The sun began to rise at near-perfect timing, Takeshi rounding the top of a large incline and looking down on the valley below. At the foot of the slope, lay a bustling village, the streets were already crowded and he could see smoke rising from many chimneys, the smell of fresh food and hot stoves filled the air, even Saeki slowed for a moment to take it all in.
After descending, Takeshi walked through the wide gates to the village, making a note of the apparent damage to one of the doors, what appeared to be many small incisions and punctures covered the wooden surface. Saeki continued to lead Takeshi through the streets, not even slowing down to allow him to maneuver the crowds. Many people gave him strange looks, taking note of the sword at his hip, though no one bothered asking who or what he was. Takeshi just kept his eyes down, trying to blend in as best as possible, Demon Slayers were not recognized by the government, and he did not feel like explaining himself at the moment. The crow led him to a small hut, the small sign out front reading Ohashi House. Takeshi could smell the fragrance of tempura coming from the hut, he was suddenly aware of his hunger from his journey. Saeki landed on his head, pecked his scalp twice, and then took off, which was customary when starting a mission, Takeshi had grown to like the bird for some reason.
He pushed open the door and was greeted with a neatly kept eatery, the walls were adorned with beautiful paintings of the slope he had just descended, many of them featuring large cave openings and rock formations. Many people were seated at tables across the room, bowls of steaming udon in front of them, a few turned to look at him as he entered. The sound of clicking chopsticks and clinking of stoneware filled his ears, he looked around for a moment before approaching the counter.
"How are you today young man?" an elderly man asked, meeting Takeshi at the counter with a slight smile.
"I haven't seen you before, welcome to Matsusaki if no one has said it yet," the man said, gesturing with his hand to around the room, Takeshi had never heard of the town.
"Thank you, and you are correct in your assumption, I am not from near here," Takeshi said, his eyes and head still down, trying to keep a low profile though he was not sure why. Just a few months ago, Takeshi would be jumping at the opportunity to meet and talk to someone new, but now his voice sounded quiet and slightly cold.
"I'd like a bowl of Sanuki Udon please, and some tea if you have any at the ready," Takeshi continued. The man raised an eyebrow, his old green eyes narrowing in on Takeshi.
"Right to the point I see, interesting," the man said, scratching his long platinum beard, "a sword at the hip, a black uniform, solemn face, and bright eyes, you must be a Demon Slayer," he said once again, stepping back as if proud of his determination. Takeshi was slightly taken aback, many people did not acknowledge demons' existence, opting instead to blame their events on other animals or random disasters. For this old man to blatantly admit this in the open was somewhat surprising, Takeshi couldn't help but grin slightly.
"Another good guess, you are correct. In fact, I was led here to this exact establishment on a mission. I have heard detail that there is a possible demon ravaging this village," Takeshi said, now looking up to meet the man's gaze.
"In that case, don't worry about payment, you're going to need the nourishment to deal with our situation here," the old man said, turning around to begin preparing the bowl of food, Takeshi was not used to this type of hospitality, it reminded him of his time with Kawamoto, Sano, and Mori at their estate, he felt a pang in his chest, he missed their company.
"Somehow you've come to the right place for information, I feel as though I'm the only one who is sane around here, everyone else blames all these disappearances on other causes, I know it is a demon however," the old man said, his voice growing more and more grave.
"14 people in the last two weeks have disappeared, ripped from their day-to-day lives by a monster. A mix of men, women, and children make up the group, it makes me sick to think about their poor families. As far as I know, there are no connections between the victims, I suppose that is what you are here to do," the man said, looking over his shoulder as he spoke, he was nearly done preparing his food.
"One thing that is certain is that the demon's taste for blood is increasing, the last eight disappearances have all happened in the span of five days, I was the one who sent for the Demon Slayer Corps, and the situation has become dire," the man said once again, now handing a bowl of steaming hot udon to Takeshi, looking him dead in the eyes. Takeshi was intrigued by the information, the demon in question must be strong, much stronger than any that he had faced to this point. Could it be a member of the twelve kizuki? Takeshi was almost excited to see how he would fare against some tougher opponents.
"Thank you for the information, and the hospitality, sir," Takeshi said, bowing slightly to the man as he took the bowl of udon.
"I will solve this problem to the best of my ability, I will see to it that the demon that has tortured your home will live no more than a few more hours in this world. As soon as the assigned Hashira arrives I begin my-" Takeshi was cut off by someone from behind him, the door hanging ajar suddenly.
