank the kami (although he had no idea how Zenitsu, of all people, managed to pass the Final Selection).

The old man happened to be tending some of the peach trees and caught sight of him as he wandered down the road.

"Kaigaku! Thank you for coming so promptly. You're at least a couple hours earlier than him."

Immediately Kaigaku's face fell into a frown. "Him?" he asked, voice strained. It had better not be who he thought it was. If he saw a single hair of the brat, he'd turn right around and walk away.

Sensei just shook his head, running a hand through what was left of his gray hair. "A Hashira."

That surprised the younger demon slayer. "Hashira?"

The old man nodded grimly. "The demon one."

Kaigaku just stared at the old man. He'd heard rumors, of course, but he hadn't thought they were actually true.

"There's really a demon Pillar?" he asked quietly, stunned.

Gramps – Sensei nodded in solidarity. "He claims to know the original breathing form that all other forms stem from, but the katas must have degraded over the years, because he says some things have been lost, but if he studies under every style, he should be able to regain the true form."

Kaigaku's brain was not working and had yet to catch up. There was just too much…

"Why are we working with one of those monsters?!" he found himself yelling.

The old man sighed. "He's been vetted by multiple Hashira and apparently was turned into a demon over a period of years due to some sort of blood art."

Kaigaku felt himself pale. "Blood arts can turn people into demons now?" he asked hoarsely.

Gramps shrugged. "This is the first and only time I've heard of it."

Well… his entire life just got more terrifying. And that wasn't a low bar.

"And he's a Hashira?!"

"He was before he became a demon and has been under constant supervision until now. No one has seen him even touch a drop of human blood or so much as a hair with the intent to eat. Supposedly, he sleeps in place of eating."

"Constant supervision? For how long?" Kaigaku asked, and he wasn't panicking. He wasn't. And he would destroy anyone who said otherwise.

"Almost two years at this point. By multiple Hashira."

Kaigaku stared at his sensei for several seconds before shaking his head. This had to be a trick. "He could have slipped away—"

"I've been assured he didn't." He shook his own head slowly. "Believe me, Kaigaku, I have my own reservations, but Ubuyashiki-sama asked me to help him. So I will. However…" he paused and glanced down the (thankfully) empty road. No, wait, they were fine because demons couldn't come out in the daytime. Right.

(He hated how just this one tidbit of information had shaken him so badly.)

The old man continued. "I wanted you here just in case. I have a couple of trainees here now and I need to make sure they're protected. I know you've risen several ranks since you left and… well, there are few others I would trust more."

Kaigaku felt himself relax a little at that, and then straightened his spine haughtily. "Well, I have become rather skilled as a Tsuchinoe."

Did the old man just roll his eyes at Kaigaku?!

"We'll see shortly, brat. But there are still some things you have to know."

The younger man pushed his anger down with more than a little effort, but still managed it… barely. "Like what?" he asked.

"Like the fact that he can walk in the sunlight."

Kaigaku froze.

"What?!"

xXx

This… had to be against some rule somewhere. Nezuko was sure of it and made plans to send a letter to Ubuyashiki-sama himself! And then Tanjiro. And then Shinobu-san. And then Kanroji-san. And then her mother and Urokodaki-sensei. Mainly her mother though. She'd like to see what they all thought of a Pillar practically kidnapping her and her companions. And he'd been trying to kidnap Aoi-san instead, who had no experience in this kind of mission whatsoever. (Not that she did, but at least she didn't have problems fighting demons.)

This certainly had to be against the rules.

And not the Uzui-san's stupid rules of him being some sort of kami. She'd never heard anything more ridiculous in her life. At least she and Zenitsu were on the same page there.

Now she huffed along angrily, dressed up in the ugliest make-up she'd ever had the misfortune of laying her eyes on as the Sound Hashira led them to the red light district. At least she'd gotten an explanation behind the makeup. He'd explained it when she'd tried to take over after seeing his disastrous attempts because at least she'd had some experience.

"If you look pretty when we get there, it will A. draw too much attention and B. bring representatives from houses we don't want to be a part of which I will have to turn down which will just draw more attention."

She wondered why he seemed to have no problem drawing attention to himself, then, with his strange eye-tattoo or sleeveless uniform, bands around his biceps or his light-colored hair. Maybe he'd simply made himself into a walking distraction? If so, it certainly worked. At least he'd known enough about makeup to cover that tattoo for this mission. He almost looked respectable now.

