^ Chapter 26 - Gone ^
In one of the more well-off towns lucky enough to be close to the growing cities of modernizing Japan, there was a little meet-and-greet occurring between an older couple and some friends of theirs from around town. The elderly couple laughed happily as they spoke of their recently adopted son, who they found to be incredibly clever and smart for being just ten years old.
The only sad part about their new child was that he's unable to go outside during the day because of his highly sensitive skin, a condition of his rare skin disease. It gave him a more pale complexion than most other children, but that didn't stop them from taking him into their home all the same. He was their child now, not blood related of course, but their child regardless.
Unbeknownst to them, their child who they had adopted wasn't who he appeared to be. That child was the deadliest person in Japan, the most recent disguise of Muzan Kibutsuji. Currently he was looking through some books that he had specifically brought to him by his minions so that he could continue his search for what he desired. That person who had spoken through the angel within his domain had promised him a Blue Spider Lily if he were to help him accomplish whatever he was planning, and Muzan had somewhat agreed to it mostly out of intrigue. He wasn't going to allow himself to become someone else's servant, for he was the one to be in control of everything.
He was still continuing his own search for the Blue Spider Lily by himself, because he wasn't sure if he could trust this unknown figure and his foreign lackey. Especially after how many times he had been insulted by the man, it was sheer curiosity that he had let him live. For now, he'd play along with their game and see where this will take him. If he gets what he wants out of the venture, than he'll use that to become the perfect being and then kill those who'd oppose him.
A slight gust of wind came in through the open doors of his room's outdoor patio and the boy turned his head towards it, seeing Akaza appear from thin air and stand just beyond the open doors inside of the room. As soon as he and the boy met gazes, he dropped down to one knee with both fists planted against the floorboards, and bowed his head out of respect. Something as simple as an age and appearance change wasn't going to make him reproduce the same mistakes that the Lower Moons did before their untimely demise.
"I've come to make a report, as well as to deliver a message, Muzan-sama." Akaza spoke calmly to the child Muzan, who rested his hand on the current page he was at in his book.
"Did you find what we talked about?" Muzan asked as his eyes turned into their regular demon form.
"I did some investigating in the area I was directed to, but there wasn't any reliable information nor clues...it seemed like it was another dead end." Akaze reported to the disguised Demon Lord while keeping his gaze lowered out of respect. If they were in their domain then it would be different, but because he was there giving his master a report one on one, it was only proper etiquette. "I looked everywhere I could, but I could not find the Blue Spider Lily, Muzan-sama."
"So?" questioned Muzan, his fingers twitching slightly while they dug into his book somewhat.
"From now on, I will do my best so I can live up to your expectations. I also dealt with one of the Hashira, as you ordered, so please do not worry-"
"You seem to be misunderstanding something, Akaza."
Akaza's eyes widened and his fists tightened up when an intense amount of pain began to course through his body like lightning; his eyes began to cry blood and his skin began to crack and break apart into bloody pieces of flesh because of Muzan's own blood tearing him apart from the inside.
Rather than show weakness to the demon lord, he maintained his composure and kept his gaze firmly planted on the floor just in front of Muzan's feet, his fists trembling lightly as he kept the agony under wraps.
It's only one Hashira...what am I to say now that you dealt with him? It's only natural for demons to defeat humans. What I desire is the total annihilation of the Demon Slayers." Muzan said as his plum red demon eyes bore holes into the top of Akaza's head, his hand digging deeper into the pages of his book. His clawed fingernails were tearing easily through the thin paper and pulling them at the seams from the book's spine. "Kill every single one of them and don't let me see a single one standing ever again. It shouldn't be complicated, but it still hasn't been achieved...what's the meaning of this?"
Akaza kept his mouth shut, even when his lungs and throat were full of blood and his entire body was shivering from head to toe in inexplicable pain. Muzan's anger only grew as he ferociously tore apart the pages of the book he held while berating Akaza for his oversight, the appearance of his body growing worse and worse by the second.
Hearing of continued failure time and time again, even if it was coupled with the death of a Hashira or two here and there frustrated him to no end. Killing one Hashira wasn't enough to satisfy him, and it was only natural that they as demons would be able to kill humans. Muzan wanted the whole of the Demon Slayer Corps to be wiped out, to be slaughtered, to have their blood splattered along the ground for as far as the eye can see.
Blood was practically pouring out of his quivering lips, his nostrils, and his eye sockets by the time Muzan's anger began to wane and his book-tearing trade came to a close.
With less of his veins bulging out from his forehead, his gaze narrowed a little and he closed his book, hiding the torn pages from view while he casually sweeped away the pieces around his feet. He had made his point to the Upper Moon, and because Akaza had always proven himself to be loyal, he saw no worth in killing his servant. Not yet, at least.
"Now...the message, Akaza?" questioned Muzan, his demonic eyes returning to their human appearance.
Akaza coughed a little as his wounds began to heal themselves, his body slowly returning back to normal while he kept his gaze off his master in order to avoid any more anger from the demon lord.
"That so-called angel...is waiting for you within the Infinity Fortress; he was able to succeed in securing the boy with the earrings…" Akaza reported while trying to sound tough, his slightly shaky voice making Muzan narrow his eyes briefly for a moment before turning his gaze away from him. "Nakime...has been keeping her eye on him…"
"Very well...begone from my sight."
Akaza silently left the boy Muzan's room without uttering a single word, the demon lord keeping his gaze on the bookshelves in front of him for a few more seconds before closing his eyes and growling slightly. He truly hoped that the angel had indeed brought the boy he remembered seeing in the city that night, and that what he said he could do had been successful. If that were the case, then maybe something meaningful, or at the very least interesting, would come out of this situation.
His eyes then darted to the door to make sure it was locked, before he strolled across his bedroom towards the bathroom door. He had made sure that his "parents", if he wanted to be technical, knew that he didn't want to be disturbed while he had been forging his disguise, just in case something like this happened. With that knowledge in mind, he had no reason to worry about being intruded upon. Besides, even if they did happen to walk in on him, he could just kill everyone in the house and move on to another location with a different appearance.
Once his hand grasped the doorknob and turned it, the door morphed into an entirely different one in the blink of an eye. Muzan then walked through straight into the mismatched labyrinth of hallways and rooms that was known as the Infinity Fortress, the central living space for himself and the Upper Moons. As he crossed the threshold from his child form's room into his true home, his body reverted to his original appearance with his wavy black hair and expensive-looking attire.
The Biwa Demon was waiting for him at her usual perch, instrument in hand, and she lifted her head slightly when she heard his footsteps approach her from where he had entered.
"Where is he?" Muzan asked, the demon lifting a hand and pointing downward into the maze below.
"In the centermost area, Muzan-sama. He's been waiting there for you." she replied curtly. She spoke firmly and concisely, not spending any time circling around the point. This brought a little smile to Muzan's face and his appreciation for her to grow, since she was the demon he entrusted to watch over his fortress with her unique Blood Demon Art.
