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.)
"I'm afraid that I will be unable to attend to my duties as a Slayer and Hashira for a while Oyakata-sama. I shall be able to continue work making medicine and poison for a while longer however will have to also take a break in a few months." Shinobu said softly to her boss soon after Tengen's retirement after losing his eye and hand and he had almost lost his life if it weren't for Nezuko.
"Oh?" Kagaya asked and he smiled towards her while she merely nodded slightly with a soft smile.
"I am with child sir. I understand that things with Muzan and the Demon Moons are heating up and this is an inopportune time to-" Shinobu was cut off when Kagaya reached out and patted the top of her head, gently rubbing it like he would his young children.
"Forget any of that Shinobu-chan. A child is a wonderful blessing. I'm happy for you and will gladly free you from your duties indefinitely so that you can tend to the child." Kagaya said smiling at her while she blushed slightly but was happy to have her head rubbed again. It's been a long time since she had gotten head rubs.
"I just can not go out and fight for a while sir. I can still do some training to stay in shape and still work in the medical ward until it is almost time for the baby to come." Shinobu said smiling and she gently rubbed her stomach.
"You are the expert Shinobu-chan. I shall defer to your judgement on the matter but if you need any help with the side effects of pregnancy feel free to ask Amane. She knows of some herbs that help with the nausea at the least." Kagaya said and Shinobu nodded her head a bit.
"Thank you sir. I will keep that in mind and likely ask her soon." Shinobu said and Kagaya smiled slightly wider as he dismissed her to go and tell her husband the news since he was once more in the Butterfly Estate healing from his wounds. Kagaya had a feeling that the young man wasn't aware of his wife's status at the moment.
Shinobu immediately left and found Amane to ask for the herbs and remedies for the nausea of an unborn child, the white haired woman smiling softly at her and even giving her a hug while listing which herbs were best for which symptoms like the soreness and nausea.
"A baby is a wonderful thing. Trust me, I've had five of them. There is nothing that will fill you with so much love and relief than hearing your child give its first cry." Amane said quietly and Shinobu smiled in thanks and understanding, gently rubbing at her belly a little bit.
"I'm sure, and I mean no offense but I hope I am not having twins my first time." Shinobu said and Amane let out a laugh.
"Oh believe me I'm not offended at all. I was cursing Kagaya quite vividly within my mind when I learned I was baring twins the first time, much less the second time." Amane said and Shinobu stared at her in wonder a little bit. That was the first time she recalled hearing Amane laugh, ever.
"Go now. I'm sure your husband is waiting." Amane said softly shooing Shinobu away and the Insect Hashira went with a smile and another murmur of thanks. Making her way to the Butterfly Estate she had barely set foot on the property when her three youngest charges came rushing over to her looking alarmed and relieved at the same time.
"Shinobu-sama come quickly! Shinazugawa-sama came to talk to you or something and now he's yelling and arguing with Tanjiro-onii-sama." The three said and Shinobu was immediately running off towards the loud yelling coming from Sanemi that she could now hear.
"Are you done yet Shinazugawa-san?" Tanjiro's voice was calm and even after the yelling stopped for a moment.
"Why you little-"
"You have spent the last five to ten minutes yelling at me for daring to marry above my station and about all the ways I'm not good enough for Shinobu." Tanjiros voice was calm but Shinobu nearly screeched to a halt right outside the doorway. Sanemi was doing what?!
"In that entire time you have not once said anything I didn't already know or think myself." Tanjiro's words had Shinobu's blood running cold.
"She's too beautiful for me? Yes I know. She's a goddess, of course she's too beautiful for me. She's too smart for me? Of course she is, I was just a coal seller after all. She's too strong for me? Naturally, she's the strongest woman I know. She deserves better than me? I am aware, she deserves all the love and best things in the world and I am only able to give her love. She doesn't deserve to be stuck with me for the rest of my life? I know that. She deserves much better than me like I just said. Nothing of what you have been yelling at me over and over about for the last several minutes is anything I haven't thought myself. I've known all of this since before we even married even if I hadn't been aware she was a Demon Slayer, much less a Hashira." Tanjiro said and his voice was even and unbothered as he listed those things.