Almost.

That… wasn't very nice.

She realized her thoughts were spiraling with her anger and took a deep breath to calm down. She didn't like Uzui-san or the mission they were on very much… but she also understood worrying about one's family. (She may or may not have balked over the idea of three wives, but they were his family, and she could relate to that at least.) She understood what it was like to know someone else was in danger and not be able to do anything about it.

That was the only reason she was going along with this… this…

Oh, this was such a bad idea. She really should have asked Tanjiro if he happened to know about this mission sooner, but she'd wanted to fulfill it on her own. She'd been blinded by her own pride and ambition at the moment Uzui-san had asked them.

That had been before she'd sat down and thought about it and about how badly this could all go… But by then she'd already accepted the mission and writing a letter had been the only other plan she could think of that hadn't been tried already, according to Uzui-san. Sure, he said he'd be there to watch their backs and that he would pull them out, but wasn't this the same mission his wives had gone on? The one where they (supposedly experienced shinobi) had disappeared?! Admittedly, they weren't actually supposed to fight the demons once they found them (Uzui-san had specifically ordered them not to), but if the demon recognized them and attacked first…?

She was immensely grateful Aoi hadn't actually been kidnapped and taken on this mission.

"There you go, Sumiko," the Sound Pillar's deep voice drew her out of her thoughts. It took her a moment to realize he had been speaking to her. Right. That was her new name. "I have entrusted you to the Tokito house." He gestured to the large building he'd walked them up to just a couple of minutes ago.

For a moment, her gut swam. The idea of having to live her life here and never seeing her family again…

No, she would be fine. They would take care of everything later. Any debts or what not would be set to right and she had an act to play.

So she bowed, ignoring Zenitsu being practically wrangled by Uzui-san. It was sweet that he was so concerned. Still, she'd agreed to this, so she would follow through.

"Please take care of me," she said softly. "I'll work hard."

"Oh, what a polite child," the woman said with a smile. "Come in and I will show you to your room."

With that, Nezuko walked inside, turning to look at Uzui-san and her other two companions one last time. Then she took a deep breath, turned, and followed the woman into the building.

xXx

Kaigaku didn't know what to expect from this Hashira demon who could walk in the sun, but it wasn't what he got. He could honestly only stare in incredulity when the guy showed up the day after the Tsuguko had.

First, he was short. Not as short as Sensei, but still not very tall. Second, he was young – like Zenitsu young, and already a Hashira?! What the actual… was that because he was a demon? (Kaigaku was not jealous.) Third, he was… well… kind, and happy and polite and very much unlike any other demon he'd ever heard about or met. It… made no sense. How could this guy be the demon Pillar who had come to train with Sensei?

Then he saw Kamado and Sensei spar and his mouth fell open. His jaw stayed there until well after the bout had finished. The kid could keep up with Gramps. With whatever style he was using. No one could keep up with Gr… Sensei. Not as far back as the Lightning Tsuguko could remember. However, despite this, the old man still held his own and if it weren't for his leg, he may very well have won. That speed was why Kaigaku was so proud of his style. Once he'd heard of other styles, he'd still wanted to keep learning Lightning Breathing. Strength meant a lot, sure, but speed was what really won fights in his experience.

For the first time, he actually considered that the kid had spoken the truth about his style being the origin of all styles… and he could almost see flames from his sword, where he tended to see sparks from Gramps' swings. Sun breathing, huh?

Then he dismissed it. Lightning was superior. End of story. This guy was just good enough to use his style well. That was all. He did have to wonder how the boy got so good at such a young age though. (And maybe he'd ask, because he wanted that kind of power too! Hmm… maybe.)

When the mock battle (that Kaigaku could barely follow) ended with Kamado's blade at Sensei's neck and the old man's sword in no position to strike back, Sensei laughed.

"I see what you mean. That is certainly an interesting style, but I did see some areas for improvement. Let's get started."

It was kind of awe-inspiring (and very frustrating) how quickly the demon won over Gramps – no, Sensei! (GAH! Stupid Zenitsu, getting him thinking that about the old man!) Just like the yellow-haired brat had (even if he hadn't been yellow-haired at the time). However, his apparent age and his ability to win the old man over seemed to be the only two traits he had in common with Zenitsu. He was soft spoken, polite, firm and steady, willing to work hard and didn't seem to be afraid of… well, anything.