"Why can't the others be as reliable as you, Nakime…"
Muzan then took a single step forward and in the blink of an eye he appeared before the angel himself, his hair fluttering slightly from moving faster than the eye could catch. Michael was in the middle of a silent prayer and, upon realizing he had arrived, perked up and smiled happily as their eyes met.
"Ah! There you are!" Michael said as he stood up and clapped his hands together. His pure smile made Muzan want to vomit a little, in fact he was sure that he had thrown up a little in his mouth, but he kept his emotions in check. This was strictly business. "I thought that you wouldn't show up, but of course you would! What a loyal mutt you are!"
"Silence, show me what it is you have. I don't have the time, nor the patience, for your drivel, insect." Muzan replied in a sharp tone, his eyes narrowing. "And if you insult me one more time, I'm going to slaughter you."
"Oh, but of course! As promised!"
Michael whistled and obediently from the shadows of one of the nearby upside-down hanging rooms, a figure leaped out into the light and landed right next to the two men with a hand resting on the hilt of his blade. With a slightly blank expression on his face, Tanjirō stood facing directly ahead with that cloudy effect in his eyes, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that he was standing next to the man he hated with all his passion.
The Demon Lord turned his body towards the young slayer and noticed that the earrings he remembered Tanjirō wore were no longer present, but it hardly mattered to him. Michael had kept his word; he had delivered the thorn in his side that had killed two Lower Moons now since becoming relevant, and it made him angry to see that the boy being a demon was indeed the truth.
"It had to be because of that woman...Tamayo…she was somehow able to create a workaround, different from the method using the Blue Spider Lily..." thought Muzan with a slight growl. his fingers balling up into fists for a moment. As quickly as his anger came it left, and he glanced at the smiling Michael with a raised eyebrow. "So tell me something, angel. What exactly did you do to the boy in order for him to come at your beckon call?"
"I'm glad you asked! You see, and it's quite interesting if I do say so myself, the demon you had sent aboard that train was a Sleep Demon, yes~?" questioned Michael, which Muzan nodded his head to. Could this ability be similar to Lower Moon One's, he wondered?
"What of it?"
"My technique works similarly in principle...you see, the Tanjirō you see before you is not his true self, if you will. I've locked him away inside of his own mind, incapable of freeing himself from within, with his rational and ability to think replaced by a new one, manifested out of the darker desires and urges of his soul."
As Michael explained himself and what he did to the young slayer to Muzan, the demon lord's eyes came to rest upon the blurry, hazy eyes he had and observed them more closely. Michael even watched in amusement without skipping a beat as Muzan moved his hand slowly side to side in front of the young man's face without drawing a single reaction whatsoever.
Externally of course, that was the case. It almost seemed like Tanjirō wasn't even breathing, like he had become a living corpse bound to serve the will of the one who held control over him. Internally it was an entirely different story however, a darker, much more tragic scene.
Inside of his mindscape, similar to the one that had been penetrated by the young boy from the train during his infinite dream cast by Upper Moon One, the once radiant blue sky had turned pitch black. His mind had become a dark, empty void that held little to no light inside of it whatsoever.
The water that covered the surface of the ground looked purple from some kind of unseen, ambient light that gave off the impression of his mind being a sort of black hole.
And within this vacant expanse of nothingness, lying on his back with his limbs bound by some kind of dark restraints of sorts, was Tanjirō himself. He was dressed in his Demon Slayer uniform and haori, like normal, but they looked tattered and worn like he had just gone through some intense battle that had left him on the verge of death. His demon features were non-existent for some reason, leaving him looking human just like he had before his transformation.
Tanjirō looked exhausted, with his eyes barely open, and his breaths slow and ragged, like his life essence was being slowly sucked out of him by whatever unseen force was keeping him bound. Whatever he tried to do, he just couldn't break himself free, leaving him trapped with little to no hope of escape.
"How did things...end up like this…" he thought to himself with a heavy sigh, his right eye closing briefly to let it rest. Every little motion he made seemed to drain him of what little energy he had left, to the point that even keeping his eyes open had become such a task that he couldn't afford to keep his eyelids parted for any longer than a minute or so. "Rengoku-san...my friends...Nezuko…I let everybody down..."
Tanjirō turned his head slowly to the right, his cheek resting against the water's surface, and he let out an exasperated breath of air from the soreness that spread through his body from the tips of his toes to the top of his scalp.
He felt as though he had already slept for months now, even though he figured that it had been maybe a day or two since he had been trapped here. Tanjirō could still remember the feeling of Michael's fingers pressing so firmly against his face, he thought that they were going to pierce his skin and grasp his skull. When that black stuff started to enter his body, he felt as though he was being forcibly ripped away from his own body by his soul, only to get plunged into this deep, dark abyss that he was now inside of. He lost his own sight, his own sense of touch, smell, taste, everything.
Tanjirō had never felt this trapped before, with the dreams he had been put into by Lower Moon One unable to compare to the situation he was in currently. He could only imagine what was happening with his body at the moment, because he had been completely separated from it by whatever that man, Michael, had done to him.
"...Shinobu...I'm sorry...I don't think...I can make it out of this one..."
"So what you're saying is that it's virtually impossible for him to break free from the technique?"
"Oh most certainly, there's very little that he can do while trapped inside of his own body~" Michael said with a devious snicker. "His whole personality has practically been wiped clean, his body is nothing but a puppet to be controlled by the one who gives him orders. His will is retained somewhat, so it doesn't make him completely mindless, but there should be no issues whatsoever."
Muzan stared at the silent Tanjirō for a couple more seconds before then kneeled down in front of the slayer, so that he was looking directly into his eyes, his face less than a foot away from Tanjirō's. He blinked as his hand shook ever so slightly for some reason beyond his knowledge, before he recognized this was happening and brought up his other hand to stop it. Muzan narrowed his eyes slightly again before he pointed to his face, looking directly into Tanjirō's cloudy eyes as he did.
"Do you know who I am?" Muzan asked blankly of the slayer.
"You're...Kibutsuji Muzan, the creator of all demons in Japan…" said Tanjirō back to him in a slightly off-kilter tone, the effects of Michael's technique evident in his speech pattern. Because of his personality, he had lost some of the emotion he had behind his voice, becoming a far more stale and taciturn person. "And I've come here to...serve you."
Muzan stared into Tanjirō's eyes for another few seconds before he stood back up and glanced at the smiling Michael, giving him a slight nod. He was actually impressed with the angel's handiwork in bringing him there, and he made sure to show his appreciation by thanking him.
The angel obliged and gave the demon lord some more frustration by insulting him one last time, despite his earlier threat of slaughter, before departing the Infinity Fortress, leaving Muzan to toy around with his newest servant. Once he confirmed with the Biwa Demon that Michael had indeed left the fortress through the exit she provided for him, Muzan turned back to Tanjirō and held his arms behind his back. He now had the slayer who had inherited those godforsaken earrings under his direct control, with practically no visible or known way for him to break free.
