Demon Slayer AU

By: FunahoMisaki

(A/N: I own nothing and it was just a little blurb that hit me so I had to write it. Maybe a bit OOC.)

"That boy on the mountain looked familiar…I didn't get a good look at his face though since I was trying to behead the demoness he was protecting and then you were holding me back Tomioka-san. I didn't even get to hear his name clearly because of you…" Shinobu Kochou said thoughtfully as all the pillars were meeting to discuss the boy traveling with a demon.

"Ouch! Hey I can walk!" The boy in question was being deposited none to gently by some of the Kakushi members into the clearing with his sister still in her box.

The boy glanced up and his eyes first landed on Giyu and then landed on Shinobu and his mouth dropped open.

"Shinobu?!" The boy asked his eyes wide as he stared at her and her own eyes widened as she stood up and stared back at him, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"T-Tanjiro! Wha…That was you on the mountain?!" Shinobu immediately ignored the confused and curious looks from the rest of the pillars as she went to Tanjiro's side, helping him stand up and supporting him slightly when she saw him wobble a bit.

"I thought that was you but I was so busy trying to keep Nezuko alive and haven't ever seen you wearing that haori that I didn't get a chance to think about it!" Tanjiro said and he was smiling brightly at her as he hugged her and she blushed slightly but was smiling as she hugged him back.

"Nezuko? Nezu-chan? She's the one who…who became a demon?" Shinobu asked and she looked upset and Tanjiro nodded his head with a grimace.

"Yeah I went into town one morning to sell coal so that everyone could eat their fill on the new year and I could afford your present…I stayed the night with Saburo-ji-san at the base of the mountain because he was worried about me going up in the dark due to demons. When I got back home the next morning…" Tanjiro shook his head in the negative and Shinobu frowned.

"Nezuko was the only one who was still warm, she had been protecting Rokuta as best as she could but he was cold. I tried to get her to a doctor but she transformed into a demon on the way and Giyu-san tried to behead her but for some reason didn't and instead put the bamboo gag on her. I promise she's never eaten humans or drank any blood before! She even stopped trying to eat me and cried when I got through to her and she remembered who I was!" Tanjiro said trying to reassure her of that and Shinobu nodded once in understanding and acceptance.

"I heard of demon activity increasing in that area but when I went to go check on you and everyone…I found an empty blood stained house and the graves…I…feared that all of you were gone." Shinobu said and Tanjiro gave her a small sad smile.

"I can attest to his sister being harmless to all humans. I had injured her and she had just transformed and when I knocked out Tanjiro-san as he tried to attack me she kicked me aside and dove towards him…however she didn't try to eat him at all and instead tried to protect him and scare me away." Giyu said but everyone was still staring between Tanjiro and Shinobu curious as to how they knew each other, especially so well.

"You two know each other?" Muichiro asked the obvious but then again he was also looking off at something in the sky facing the opposite direction.

"Ah. Yeah we know each other. We've known each other for a long time." Shinobu said and she smiled at Tanjiro and held her hand out and he immediately took it and held it in his own.

"Although in all the time I've known you I never knew you were a Demon Slayer, much less a Pillar! Even when I learned of Demons and all and remembered what I was told about Kanae-nee-san's death I thought that a demon had simply gotten ahold of her, not that she was a Slayer…" Tanjiro said and Shinobu's smile fell as she looked down.

"Ah sorry to have never told you…I just enjoyed not being treated as a Hashira for a while…" Shinobu said and Tanjiro smiled brightly at her.

"And that's fine! I don't mind at all, it made for a nice surprise today!" Tanjiro said and Shinobu smiled slightly back at him, and it was obvious that this smile was much different from her usual ones.

"I see that there is more than I thought we'd have to talk about here." Kagaya said as he arrived and everyone immediately kneeled, Shinobu pulling Tanjiro down and he followed along immediately.

"You mean like how that poison using bitch seems to know this little punk pretty well to the point that she was worried about his and his families safety?" Sanemi asked jabbing a thumb in Shinobu's direction.

In an instant there was a movement too fast for most to keep up with as Sanemi was slammed into the ground by a fist to his cheek, a darkly glaring Tanjiro now kneeling on his back with Nezuko's box now sitting innocently on the ground where he had been a second ago.

"Don't you ever call her such a filthy word. Apologize this second." Tanjiro hissed darkly at the wind Hashira beneath him while the others all moved or jolted with surprise and alarm aside from Shinobu who sighed slightly.

"Why you little-" Sanemi forced himself up, throwing Tanjiro off of his back and into the air. But Tanjiro came back down with an axe kick that put Sanemi right back into the dirt. After all while his sister was more well known for her legs, Tanjiro's were just as strong if not stronger due to constant hiking up and down the mountains.

"I tolerate no disrespect to her, especially not filthy words like what you used. Apologize." Tanjiro growled out and Shinobu stood and advanced while the other Hashira were beginning to draw their weapons.

"It's alright Tanjiro. Shinazugawa-san is always like that, he doesn't mean any real disrespect and if he did I can more than defend myself." Shinobu said putting a hand on Tanjiros arm and he glanced at her and everyone saw as his face softened.

"As long as you say it's okay but I don't like it. And I know you can defend yourself, but it's alright to let me defend you too sometimes." Tanjiro said smiling at her and taking his foot off of Sanemi's head. The wind pillar immediately shot up with a dark aura around him and getting ready to pummel the little brat.

"Why you ballsy little bas-" Sanemi cut himself off when he found Shinobu's poison coated sword under his chin near his neck.

"Ara ara Shinazugawa-san. Surely you weren't about to try and attack him in front of me were you?" Shinobu asked with her eyes closed and she was giving him a smile but her aura screamed deadly intent at him should he move the wrong way.

"Why do you care so much about him to the point where you side with him over fellow Hashira?" Tengen asked raising an eyebrow at everything that was going on and Shinobu's strange out of behavior actions.

"Why are you helping that little punk?" Sanemi demanded glaring darkly at her and she opened her eyes and blinked at them, tilting her head slightly as if confused by their question.

She even gave them a small bewildered smile.

"It isn't obvious?" Shinobu asked confused by their reactions, she thought she made it obvious.

"That reminds me! I've been holding onto this ever since I got it, that way I could give it to you whenever I found you again!" Tanjiro said breaking the silence without a care as he dug around in his pocket before he took out a small box that he opened to show a ring.

"I've been saving up for a while to get this for you! I hope you like it." Tanjiro said almost shyly at the end as he held the ring out to Shinobu who looked at him in wide eyed shock for a second before she beamed.

"It's perfect dear. Thank you." Shinobu said kissing Tanjiro's cheek as she let him slip the ring onto her left ring finger. It was a regular metal band but it had a small butterfly etched into it and there was a shiny purple stone put into it as well.

"I'm glad. I wasn't sure to go with the blue stone or the purple one I had found while cave exploring but I thought purple matched your eyes better." Tanjiro said smiling brightly at her and she blushed a bit but leaned forward and gave him a quick chaste kiss on the lips, making Mitsuri blush and squeal.

"For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, Shinazugawa-san, of course I would stand by him." Shinobu was absolutely savage as she called out the man staring at her in confusion and disbelief as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Isn't it normal for a wife to care about and help her husband?"