Except Kaigaku.

Which was… weird. Okay, it was more like the guy was… wary of him. The Tsuguko couldn't figure out why. As much as he hated to admit it, it certainly wasn't his strength. The demon could beat Sensei and, unfortunately, Kaigaku couldn't. He'd even tried. They'd sparred after Kamado had left to begin on Sensei's exercises that first day.

He didn't see much of the demon after that. Not that that fact bothered him. What did bother him was the fact that he was stuck training the new recruits while Sensei focused on the Hashira.

(That didn't make him jealous in the slightest – why would it?)

By the end of the week, Kaigaku was ready to throw all of the useless brats back where they'd come from. Why did Sensei think they had any talent or reason to be in the Demon Slayers Corps? He didn't know.

He also didn't know whether it was the Hashira's supposedly superior demon body or Kamado's fierce dedication, but by that point, he'd gotten through all of Sensei's exercises – exercises that had taken Kaigaku and any other student he'd known years to accomplish. Which meant they were only waiting on a storm to throw him out into. That would be his final test, to outrun a lightning bolt, as it had been for all lightning students. It would then turn into an exercise to see how many bolts he could dodge. Probably a lot.

Kaigaku really wasn't jealous of or angry at or resentful of the demon in their midst (who wouldn't even talk to him) and he hadn't tried to avoid the kid like he would have Zenitsu. It was a mutual wariness. That was all.

Which was why Kamado coming up to him the day of the next storm with a strange expression and what looked like a glass bottle in his hand took him by surprise. He was so focused on the guy approaching him at all that it took him a moment to realize he was holding a small, glass bottle. Once he did, though, he had to do a double take. He had filled it with… was that blood?!

Kaigaku may or may not have frozen at that point, unsure of what to do when the guy held the bottle out for him to see for a moment, then wrapped it in a thick cloth.

"Here," he said with a smile. Unlike all the other smiles Kaigaku had seen, it looked forced.

The older boy looked with trepidation at the wrapped object. "What is that?"

"A vial of my blood. I'm not sure how long it will last, but it should be far longer than human blood."

Kaigaku blinked, incredulous and disgusted. "Why would I want that?"

The boy cocked his head to one side, as if weighing what he should say.

Finally, he settled on, "I've become a progenitor stronger than Muzan, well, at least when it comes to this." He muttered that last half of the sentence while the lightning Tsuguko gaped, then returned to his normal volume. "This blood can turn anyone into a demon…" he cringed as he continued, "my demon. And I mean anyone, whether they're already a demon or not. So if someone gets turned into a demon, or if you come across a demon you can't conquer, or even if you're on the verge of death, this… well, it will solve a lot of problems at the expense of making other, hopefully more managable problems.

"My," another cringe, "demons are just that initially: demons. They will attack humans mindlessly, so this is a last resort, and I have to stress that, but so far all demons I've transformed have gotten their faculties and all their memories back quickly. It's… well, better than the alternative."

The Hashira just seemed to get more and more uncomfortable as the conversation progressed while Kaigaku became more and more horrified. Once the boy finished, he stepped back, looking at the out held arm with open disgust. Then neither one of them moved for a while.

Finally, the demon sighed. "Ubuyashiki-sama asked me to start handing these out. I'm not entirely happy about it and I don't like this at all, but… it's better than someone dying or being turned into one of Muzan's demons." He spat the demon king's name with enough vitriol that it put Kaigaku on edge and he tensed, ready to flee or fight. Thankfully, the boy didn't so much as take a step forward. Instead, he shook his head, then lifted his arm a little higher. "Just… if you do get turned into a demon and happen to remember this, drink it away from Muzan or any Waxing Moons. Otherwise, put it where it won't get broken and use it as a last resort."

The Tsuguko felt his mouth move up and down silently for several seconds before he gulped and nodded, feeling sick as he took the small bundle.

"Yeah," Kamado said with a nod that looked about as uncomfortable as Kaigaku felt. "Please just… be cautious."

With that and one more nod, he turned and stomped away.

A couple of hours later, he and Kamado dashed around in the middle of the storm, trying to dodge as many lightning bolts as possible. In the pouring rain. They both came in wet, cold, and successful. It was nice to see how far he'd come as a lightning breather. He still hadn't managed to get the first form down, but he had managed to dodge every single lightning bolt.