It brought a devilish smile to Muzan's face, a thought entering his mind of rubbing this into the face of the man who had almost killed him all of those years ago. After he finished that train of thought he walked around Tanjirō slowly, examining every inch of the young man before stopping behind him, his plum red eyes piercing through the back of his skull with their gaze. The fact that Tanjirō was made a demon without his blood irked him still, but he had no reason to complain about such a trivial matter like that when Michael had done the job of making him subservient on his own. And besides, he could feel it from the young man, he had grown to be quite strong. All it took was a push in the right direction, a simple order, to set him on the correct path to becoming a truly worthy servant.
"I need you to prove to me that you can become a capable servant. Turn and face me." Muzan ordered firmly, his hands coming out from behind his back as the slayer spun around to look up at his new master. That expression on his face made Muzan smile a little again and chuckle slightly, before his typical frown returned. "I will ask you a question, and I expect you to answer it. Understood?"
"Yes...Muzan-sama…" Tanjirō replied with a slow headnod. His hand had started to quiver over his sword again, but he still didn't know why it was doing such a thing when he was talking to Muzan.
"Will you devour a human being?" Muzan asked in a cold tone, his foot tapping once against the wooden floor.
"No...I won't."
Muzan was expecting a denial later on down the line, perhaps with some sort of order that'd force him to go at odds with his former allies, but to do so right off the bat with his first important question threw him for a loop. Not only was his response quick, but it was firm too, despite Tanjirō's more even-keel behavior. Perhaps it was a side effect of the will he still had left, like Michael had said.
Moreover, the denial came as a blow to Muzan in another sense as well. Tanjirō was a demon, and to be a demon that outright rejected the idea of human consumption irked the demon lord on one hand, but further intrigued him on the other. It was a fact that demons gained power and strength through devouring humans, so why did Tanjirō not want to?
Just by standing next to the young slayer, no more than a foot away, Muzan could sense the youth's strength; it easily matched that and could possibly even exceed that of a Lower Moon's easily. How had he managed to accumulate such strength as a demon without devouring a single human? Was it because of some kind of meddling on Tamayo's part, with her alternative method for demonification?
"This poses a problem...since he's a demon that neither I or the topmost members of the Upper Moons created, it means he's not connected to me by blood. I don't have direct control, nor will I have the assurance of my blood curse that I could enact if needed." Muzan thought as he stroked his chin slowly, deep in thought.
Tanjirō remained totally still with his quivering hand resting on his blade, his mind practically at a standstill save for the thoughts of why his hand was shaking and what was going to happen to him now. He could definitely feel Muzan's prying gaze burrowing into the back of his head, which kept giving him that strange feeling that he couldn't quite place.
It was this odd, nagging sensation in the back of his mind that made him frown slightly because it felt as though it was something important, like he had to know it, because of the weight it carried and what it meant to him. Tanjirō was just unable to recognize the why and the how, which always brought him back to simply shaking it off and thinking of it as the jitters since it was his first meeting with Muzan. It was, of course, the residual feeling of his real personality locked away deep inside of him, but there was nothing that he or it could do about it.
"I could inject him with my blood, in order to satisfy these concerns I have...however, that could ruin a perfectly good opportunity for research. Perhaps, while serving me, this boy can be my lab rat as well." Muzan thought while continuing to gaze at the back of Tanjirō's head. He closed his eyes while mulling over the options, as well as the frustrations that he's had as of late because of his rediscovery by the Corps and the continued failures of his servants to find the Blue Spider Lily. "I need to confirm one thing before I make my decision...he's strong, I can sense it...but does he have possession of a Blood Demon Art?"
Muzan walked back around to stand in front of Tanjirō and fixed his gaze on the slayer's eyes once more, a moment of silence occurring before he asked his next question about a possible Blood Demon Art. Tanjirō responded truthfully with he did have one, as well as the reason behind its conception, which made Muzan bring his hand back up to his chin as he turned his back on him.
To possess this much strength and a developed Blood Demon Art without eating a single human, let alone without tasting a single drop of blood, made him instantly think of Upper Moon Three. He was the closest comparison to Tanjirō because of a personal preference and a promise the demon had made to himself, which he and the other Upper Moons knew and held mixed feelings about. Muzan himself didn't care either way at first, but now that he has Tanjirō, he's beginning to see it in a whole different light.
"Akaza refuses to devour female humans, choosing only males, and despite how that could be detrimental to his growth, he's still achieved the rank of Upper Moon Three. If this boy's managed to amass his strength without the help of any human flesh...yes, yes this is certainly worth looking into."
Tanjirō blinked when Muzan turned back around and placed a hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes briefly before letting go and motioning with a head nod for him to follow. The slayer silently obliged by leaving with him from the central atrium of the Infinity Fortress, with the Biwa Demon striking her instrument to create a direct pathway for them to exit.
The pair walked deeper into the bowels of the maze of rooms and hallways, their perspective changing with every stairway they climbed up or hallway they traversed, which left Tanjirō feeling somewhat awed and nauseous at the same time. He'd never seen something like this before, and he wondered what kind of technique had to be created in order for this place to exist.
"Maybe it's because of the Biwa Demon that this place is a reality...she struck her instrument and that walkway appeared, so maybe…" thought Tanjirō before he saw Muzan stop before a normal looking door, his body turning sideways to him. The demon lord glared down at Tanjirō as he slid the paper door over, hinting at the slayer to enter before he would. "I guess I need to step in here…"
Tanjirō obeyed the silent command from Muzan and walked into the room beyond the door, finding it to be entirely empty, with not even a single piece of furniture inside. The demon lord then held one arm behind his back and raised the other one up as he snapped his fingers, the twang of the biwa being heard soon after.
In an instant the room was conjoined together with another, and the door connecting both together opened up, a man stumbling in soon after. Tanjirō blinked when he saw the man trip a little and catch himself, the smell of alcohol entering his highly trained nose a second later. This man was obviously knackered, which made it easy for Muzan to brutally slaughter him in the blink of an eye with one of his flesh tendrils.
The huge blood splatter created by the almost instant liquefaction of the man reached Tanjirō, staining half of his face and the right sleeve of his haori, but instead of jumping back or cringing in terror, the slayer only blinked another time and said nothing. Muzan smirked slightly, praising the effects of Michael's technique in the back of his mind as he withdrew his flesh tendril halfway, holding it right above Tanjirō. The demon lord didn't even have to say a word for Tanjirō to know what he was going to do, and his body made little effort to resist what was about to happen.
He had made a promise to not devour humans, and that wasn't going to change any time soon. But considering he hadn't been the one to kill the man that Muzan had just summoned solely for execution within the room, something in his mind was telling him that it was fine. It sounded a lot like him, this voice in his mind, and it was telling him that all of this was perfectly fine. As long as he didn't physically devour a human...what harm would some blood do? It should be fine...right?
"This will be your home from now on, until I've seen what I want to see, and discovered what I want to know. I'm going to test you...and it starts with this." Muzan spoke before he released a waterfall of human blood down onto Tanjirō's head and body, drenching him in the thick red liquid. Tanjirō had made sure to close his eyes before the deluge, and only opened them once the last few drops had struck the top of his head. "Taste the blood...and open the door to a world of possibilities."