"I have no idea why she loves me. Not when she can do many times better…but she does love me and I love her. I love her so much that it physically hurts me sometimes because I think my heart will explode. I would do anything to make her happy. If that meant she wanted to leave me for someone better? Alright. I'd hate it and probably never love again, but I would let her go and not show her how much it hurt me because she would be happy and that's more important to me than anything." Tanjiro said and there were tears in Shinobu's eyes as she listened to him speak and she looked at her stunned and teary eyed girls who were staring at her.
"Don't mistake me for a fool however. You claim you were letting me know my place because you were concerned about me dragging her down, and I'm sure that's partially true, but that isn't the entire thing is it? You cannot lie to my nose Shinazugawa-san. I can smell the bitter scent of anger and resentment from you, the horribly sour scent of jealousy. The reason you're so angry about my marriage to her and why you told everyone the invites were fake was because you were angry, bitter, and jealous. The other scent around you whenever Shinobu is nearby…that horrid smell of lust. You desire her. It's not love, that has a much nicer smell to it. You desire her body, you desire her as your wife so you can have her body and have a strong wife. That's one of the main reasons you hate me so much. Because I am married to the one you desire." Tanjiro's voice was still completely calm and Shinobu was shocked at hearing this, glancing at the others who seemed just as stunned.
"Ah that explains the small signs of attraction he displays whenever Shinobu-nee-san is nearby." Kanao said from within the room.
"What you don't understand Shinazugawa-san, is that women are not property. You are not entitled to a woman because you lust for her or fancy her. Even if a woman is married she does not belong to her husband, a woman belongs to no one but herself. If Shinobu wished to leave me for you then I would be upset but I would understand that she wanted someone else and I would wish her the best. I would not fight or force her to stay with me if she were not happy. Could you say the same? That you would willingly let her leave for the arms of another if it made her happy? If not then you do not truly love her, merely lust after her." Tanjiro's voice never once wavered and Shinobu wiped away her tears as she moved to enter the open doorway.
"You condescending little bastard. If she can't tell for herself that you're the worst husband for her then I'll just have to take her from you and prove why I'm so much better." Sanemi snarled and he had his sword aiming for Tanjiro and therefore Kanao who was standing just in front of him almost protectively. Tanjiro lunged forward and shoved Kanao to the side, getting her out of the blades path, and took the sword straight to his forehead with a loud cracking sound.
"Tanjiro!" Shinobu screamed as she dashed forward and kicked Sanemi to the side.
"I'm okay Shinobu. I'm okay. He hit my forehead." Tanjiro said smiling softly at her as she whirled to check on him while keeping Sanemi pinned to the ground.
"Thank goodness." Shinobu said relieved when she didn't see so much as a scratch on her husband.
"Kanao-chan kindly tell the first crow you see that Sanemi Shinazugawa is under arrest pending an investigation for attempting to murder two fellow Demon Slayers." Shinobu said even as she clapped restraints on her fellow Hashira while the three youngest came running over to check on Tanjiro.
"That little shit broke my sword!" Sanemi said forcing Shinobu off of him and lunging towards Tanjiro.
"Calm. Down." Tanjiro growled at him as he slammed his head into Sanemi's with a nasty crack sound.
"Oh dear. I think you gave him a concussion." Shinobu didn't look the least bit upset or bothered by that after Sanemi fell backwards out cold with a little bit of blood running down his forehead.
"Shinobu-san please bring the two Slayers he attacked and any witnesses to the meeting. Himejima-san will be there momentarily to collect Sanemi and his sword." A crow reported while the others were squawking about an emergency meeting.
"Kanao, Tanjiro, little ones. That means you." Shinobu said and then she glanced to the side nearby.
"Can I ask you and your wives to act as witnesses as well Uzui-san?" Shinobu asked and the man popped his head up from the window, his wives popping their heads up as well.