"You'll get that form down soon," Gr—Sensei said with a smile as he handed Kaigaku some tea. Then he complimented Kamado and explained that his training was complete, but if he wanted to stick around and make sure he'd fully incorporated it into his style for a week or two, that would be fine.

Then he handed him tea.

Then the kid drank the tea.

What.

"Demons can have tea?" he asked, incredulous.

Kamado just smiled at him, a bright, sunshine-smile that made him look even less threatening than when Kaigaku had first seen him. "Yes. Although, not too much."

Huh.

He really didn't know what to make of this guy… and that ticked him off. So he just let out a, "Che," and went back to drinking his own tea.

xXx

Tengen stared down at the street below, contemplating what had just happened. Nezuko had come to meet him with Hashibara. The latter had reported a definite demon in the house he'd been sold to while the former hadn't come across anything. They'd waited for the third boy, but then Tengen had informed them that Zenitsu had gone missing.

Kamado hadn't taken that well. To be fair, the (currently not) boar-headed kid hadn't either, but that girl had a temper on her that would rival his wives.

Then he'd basically apologized for putting them in terrible positions because… he really had. He'd just thought that they'd be young enough to go under the radar. They wouldn't be targets like his wives had been. Or… that had been his thought process but now…

Suddenly, he was very glad he hadn't brought the younger girl he'd initially tried to recruit from Kocho's…

And the idea that the boy had gone missing… He could just imagine what his wives would think of that when (if…) he saw them and they found out. Makio would rage and yell, Suma would burst into tears (he hated that one), but the worst would be Hinatsuru. She would just stare at him with that sad, disbelieving look that bordered on disappointment so deep it may as well stem from betrayal.

To be fair, wasn't that what he'd done? He'd betrayed his better judgment and put more people – children – in danger to try and get his wives back.

He'd told the kids to run; that he suspected a Waxing Moon – that from now on he would move on his own. He'd been about to step away when Nezuko had stood up angrily.

"You wait right there!" she yelled at him with such authority he'd actually frozen in surprise. "You honestly think we're just going to run, like that? When our friend is missing?! You may count him as dead but we sure don't!" Beside her, Hashibara nodded emphatically. "Besides, I know what we're going up against! I've seen Waxing Moons before! They gave my brother a hard time and I know the kind of power we're going to see.

"Now that we're here, you think we'll just back down? That we'll just leave you here? Not. A. Chance."

He blinked, still shocked at her insubordination, and his opinion of her raised significantly if she was so loyal to the demon slayers as to stay to help him – someone she most certainly did not like. Then he shook his head.

"You should know that you'll just get in my way if you stay."

"I've trained against a Waxing Moon!" she insisted, walking up to him with her fists balled at her sides. She reminded him of Hinatsuru but with a more volatile temper under her steadfast determination. "Have you?"

His protests died on his lips.

"This is too much! You're children!" he finally said, exasperated. "Demon slayers or not!" He made sure he hadn't spoken loud enough for those on the street or in the nearby houses to hear, but it was getting difficult to not raise his voice. He was a Hashira!

"Then maybe you should have thought of that before you dragged us here in the first place!" she shot right back, glaring up at him. He cringed, unable to squash his guilt at that.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and calmed down significantly. After a moment, she opened her eyes again, still glaring, and asked in a steady voice, "Did you think to ask my brother about this? Do you even know which Kizuki we're going up against?"

Tengen froze. It… hadn't honestly occurred to him that this might be a mission her brother would even know about. He'd been a Hashira, sure, but Tengen usually took care of under-cover missions unless said mission called for something specific one of the other Pillars could bring to the table. He'd read about each Kizuki – what they looked like, how to take them down, etc. – but he'd never thought to ask about the situation that had brought such information to Kamado. Hadn't he infiltrated the Kizuki to get this information?

But that had been after several resets, according to him. So… how much had he known beforehand?

That… was a very large oversight on his part.

And it may very well kill them all.

This was his fault.

"No," he answered slowly. "It… didn't occur to me to do so. He was a demon…"

"In most of his lives!" Nezuko shot back. Then she visibly forced herself to relax, taking several more breaths to calm down.

"What are you two talking about?!" Hashibara asked angrily. They didn't have time to explain it to him, so again, he ignored the boy. If they survived this, he could make arrangements to explain to the kid later.