"I...don't want to…" Tanjirō said while feeling the blood seep through his clothes to touch his skin. His hunger was utterly off the charts now because of the volume of blood he was covered in, with it being the only thing his nose could smell at the moment. Only his will, or whatever was left of it after succumbing to Michael's technique, was preventing him from taking the plunge. "It's a human's blood…"
Muzan didn't say anything, choosing to wait and see if Michael's influence will work its magic on the young slayer. His voice was telling him to have just a taste; a taste so miniscule that it shouldn't be an issue. Again the rationalization of how he wasn't the one to kill the man entered his mind again, repeating itself over and over again through the voice that sounded just like his. Slowly the last shreds of his will were grinded away, until any and all limits that he had on himself were removed entirely, and he willingly opened his mouth to extend out his tongue. Just one taste was all he needed...that's all.
"I'll be back later, where I'll do some research on your body...you may be the key I've been looking for all this time." Muzan said darkly as he slowly left the room as Tanjirō's body started quivering, the voice in his head and his will fighting over whether to taste the blood or not. "And when I'm done with you...I'll make you the weapon that will wipe out the Demon Slayer Corps once and for all…"
The Butterfly Mansion was as quiet as it had ever been, so quiet that it gave Zenitsu the chills, even when it shouldn't because this should basically be like a second home to him. It's been a week or so since he and Inosuke had been brought back to the mansion to receive treatment for their wounds, which of course wasn't something they were happy about. Aoi wasn't either, but she took care of them regardless along with the girl's help, since Shinobu was busy tending to Kyōjurō.
"To think that even a Hashira could end up that badly injured...even Inosuke feels terrible about what happened to him. He's almost back to that 'feeling useless' state because of what happened to Rengoku-san and Tanjirō's disappearance." Zenitsu thought as he walked through the halls of the mansion, carrying a tray of food he was going to eat back in their room with Inosuke. Bandages were wrapped around his head from the blow he sustained, and he looked tired with some bags under his eyes. He hadn't slept that well because he couldn't stop thinking about his friend and what had happened to him. "I honestly feel the same way...I was able to protect Nezuko-chan, but for things to turn out the way they have...did I really do anything at all?"
Zenitsu rounded the corner and he spotted Shinobu ahead of him walking towards the intensive care section of the hospital, his heart dropping a little when he could hear her. She still sounded as sad as ever, from the way she walked to the way she breathed, and he figured that it had to do with the same reasons Inosuke and him were feeling down. Nezuko was following Shinobu closely as well, practically holding onto the entrails of her haori with her hand while avoiding any and all sunlight that they could encounter.
It was the same story for Nezuko too, who he automatically knew without even having to look or hear her was feeling just as terrible, if not more so, about the whole situation with her older brother. Zenitsu wasn't quite sure about the reason why she had taken to following Shinobu around so much, but it's not like he could ask her to tell him since she has to wear her bamboo muzzle. Asking Shinobu might be a little too personal, considering her rank seniority over him, but with his hearing he guessed that some kind of connection had been made between her and Tanjirō during their time at the mansion before their departure.
"I better stop thinking about it right now...Inosuke's gonna want to eat these buns to try and feel better…" Zenitsu thought once he reached their room and walked inside at the same time as Shinobu and Nezuko turned down the hallway towards Kyōjurō's room.
Once there Shinobu opened the door and stepped inside first to close the window and draw the blinds so that Nezuko could enter and not have to worry about the sun's rays posing a risk to her. Kyōjurō's condition hadn't gotten any better since his arrival a week earlier, with the only good news being that his severe injuries had started to show signs of recovery.
This was Nezuko's first time coming with Shinobu to see the fallen Flame Hashira, and as soon as she climbed up onto the chair set up next to the bed to get a better glimpse at him, she immediately reached out and held his hand. She couldn't speak, but Shinobu could guess what she wanted to say if she had the capability to do so, and Kyōjurō was awake to hear her. Almost like a support animal, Nezuko's presence close to Shinobu had managed to help heal her wounded heart and get her back to thinking straight. She also believed that Nezuko could sense just how much her older brother mattered to Shinobu, which made her wonder if the girl had guessed what kind of relationship they actually had. Perhaps that's why Nezuko had started to stick to her like glue, because she considered the Insect Hashira a part of their family now.
"Whatever the reason is...I'm seeing why Tanjirō cared so much about her, even after she was turned into a demon." Shinobu thought as she watched Nezuko with a soft smile. "She's so precious and caring towards anyone she meets...and from what I heard from those two, she'll ruthlessly protect any and all humans without a second of hesitation."
Thinking of that was what made Tanjirō's apparent abandonment of her all the more confusing, and it further convinced her that there had to be someone else there that knocked Zenitsu and Inosuke out. To blame Kyōjurō's current condition on Tanjirō going berserk was a false claim that had little to no evidence aside from the attack itself being caused by someone with the strength of a demon.
Sanemi and Obanai were convinced it was Tanjirō, since they had been against him and his sister from the very start, Gyōmei appeared to have slight doubts but still sided with the former two, and Tengen surprised her by stating it was rather odd to see someone so vibrantly protective of his sister just up and vanish like that without a moment's notice. She figured that he still had strong doubts about Tanjirō and Nezuko's credibility as demon slayers, but the chance for the second oldest Hashira to overturn those feelings was there.
Muichirō of course showed little to interest in the debacle, and could take either side on whether Tanjirō put their fellow Hashira into a coma or not. It was Mitsuri who stood by Shinobu and tried to vouch for Tanjirō, but of course their argument wasn't even considered to be serious by Sanemi and Obanai.
"Of course, this was just a meeting between ourselves...I wonder what Oyakata-sama thinks about this situation, since I'm sure he was the first to hear of this news before any of us. It's odd that he hasn't addressed his opinion to any of us yet…"
Once Nezuko was done holding Kyōjurō's hand she abdicated the chair for Shinobu, so that she could sit down and take some time with her comrade. She thanked Nezuko as she sat down by giving her a light pat on the head, which brought a content muffled sigh from her. As she looked over Kyōjurō's peacefully resting body, her mind randomly drifted back to the talk she had with Tanjirō about the Flame Hashira and her eyes widened a little. That Hinokami Kagura he had mentioned, and her referral to Kyōjurō replayed itself through her memories like a broken record.
"Was he able to find out anything…? Maybe...I could try and find out myself. And offer my condolences to Rengoku-san's family too…" thought Shinobu as she nodded to herself, before she stood up and began walking towards the door.
Shinobu didn't get very far when she felt Nezuko tug on the back of one of her sleeves, the Hashira stopping and looking down into the younger girl's eyes for a brief moment and immediately felt her heart melt. She was telling her through her vision alone that wherever Shinobu was wanting to go, she wanted to go too, since there was no one else that she could be this close to.
Zenitsu and Inosuke were options, sure, but they didn't click as well as Shinobu was to her. She considered them as her brothers like Tanjirō was, while the Insect Hashira she considered to be almost like a surrogate mother because of how she takes care of everyone. Of course she was more than just a motherly-type figure to Tanjirō, and Nezuko actually had no idea about their love for one another, even though Shinobu thought she did, but that didn't mean she still couldn't think of Shinobu that way.