"Then let us begin!" a man said, his red and gold eyes wide with enthusiasm and life. Takeshi and the old man both turned to look, watching as the swordsman approached and took his position right next to Takeshi. The Hashira was about as tall as he was, standing proudly with his head high. His long hair was thick, flowing down his back, its bright yellow and red coloration looked as though his head was on fire. The man turned to look at Takeshi.
"You must be the Kinoe I was to meet, it is nice to meet you. I am the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, I trust we will be able to work flawlessly to help rid this area of its demon problem!" Rengoku said, perhaps a bit too loudly, that patrons turned to look at him suddenly.
"It's an honor, sir," Takeshi said, rather timidly, he had never met anyone this highly ranked and decorated before, and he wasn't sure how to address him.
"I'm Takeshi Yoshiaki, rank Kinoe, I'm at your service," Takeshi nodded and kept his eyes low.
"Please, no need to be so formal! Besides, you're well on your way to becoming a Hashira as well are you not? But one rank away? We'll get you there in no time!" Rengoku's voice was so full of energy that it felt as though he had drank four cups of tea.
The old man, who had been watching silently as the entrance had unfolded, finally came to his senses.
"One more detail, perhaps the Hashira could find it useful, at every site of disappearance there are these sharp stones found strewn across the ground," the old man presented a cloth, which he unwrapped to reveal a razor-sharp triangular stone, it was perfectly polished. Rengoku took the stone in his hand, the old man nodding to him as to permit him to keep it.
"I thank you for the detail, and I'm sure it will prove useful in our hunt. Forgive us for we must begin our search now, after tonight you will have nothing more to fear!" Rengoku said, once again raising his voice, his optimism was almost palpable. He turned to Takeshi once again.
"Young Yoshiaki, let us depart, we must track down the source of the violence as quickly as possible. The quicker we do this, the quicker the village is secure, and the quicker you begin your Hashira training," Rengoku placed a hand on Takeshi's shoulder, he had never met him before, but already felt as though they were close friends. Takeshi could tell that Rengoku valued him, but this was probably true for everyone he met, he saw a bit of himself in the Hashira. He had no idea how or why Rengoku was so dead set on helping him reach the next rank, but he figured there was no one better to help than someone as powerful as he must. Something told Takeshi that beneath that optimistic and bright personality, lay a fierce fighting spirit, one that could never be extinguished.
The two swordsmen left the shop, Takeshi following Rengoku's quick pace as best, he could. Rengoku turned to the left, smiling at the people he passed even if he was met with a strange expression from some.
"Yoshiaki, I feel as though these stones are our best avenue to finding the demon," Rengoku said, turning over his shoulder to look at Takeshi, simultaneously dodging a merchant carrying a bundle of firewood.
"Perhaps the demon leaves these behind on accident, if we can find one, we may be able to find more, then the demon is as good as found," Rengoku gestured for Takeshi to walk next to him.
"Understood," Takeshi said awkwardly, still unsure how to handle Rengoku's personality. He was going to ask a question but the Hashira beat him to it.
"Tell me, which breathing style did you master? Who was your master? I'm curious to see how we will work together, though I'm sure it will be flawless. I can tell you have strong determination!" Rengoku clapped Takeshi on the back unexpectedly.
"I mastered flame breathing, though it's a bit unorthodox, my master was Kazuo Takahashi," Takeshi said hesitantly, he wasn't sure what Rengoku would think about his Infinity Art so he decided to hold off on speaking about it.
"Takahashi, now there's a name I haven't heard in quite some time!" Rengoku exclaimed as the two neared the edge of the village, passing by many homes, each with their windows boarded up.
"Master Takahashi trained my father, a former Flame Hashira, I took over for him in his retirement," Takeshi could sense there was more to that story but he decided to let it slide for now, he was more focused on the fact that Kazuo had trained other swordsman.
"I owe him my life, he stepped in when I needed him most, and for that, I owe him everything," Takeshi said, his sincerity dulling the mood slightly, which of course would change once Rengoku spoke again.
"I can't wait to see his teaching in action! You should've said you were a master of Flame Breathing, I can certainly help you reach the next level, our synergy will be perfect!" Rengoku somehow seemed even more excited.
"Once we dispatch the demon, we will spar, and I can help you refine your skills, we can become the first pair of Flame Hashira's in the corps' history!" Rengoku once again grabbed Takeshi's shoulder, meeting his bright eyes. Takeshi didn't know how much he'd appreciate the all-out assault of optimism, but his mood was steadily increasing. He looked forward to working with Kyojuro, he was even more anxious to see him in action.