"Did you at least send off the letter I left with you yesterday, as I asked?" Nezuko pressed.

He frowned but nodded. It had been against his better judgment as he hadn't really waited for clearance to come in and find his wives, even if he had technically gotten clearance for the mission when his wives had initially infiltrated. But the Kamado girl had been just as insistent then as she was now. Such a head-strong girl.

He could appreciate that sort of flamboyance.

"I did," he replied truthfully. "Yesterday."

She nodded again. "Good. Someone should arrive soon, then."

Wait… what? He knew he shouldn't have sent that letter off to Ubuyashiki-sama! "Even if it took only a couple of hours for the crow to fly there, Oyakata-sama would have to approve a mission and then find someone to come and find us, and that's if anyone of rank could come," he retorted.

She seemed to think about that. Good, maybe she'd—

"But I also asked him to forward the letter on to Kanroji-san, Shinobu-san, my brother and my mother. She'll undoubtedly tell Urokodaki-sensei. I don't know if the kasugai crow will reach my brother in time. It will depend on if he's on the road or not and if the crow can find him in time. However, I am positive it will reach Urokodaki-sensei's."

"He won't have anyone to send and he won't be able to come himself if he's training recruits," Tengen said, getting annoyed now.

She just shook her head. "You misunderstand. My mother will make sure someone comes. If you think that my brother or I are stubborn or determined, you've obviously never met her. We just need to hold out that long. And so, until then, or we get confirmation of Zenitsu's body, we're staying!"

"Yeah!" Hashibara yelled loudly in agreement. Both Kamado and Tengen turned to shush him. He seemed confused, but didn't speak up again so the Sound Pillar turned his attention back on the girl in front of him.

"Besides, we need the money to pay off our supposed 'debts'," she finished, crossing her arms with a huff.

For a moment, he did not see Kamado Nezuko, but Hinatsuru. She'd reminded him of his wife before, but with the stance she took and that defiant gaze, she could almost be the woman's doppelganger.

He couldn't say no to that.

But he couldn't put them in danger either. Perhaps he could mitigate damage, then?

"You'll just stay no matter what I order you to do," he said softly. The children both nodded firmly. "Very well. You may continue on at your houses, but the moment you have a problem, get out. Especially if we'll receive backup. Here," he took out two envelopes and handed one to each of them. "Give that to the head of your respective houses or someone who will get that money to them. That should help you work more freely. If you can't find anything in the next four hours, leave. That is my condition. Otherwise, get my attention."

"Where will you be?" Kamado asked, looking back up from the envelope to him.

"Around. If you run into a demon, make enough noise. Be flamboyant. I will find you."

Both of them nodded firmly at him. Now he could only hope that they would follow through on their word… but honestly, Tengen had a bad feeling. Whatever this whole thing had built to would go down tonight. He was sure of it.

"And if we truly cannot do anything, we will leave," Kamado assured him.

"Wait, what?!" Hashibara asked angrily. And loudly. They both shushed him again.

"You have your orders. Now, go," Tengen said firmly. Then he pushed off the roof tiles and sped over the buildings. He had a house master to interrogate.

xXx

Urokodaki Sakonji was not afraid of much. Of losing his students prematurely to demons, yes. Of the demons finding him and taking away his new student's family? Yes. But… not much else. He'd never really feared death himself.

Which was why a sudden strike of killing intent had him straightening and searching around for a demon. It took him a moment to realize he didn't smell a demon… he smelled no new scents.

"Urokodaki-san," a soft, pleasant voice said from behind him. So why did it strike fear into his heart?

Slowly, he turned around in the clearing he'd been cutting wood in, but only became more confused when he saw Kie come walking up to him, a smile on her face and a letter in her hand.

"Kie…" he said slowly. Hadn't they gotten past the honorifics by now? At least when he wasn't teaching her swordplay.

"I just got a letter from Nezuko. It seems she's been kidnapped."

Sakonji's heart almost stopped. Not again… but wait, then why had she been able to send a letter? Kie must have sensed the confusion because she continued.

"She was taken by a Pillar who said he had a mission for her and her fellow slayers… in the red light district. My fourteen-year-old daughter. To the red light district. I recall Tanjiro saying something about going to the red-light district after a kizuki…" And she still seemed just as angry about that too. Not at her son for saying anything, but at the situation? Likely.