"Are you wanting to stay with me for the day, Nezuko-chan?" Shinobu asked softly, the young girl nodding her head once.
"Mmph." she replied while still holding onto Shinobu's sleeve.
"Then let's go get your box then."
Shinobu removed Nezuko's hand from her sleeve and held it instead, like a mother would their daughter, before they walked together from Kyōjurō's room back to her room where Nezuko's box had been transferred to. Once there Nezuko climbed into her box after shrinking herself down and closed the door, as if it were clockwork, which brought a slight genuine smile to Shinobu's face with how even that looked adorable.
Once she was safely secure inside of her carrying box, Shinobu grabbed the straps and hoisted it up and around her shoulders so that she could take the girl with her to the Rengoku family residence.
Thankfully for her, it wasn't that long of a stroll from the Butterfly Mansion, since all of the buildings that were contained within the walls of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters had been built rather close to emphasize their unison against a common enemy. As soon as she saw the residence come into view, its size around the same as her own with the obvious lack of a hospital building attached to it, she could see someone that looked like a miniature version of Kyōjurō outside the front entrance sweeping.
"Senjurō-kun!" said Shinobu with a soft smile and a wave, the young boy jumping a little and looking in her direction. Despite being practically an exact copy of his older brother, Senjurō had a rather saddened expression, which contrasted heavily with the passionate and fiery smile that Kyōjurō would constantly have. "Are you doing okay?"
"Ah, Kochō-san, welcome...I'm doing fine, with all things considered…" Senjurō replied with a slight smile that tried to mask his obvious sorrow.
"I can understand...I know what it's like to lose a beloved family member…I thought I could come and give my condolences to you, about what happened to Rengoku-san."
"Save your breath, it's just worthless crap anyways!"
Shinobu's eyes widened and both she and Senjurō turned their heads towards the sound of the voice that came from the front door of the Rengoku house. Standing there with an angry expression was the current Rengoku patriarch, Senjurō and Kyōjurō's father, Shinjurō Rengoku. Compared to both of his sons, Shinjurō definitely looked far angrier than both of them because of the way his eyes slanted inward, and she wondered if that was partly due to the large gourd of alcohol he was holding in his left hand.
"It's because he became a swordsman despite having barely any talent...that's why he ended up becoming a punching bag and going into a coma! Kyōjurō was a fool of a son!" shouted Shinjurō with a slight hiccup while staring at the both of them, his harsh words causing Sinobu's smile of empathy to drop into a frown.
This was no way to talk about your own flesh and blood; just hearing Kyōjurō's own father speak about him in such a manner caused her anger to spike. She, just like Tanjirō had sympathized with her about, knew what it was like to lose a family member or see them get injured to such an extent.
Shinobu wasn't going to make any firm judgements just yet though, since it was obvious to anyone that Shinjurō had been drinking prior to his appearance, and certainly had a buzz going. The way his body was leaning against the door frame and how he somewhat lazily pulled the stopper out of his gourd to take a drink, the signs were all there. Maybe it was the drink and his own residual frustration of not being able to help that was speaking, not his true feelings.
"A small fraction of people have talent, the rest are just riffraff...garbage without any value! Kyōjurō was like that, lacking in any great talent. It was only a matter of time before he got himself hurt like that, or killed." continued Shinjurō while he waved his hand around absentmindedly, like he was completely dismissive of his own son. Those words made Shinobu's frown deepen, especially when she glanced down and saw Senjurō lower his head when he started to tear up, which didn't go unnoticed. "Senjurō! Get over yourself! How long are you going to make that pathetic expression!?"
"Shinjurō-san, please refrain from speaking that way anymore. That's a rather cruel thing to say about my comrade." Shinobu said while gently pulling the young boy behind her somewhat.
"Who cares what you think? You're one of those new Hashira, aren't you? Go on, get the hell out! Don't even think about taking one step into my home!"
"I've come to ask some questions that a friend of mine would've wanted to know from Rengoku-san. He was wondering about some kind of Flame Breathing, and he wore these earrings-"
As soon as Shinobu held up Tanjirō's earrings, who Nezuko had allowed her to hold onto the day prior for a little while, she gasped a little when Shinjurō dropped his gourd onto the ground. It shattered into dozens of pieces, its contents spilling onto the grass and stone path that led from the front door to the gate.
"Th...Those earrings, you...you got those from a Sun Breathing user, right?! That's exactly right!" he stammered while pointing an accusing finger at Shinobu, specifically the earrings themselves.
"Sun Breathing? Could this be what Tanjirō was referring to? The 'Flame Breathing' that his father did, from which the Hinokami Kagura came from?" Shinobu thought with a slightly confused expression.
Suddenly Shinjurō, with an inferno of fury raging in both of his eyes, tried to lunge at her with a blinding speed that his age and appearance contrasted with. She reacted just as quickly and easily sidestepped him, her haori's entrails fluttering like the wings of a butterfly behind her as she clutched Tanjirō's earrings close to her chest.
"Otō-san, please stop! She's a Hashira! You're not acting like yourself!" cried Senjurō while he tugged on one of his father's arms after his failed rush of the Insect Hashira.
A vein bulged out from the side of her forehead when Shinjurō shouted at his son to be silent and backhanded him away harshly, leaving a nasty mark on his left cheek and making him fall onto the ground hard. A gasp of pain escaped young Senjurō's mouth once his head struck one of the flat stones that made up the walkway, and Shinobu saw some blood start to ooze from the corner of his mouth.
"Shinjurō-san, that's enough! This attitude is not becoming of the former Flame Hashira!" Shinobu shouted angrily, her hand balling up into a fist. "What the hell is wrong with you? Badmouthing one of your son's when he's in a coma he may not wake up from, and hitting your other child as if he were trash!?"
"You're just making fun of us, aren't you?" uttered Shinjurō in a low, threatening tone.
"Why would you, of all people, think that? Don't you dare accuse me of such a thing!"
"It's because of those earrings, you know somebody that's a Sun Breathing user! I know about those earrings, those damned things! It was written!"
Shinobu growled as she held back her anger, her fist shaking slightly, because Shinjurō had said the name of the mysterious breathing style once again. Sun Breathing, she had never heard of such a thing. What struck her is how Shinjurō seemed to know a great deal about the earrings that Tanjirō wore, but for him to act in such a manner against her because of them, just what kind of history did they have? And why were they related to this so-called Sun Breathing?
As Senjurō picked himself up from the ground while cupping his bruised cheek, his father was breathing hard with his fists clenched tightly, his angry-looking eyes staring intensely at Shinobu. She didn't feel that threatened by the man, but she hoped that a fight didn't break out between them because even though he was retired, Shinjurō showcased that he still retained his speed, and possibly even more.