"Of course. Sorry to listen in but we were coming to visit Tanjiro-kun when we heard yelling." Tengen said and the others merely nodded their heads in agreement as Himejima came into the room and picked up the unconscious Sanemi.
"His sword is broken?" Himejima asked tilting his head slightly as Kanao handed him the sword pieces.
"He attacked Tanjiro with intent to skewer him." Shinobu said calmly and Himejima merely nodded before he vanished off to the meeting area.
"Come on kid. Let's get this meeting over with." Uzui said stepping forward and picking up Tanjiro in his good arm to carry the injured slayer while Shinobu smiled and gathered the three little ones in her arms to carry them.
The group was at the meeting area outside of Oyakata-sama's estate before too long and they had to wait a bit for Obanai to show up since he had been furthest away. Once they were all gathered it wasn't long before Kagaya stepped out into the tatami room with his wife and son with him.
"It is always sad to see one of the children lose their way. For the duration of this meeting pending further notice he is stripped of his title as Wind Pillar. Let the meeting and investigation of what Sanemi Shinazugawa has been accused of commence. I believe the report said there were two counts of attempted murder of fellow Demon Slayers?" Kagaya said and all of the Hashiras eyes were hard now as they glanced at the out cold Hashira in restraints.
"Sir, you can also add a count of assault and harassment to that. I saw him manhandle Tanjiro-kun until Kanao-chan separated them and took position in front of Tanjiro-kun to keep Sanemi from doing it again." Uzui said respectfully to his now former boss who nodded.
"We…We also heard him yelling awful things at Tanjiro-onii-san before we ran to find Shinobu-sama." One of the little ones spoke up.
"Yeah the bas-punk was yelling some pretty nasty things at Tanjiro-kun for a while. We were going to visit and check on him and overheard some of it. I was about to jump in there and beat the hell out of him if Suma didn't stop me and Hinatsuru told me to let him dig a deeper hole." Makio said censoring herself when she glanced at Kiriya who was sitting beside his father.
"Ah…at the end just before Shinobu-sama arrived he was going to try and skewer Tanjiro-kun with his blade, I had been standing right in front of Tanjiro-kun. If Tanjiro-kun hadn't had pushed me to the side…" Kanao trailed off after retrieving her coin…but she didn't flip it this time. Merely held onto it.
"Yeah bout gave us all some heart attacks there." Makio agreed while Hinatsuru was beside Tanjiro checking on him a bit alongside Shinobu.
"I see. So Shinobu-chan left here and went back to Butterfly estate where she found Sanemi-san harassing and saw him attack Tanjiro-kun. Thus when she saw him draw his blade and attack she attacked him in turn and restrained him. Is that why Sanemi-san is unconscious?" Kagaya asked looking sightlessly towards the out cold Sanemi.
"Oh I didn't knock him out. Sanemi-sn had managed to knock me off of him after I put the restraints on him and he lunged for Tanjiro again. Tanjiro headbutted him pretty hard. I'm surprised Sanemi-san's skull didn't crack open." Shinobu said sounding sadistically pleased about that and making Tanjiro rub the back of his neck sheepishly and the other Hashira all gave him surprised looks while Makio busted out laughing.
"Yeah that was the best thing I ever saw! Just one slam and the punk went down like a stack of stones!" Makio said while Suma was giggling slightly as well and Hinatsuru was trying to quiet them.
"I cannot blame him for that. Not only was it self defense but he had just seen his wife and unborn child be knocked away and possibly injured." Kagaya said with a small smile, thinking of what he would likely done if someone had dared toss away and possibly harm Amane in front of him, especially while she was with child, and then came within his range of reach. Sure his forehead wasn't as strong as Tanjiro's but Kagaya did know about the different pressure points in the body and could be surprisingly fast sometimes.
"I'm sorry. My wife and what?" Tanjiro asked wide eyed as he realized what Kagaya had said before his head whipped towards his wife.
"Sir! I hadn't been able to tell him yet!" Shinobu protested with a small blush of embarrassment and mortification as everyone gathered stared at her wide eyed.
"Ah. My apologies for ruining the surprise then."