"Yes… I do, too," Sakonji agreed, his face paling. That had been a Waxing Moon too. What were the odds that this was the same Kizuki and the same mission?

This… could go very badly.

Kie just nodded and continued. "Nezuko thinks something is suspicious as they are apparently going after some shinobi who have disappeared, likely due to demons. It's supposed to be an undercover mission. I didn't know you – or anyone – had trained her for undercover missions. So surely, this must be an oversight on the Pillar's part… right? This couldn't possibly be following the Corps rules…"

He gulped. "I'll… write Ubuyashiki-sama—"

"Oh, no need. He has written me and told me he had yet to actually review that particular mission. He doesn't know if he has anyone to send in, though, especially since it's likely a Kizuki they're going up against."

So the killing intent was coming from her…

She could have been a swordswoman, easily.

"He suggested someone here could go after them…"

Well, Sakonji certainly couldn't – not when he had students to train, but… he did have two other Pillars here who had finished their training…

"I'll… go ask Iguro-san and Shinazugawa-san."

"What a splendid idea. Perhaps I should go too? I would like to meet this… Uzui-san."

And suddenly Sakonji wasn't entirely sure the man would survive the encounter. They needed their Pillars.

"You… aren't quite ready to go into the field. You haven't even gone through the final selection."

"Ah. It looks like I'll be going to the next one with Takeo then," she replied with a bright smile. "I will leave instructions with the children for the week I'm gone. It's only Shigeru and Rokuta staying behind. I'm sure you can look after them by yourself."

This… was happening, whether he wanted it to or not, he realized. He couldn't stop her, and she'd already cut a boulder. So he sighed and nodded. (If he was lucky – very, very lucky – he could talk her down later, once she'd cooled down.)

"Very well. I will make arrangements."

"Once you speak to the other Pillars?" she asked innocently. No wonder the Kamado siblings had learned to weaponize innocence. They had a terrifying teacher.

"Of course."

"Oh, and you won't tell Uzui-san how I would like to meet him? I'd like for it to be a surprise."

Sakonji had to withhold a gulp. This was ridiculous. He'd faced down demons, kizuki even, and yet this woman somehow seemed more terrifying. He didn't understand… but he did realize that he would likely have a connection to this woman for the rest of his life. So he did the smart thing: he nodded. "Of course."

(He also may or may not have had absolutely no problem throwing Uzui-san into the proverbial boar trap. He wasn't happy about Nezuko being taken undercover to the red light district himself.)

"Wonderful. I'm looking forward to officially joining the Corps, even if I will, of course, be coming back here to help train Shigeru and Rokuta." No matter what anyone else said.

This entire family was a force of nature.

"Of course," he said again.

With a final, satisfied nod, she turned to walk back to the house. He just watched her go, a little incredulous.

Well, he had a couple of Pillars to track down and several letters to write. It had been a while since he'd been utterly steamrolled like that, but… well, those were the kind of demon slayers they were looking for anyway.

Muzan wouldn't know what hit him.

And Sakonji needed a drink.

xXx

Kamado received a message from his sister the day after he'd dodged thunder bolts.

He'd left the Lightning Cultivator's within the hour.

The two demon slayers (one past, one present) were still not entirely sure what to make of everything that had happened. Kaigaku left the day after, mind still on the new, very creepy 'last resort' in his pouch.

He also left with one final comment from the Lightning Cultivator.

"You can call me Gramps, if you want to," he told Kaigaku. "I've always considered you like a son or a grandson to me."

A week ago, Kaigaku would have scoffed and walked away. He did the same now, but… it felt different in a way he didn't think he could describe. The whole experience had given him a different outlook on demons and his job in general.

"Whatever… Gramps," he muttered once he'd gotten a little ways down the road, cheeks flushed and hoping Sen… Gra… the old man hadn't heard him. He'd probably still call him Sensei to his face… for a while, at least.

He didn't see the beaming smile on the old man's lips.

xXx

AN: Sorry this wasn't up earlier. Computer issues and I'm typing with a vertical splinter in my finger right now... that I can't get out. *sigh*

Yes, I went with Kaigaku of all people on this. *shrug* It worked... better than I thought it would actually, lol.

Thanks to Kaylessa, Quathis, TimeLordTim and Found for their help on this!

Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)