"Sun Breathing... is the original breathing style...the godly ancestor of all other known breathing styles! The first one ever created!" Shinjurō exclaimed while pointing again at Shinobu, who's eyes shot wide open when she heard those words roll off his tongue. First ever breathing style? The origin of all other styles? "Every other breathing style is nothing more than an imitation of Sun Breathing! They're not only blatant copies, but also inferior in every way! Water, Flame, Wind, all of them!"
Shinobu was at a loss for words with this new information she was just given, her mouth agape in genuine surprise. If Sun Breathing was as godlike as Shinjurō was making it out to be, then how was it that Tanjirō's father was able to perform it under a different name? She remembered hearing of his family, how they were but simple coal miners, who every year did a special kind of dance that Tanjirō's father was able to carry out over the course of an entire day.
Was Tanjirō's family somehow related to the mysterious breathing style, in that they perhaps have an ancestor who was able to utilize it? If so, why was it called Hinokami Kagura and not Sun Breathing, and why was it made into a dance and not taught as a way to kill demons?
"Those blasted earrings...all they do is mock us...get out." snarled Shinjurō as he finally took a step forward, bringing Shinobu out of her thoughts at his approach. "Get out and don't you dare bring them back!"
"I will not. If you won't answer your questions, then-"
"Get the hell out of here!"
Shinjurō lunged at Shinobu again, showing off his speed again, but the Insect Hashira was faster with her hand and stopped him dead in his tracks by drawing her stinger blade and pointing its tip at his throat. Her eyes and body language meant business, she was intent on not going anywhere.
The former Hashira grinded his teeth together before backing off and turning around, muttering something under his breath about getting more alcohol before leaving the Rengoku household entirely. Once he was gone, his footsteps fading away until they weren't heard anymore, Shinobu sighed and shook her head side to side while sheathing her sword.
"I'm so sorry you had to be part of that, Kochō-san…" Senjurō apologized, bowing to the Hashira.
"Don't worry your little head, Senjurō-kun...I'm not angry at you. Actually, I'm more concerned with how your cheek is." replied Shinobu as she smiled again and kneeled down in front of the boy, lifting a hand up to cup his unharmed cheek so she could examine his hurt one closer. "Do you have medical supplies in your home? Bandages?"
"Here's your tea, Kochō-san. Please, drink it." insisted Senjurō as he handed Shinobu a cup of hot tea, the pair sitting in the common area of their home where the burner was for warming up food or, in this case tea, was located.
"You didn't have to do that, Senjurō-kun...but thank you anyways~"
Shinobu smiled sweetly as she took the cup from Senjurō's hands, her smile causing him to blush at her cuteness and sit down a little awkwardly beside her next to the small stove. She took a sip of the tea and found it fairly well made, an affirmative nod of approval making Senjurō smile back at her before he watched her set the cup down and remove Nezuko's box from her shoulders.
He was intrigued by what kind of purpose the box had and what it meant to the Insect Hashira, but he didn't think anything of it right then because something else was on his mind. Thankfully though it wasn't the pain that was radiating from his cheek, which had lessened thanks to Shinobu treating it with her expert medical knowledge and bandaging it up for him.
"Thank you, by the way...I feel relieved." Senjurō said as he rested his hands on his lap, his gaze lowering to his knees.
"For what, Senjurō-kun?"
"Defending my brother...even though he was being bad-mouthed, I couldn't even say a single thing…"
It looked as if Senjurō was about to start crying, with the way his lower lip had begun to quiver, so Shinobu quickly leapt into action by bringing up a hand and resting it gently on top of Senjurō's head so that she could run her fingers through his hair. The maternal head rub caught him by surprise and made him lift his gaze up to her, see her beautiful smile, and immediately feel his sadness fade away.
She didn't even have to say anything to get what she would have said across to the young Senjurō, who after looking into Shinobu's eyes for a couple seconds, began to smile too. He then hugged her without warning, because in those few seconds he saw his own mother in the Hashira, and he felt compelled to give her thanks in one of the few ways he knew how.
"So, Senjurō-kun...is there possibly anything here that could have information about Sun Breathing?" she asked before taking another slow sip of tea from her cup after Senjurō finished hugging her and scooted back. He frowned a little when he started to think of what she could want to look at, which made Shinobu smile and giggle at him because the answer was simpler than he thought. "Perhaps a book of sorts? Records?"
"A-Ah, yeah...I think I know something that might have what you're asking for. I'll bring it over!"
Senjurō quickly stood up and left the room, most likely more to avoid Shinobu laughing at his blush again, than to actually leave and find what he was thinking of in a timely manner. While she waited, Shinobu finished drinking her tea and set the cup down close to the burner where the teapot rested, before leaning back and looking to Nezuko's box resting next to her.
Wanting to check on Nezuko inside she carefully opened the door and peered in, seeing the innocent pink eyes of the girl looking back at her from the shadows of the box. Her small body curled up inside of the cramped space, with her arms hugging her knees to her chest and her large clothes making her look like a munchkin, brought another giggle out of Shinobu as she waved at her. Then she closed the door once she sensed Senjurō was returning and sat back up with her hands on her thighs, her eyes looking to the door that he left from for his return, which occurred a few seconds later.
"Okay, I think this might be it...this is what I see Otō-san looking at so often when he's at home." Senjurō said as he walked up to Shinobu and sat back down next to her in seiza, handing her a book of sorts with the title "The 21st Generation of Flame Hashira".
"Thank you very much, Senjurō-kun~ Now, let's see what's inside…" Shinobu replied after receiving the book, before she dipped her finger behind the first page and opened it up.
Both she and Senjurō gasped when upon looking into the book, they found that practically all of the pages had been ripped to shreds. The message they tried to convey was practically unreadable, being a garbled mess of kanji that didn't fit together or made new, bogus kanji because they happened to line up perfectly between pages.
Shinobu tried to see if any part of the book was salvageable by flipping through page after page, but only found the same damage persisted.
"Was it originally like this, Senjurō-kun?"
"No, it wasn't like this...the Flame Hashira Generational Record is supposed to be really well preserved…" said Senjurō as he took the book back and kept looking through it, his saddened expression only deepening as he saw that the entire book was torn up, cover to cover. "I think Otō-san must have tore it apart...I'm sorry…"
"Don't be! It wasn't your fault, Senjurō-kun. Please don't think about it too much." said Shinobu while waving her hand a little and smiling.
"But you purposefully came all this way, just to find nothing about Sun Breathing or the Hinokami Kagura you talked about."
"It's fine, really. I appreciate your efforts regardless."
Shinobu gave Senjurō one last smile and a rub on the top of his head before she stood up, grabbing Nezuko's box as she did, and pulled the carrying straps back onto her shoulders before ensuring it was on properly. Once she did, she gave Senjurō a goodbye and went to see herself out of the house before he called out to her again.
She turned her head and glanced back at him, hearing him say that he'd try to restore the records by using other sources and his own skill so that he could give her a properly completed version if she still wanted it. Shinobu thanked him and with a giggle she left the Rengoku household, intent on getting out of there before Senjurō's father returned from getting more alcohol to drink.
"So there is a breathing style that all others are derived from...including my own, and my sister's…" murmured Shinobu to herself as she walked, her gaze dropping down towards her feet for a few moments. "I wonder what happened for it to stop being practiced...and what does it have to do with Tanjirō's hanafuda-style earrings?"
^ Five Months Later ^
The Hashira and the Master were once again back in the latter's meager home for their semiannual meeting, which was being held a little earlier than scheduled because of the important topic that they had to discuss. They were silent because the Master was always the one who initiated the meeting, but even if nobody was speaking, Shinobu could feel the tension present in the air.
Kyōjurō was the only Hashira not present of course, and his noticeable absence was directly responsible for the lack of emotion in the room. He had always been the life of sorts among the Hashira, because of his fiery and passionate personality as well as his appearance. Learning about his condition had been a huge blow to them, but it wasn't enough to stop them from continuing to perform their duties in service to the Master and the Demon Slayer Corps.
"I shall now begin the second semiannual Hashira Meeting. I'm sure all of you know exactly why we're here, so I won't waste time leading up to it. The Kamado siblings, specifically Kamado Tanjirō's disappearance in accordance with Kyōjurō's injuries and subsequent coma." spoke the Master calmly from across the assembled Hashira, the light of the two lamps flanking him illuminating his face and the skin disease that had progressed further down towards his cheeks. "Firstly, I'd like to hear your opinions on this matter."
"We should kill the girl for what her brother did and punish Tomioka and the Cultivator that wrote that letter, Oyakata-sama." spoke Obanai first without wasting a single breath, Shinobu's jaw clenching at the thought of him harming Nezuko. "It clearly stated that if either of them harmed a human, then-"
"You can't prove it was Tanjirō, Iguro-san. How many times must we tell you this?" Shinobu interjected while glaring at the Snake Hashira.
"Rengoku was left with a hole in his abdomen and severe internal injuries. Only a demon could have caused such devastating blows to his body, Kochō, and if I remember correctly, that boy was a demon."
"Ahh, so fierce Iguro-san! And Shinobu, you're so cool!" thought Mitsuri as she stared at the two of them with an obvious blush, before she felt Tengen's eyes on her and she quickly cleaned up her act and coughed a little. "He is a demon, yes, but you're forgetting something else too…"
"Kamado Nezuko, his sister." spoke up the Master, Shinobu and Obanai immediately cutting off their silent stare down and returning their gazes to him. She wanted to get through Obanai's thick skull and was close to actually getting physical because of how stubborn he was, but she couldn't risk losing her composure in front of the Master or possibly revealing her feelings for Tanjirō. "I apologize for interrupting you, my children. Please, continue. I'll hold my own thoughts and opinions until you're done."
Silence persisted among the Hashira for another minute or two before Gyōmei added his words to the table, as well as Tengen, the two repeating their previous statements that they've spoken amongst one another already. Nothing had changed from before, even after five months of no sign of Tanjirō.
Demon attacks still occurred, but none of them were caused, or seemed to be, by Tanjirō because they never consisted of anything close to a wound by a nichirin blade. He still had his weapon, and he had every reason to use it along with his appearance with the official Demon Slayer Corps uniform to take advantage of unsuspecting humans in order to devour them. But nothing was ever found or traced back to him, which Shinobu was secretly beyond thankful for because it meant that he was still keeping his promise.
Not that it mattered to Obanai or Sanemi, since they were still stuck in their ways and adamant in their beliefs that Tanjirō and Nezuko weren't any good.
"Personally, Oyakata-sama, this is grounds for following through with what that letter stated. Regardless if there's a lack of actual evidence or not, the fact that Rengoku was injured by a demon, and the boy was the only demon there aside from his sister, is too coincidental." Sanemi stated while lifting his gaze up to the Master, his statement drawing Shinobu's gaze towards him, along with the rest of the Hashira. "I realize it wasn't the girl, based on the testimonies by the other two slayers present, but it could have just been a ploy to use her as bait to distract them."
"The whole spiel about wanting to protect her could have just been a cover up to gain our trust and utilize it to eliminate a Hashira from contention." Obanai added coldly.
"Over a span of months? To think that is absolutely ridiculous." Shinobu finally said with an irritable tone, her gaze turning towards Sanemi.
"Demons despise working with one another, Kochō. Are you seriously tellin' me you believed all of his crap?"
"Kamado Tanjirō truly cares for his sister. I saw it first hand when I encountered them after she first became a demon." Giyū spoke up for the first time, his gaze remaining firmly looking forward. His monotone voice brought all eyes on him, since he usually never spoke during these meetings, with Obanai and Sanemi's being the most intense out of the bunch. "I witnessed first hand how Nezuko protected her brother after he did the same for her, even though she was a demon. You can think what you want of the two siblings...but do not doubt their bond."
Sanemi looked as if he were about to say something, but he was quickly shut down when the Master lifted his hand up to his face and extended one index finger in front of his lips, calling for silence in the meeting. The Hashira readily obliged and regained their respectful composure while waiting for the Master to begin speaking again.
After silence captured the room, he lowered his hand and slowly nodded his head now that he had heard their opinions. Giyū's words had been a welcome surprise, and he appreciated his input considering how closely he was wrapped up in the Kamado siblings and their employment within the Corps. There was some suspense among the slayers as they waited for the Master to formulate his response to them, which was taking a little longer than they thought, almost to the point where some were beginning to think he was doing this on purpose.
"I can see that you've spoken about this topic among yourselves, and it warms my heart to know that you all are just as invested in this conundrum as I am. What I will say though, is this." started the Master as he brought his hands up to symbolize everyone sitting before him in the room. "My children, we are supposed to be united, not at one another's throats. Obanai, Sanemi, Shinobu, all three of you would make Kyōjurō proud with how passionate you are in your beliefs, but they should not divide us."
"Yes, Oyakata-sama…" replied Shinobu with a light sigh, the other two mentioned Hashira bowing their heads and offering their own apologies after her's. She still couldn't fully ease her emotions and she clenched her jaw only slightly, however she did find herself glancing over at Giyū and catching his gaze. The Water Hashira gave her a tiny nod before looking at the Master again, his little silent "you're welcome" bringing a little smile back and lessened some of her frustration. "Maybe you're not so bad after all, Tomioka-san…"
"With that settled, I'll move on to what I will say about the Kamado siblings. Sanemi, Obanai, I can understand and agree with the points you've given." the Master said as he rested his hands back on his thighs, his shoulders relaxing.
Sanemi raised his eyebrow in silent anticipation for what he was going to say, his hope of the Master granting him permission to act on what should've been done a long time ago rising. Obanai was thinking the same thing; he was itching to teach Giyū a lesson not just because it would be justified, but he had never really liked the Hashira in the first place.
The way he was so distant from everyone else, how he never spoke, those things made him an outcast among the Hashira, which to Obanai made him feel as though he didn't belong.
"However, we cannot jump to conclusions so soon. Yes, it could be true that Tanjirō tricked us, but as Giyū stated, even before he became a demon, he was risking his life protecting Nezuko." said the Master calmly with a straight face, Tengen frowning a little and crossing his arms over his chest while tilting his head to the left.
"So let's assume their bond is as genuine as it seems, why would the Kamado boy leave her behind?" Tengen asked in order to open up a different side of the dialogue. The Master and the Hashira looked at him as he lowered his head as he thought his argument through, the dangling stones coming from his headband jingling a little. "For somebody who was pretty flamboyantly protecting her, it's pretty weird he'd just leave her behind."
"That will lead into my next point, Tengen. Because the testimonies of Zenitsu and Inosuke, who were present at the train wreck as well, it is my belief that a second demon aside from the one who fused with the Infinite Train appeared on the scene. What's significant about this is that there are two guesses as to what happened." explained the Master as he held up one hand to symbolize the first option, and the other for the second. "Either the demon somehow had a connection to Tanjirō, if we are to believe he sought to incapacitate or kill a Hashira, and assisted him. Or on the other hand...this demon was the one who engaged Kyōjurō and Tanjirō in battle, incapacitated the former, and kidnapped the latter. And we all know what kind of demon would be capable of such a feat."
Nobody needed to say what the Master was referring to, since he was right in saying they already knew what the answer was. The only kind of demon capable of causing such damage to a Hashira, who are their strongest warriors, was an Upper Moon of the Twelve Kizuki. Muzan would never dirty his hands directly, since it would undermine his attempts to remain hidden and out of sight, so the logical answer would be his strongest lieutenants.
Even Sanemi and Obanai could not deny the plausibility of that argument, because it was even more likely than Tanjirō being the one to cause the damage. Kyōjurō was one of their strongest members, so for a slayer like him to get defeated in such a brutal fashion by somebody who only became a demon recently in general terms, it seemed even more far-fetched than before.
Shinobu almost wanted to stick her tongue out and tell Obanai and Sanemi "I told you so" in order to rub it in their face, but this feeling of accomplishment was replaced by a terror that gripped her heart at the thought of Tanjirō being in Muzan's grasp. Memories of her past and her sister's death at the hand of a certain Upper Moon circled back into her mind and he made her shiver.
"If this is true, then that would mean our greatest enemy now has his hands on Tanjirō. Anything could have happened to him over these several months, so I will give you, my children, an ultimatum." continued the Master as he fixed his blinded gaze on all of them, the Hashira intently focusing on him to hear what he said next. "If there is a chance to rescue Tanjirō, no matter how little, I believe we must attempt it. But if he has given in and become one of Kibutsuji's servants...do not hesitate to end his life. As much as it pains me to say this, we must not allow our enemy to gain any more strong members."
The Hashira morbidly nod their heads at the Master's proclamation, and with that their meeting actually came to an end. That was the only thing they were going to discuss, and one by one they filed out of the meeting room until Shinobu was the only one left. She was ready to stand up and leave, yet she didn't want to, not yet. There was still something weighing heavily on her mind, something that gained even more weight after hearing what the Master had just said.
"Shinobu, you're still here. Is there something else that you'd like to discuss?" the Master questioned with his characteristic warm smile. The Insect Hashira lifted her head up and saw the warm smile, which relieved some of her stress, but only to a point.
"Y...Yes, Oyakata-sama, I-"
"Now that we're alone, you don't have to refer to me by that title if you don't want to, Shinobu. I'm perfectly fine with you calling me by my name."
Shinobu blinked and she held a hand close to her chest as the man's warm smile dug deeper into her past her emotions of stress and worry, leading her to smile a little as well as she relaxed some.
"Yes...Ubuyashiki-sama…" Shinobu said to correct herself, the man nodding his head. "I do have something to say...I don't want to take up too much of your time, so I'll just say it. Do you think we can really bring Tanjirō back?"
"Tanjirō is and will always be one of our children...I do believe that we can bring him back, I hope for it, actually. But I'm sensing another reason behind this question, Shinobu...you care for him a lot, don't you?"
The two girls sitting on either side of Ubuyashiki watched Shinobu's eyes widen and her hand press more against her chest over her heart. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze from the man, and they saw her cheeks actually turn slightly red as well. Even when he was blind, she felt as though he could see right through her, down into the deepest parts of her soul.
After a couple seconds of silence Ubuyashiki asked one of the girls to tell him how Shinobu had reacted to his question, and she told him that she was blushing with an embarrassed expression on her face. He smiled warmly and chuckled a little to himself while covering his mouth a little, his laughter causing Shinobu to blush even more.
"If only your sister Kanae were here to see this...I know of her dream just as much as you do, Shinobu. I presume young Tanjirō has taken up her quest as well?" asked Ubuyashiki gently, so as to convey to the Hashira that he wasn't the least bit upset with her.
"That's...correct, Ubuyashiki-sama…"
"These feelings of yours that you have towards him go beyond that of a friendship, don't they?"
Shinobu didn't say anything and shyly nodded her head, the girls with Ubuyashiki telling him her response, to which continued to smile while he held his hands out to them. The girls assisted him in standing up slowly because of his condition, until he was back on his feet and looking down at Shinobu.
Then he took one step forward with their help and reached out with a hand, using his senses to guide it down until he placed it gently on top of Shinobu's head to give her hair a rub. Shinobu's eyes widened and her face turned another shade of red as Ubuyashiki rubbed her head, like a father would with their child, until he was walked towards the room's exit by the two girls..
"I will hope along with you that we will be able to bring him back, Shinobu. I wouldn't want to see you cry again, my child." Ubuyashiki said to Shinobu before he left her alone in the room.
Shinobu cupped a hand over her mouth when his warm, fatherly words melted down her barriers and reached her heart, causing her lower lip to quiver and some tears emerge from the corners of her eyes.
A wave of relief washed over her and she smiled a little behind her hand, her eyes clamping shut to prevent herself from crying out of solace because of Ubuyashiki's words. After taking a few seconds to reclaim her composure she grabbed her blade and slid it back underneath her belt at her hip, before standing up and leaving the room herself in order to return back home. As she walked, a new kind of fire birthed inside of her, forming in the pit of her gut that made her footfalls just a bit heavier and her hands ball up a little. She had a new goal, one that she'd devote herself to accomplishing no matter what.
She wasn't going to lose another person she cared about. Not again.
A/N Hey guys, sorry about taking so long with this one...there wasn't that much to modify with this chapter, but why it took so long was because of school and IRL. Fall baseball practice started, and with having to write my Senior Thesis among other things, I couldn't devote any time to writing my fanfic, and with writing for school, it drained me and left me wanting to play gams rather than write more. I hope you can understand though! I wasn't going to abandon this story at all or anything, not even close!
But yeah, breaks like these will most likely become common place because of all the writing I have to do. So, I deeply apologize for that, since its such a sharp contrast compared to my earlier upload speed with chapters.
Whenever I have the time and the motivation to write, outside of for school, you better believe I'll be working on this, still grinding to get you the best possible story that I can. Leave a fav and review telling me what you think about the little changes here and there that I did, I hope I clarified or at least made Tanjiro's control simpler to understand, since I dont want it to sound convoluted at all. And be honest too.
Thank you guys so much and I'll see you hopefully soon in the next chapter. :}