Hello, WanderingTree here, I present to you all chapter 3
Chapter 3
"Are we there yet? I'm freezing." Yuki complained. He lost track as to how long he and the kakushi have been traveling but imagined it must've been a while since he could feel neither his hands or feet.
"We're here" The female kakushi said, as she propped the lanky child to sit up.
"Yay!" Yuki shouted.
"We were only out for fifteen minutes" The male kakushi muttered as he laid Yuki's legs straight. The kakushi's helped the boy up by pulling his arms. The lanky child thanked them but nearly collapsed after taking one step forward. The kakushi placed the boy's arms around their shoulders and lead themselves inside the estate for their guest had his blindfold intact.
"Wait, I just realized something. If I'm going to a very important meeting, why didn't I have time to change into better clothes?" Yuki asked aloud as the two kakushi's looked at him and then each other.
"Now that you mentioned it, why didn't we wait for you to change clothes?" The male kakushi agreed
"I think its fair to assume Aoi-chan didn't have any to spare since your taller than the average person. Sorry, Yuki-kun" The female kakushi offered an apology.
"Oh, okay. I guess no one else needs to know if it's just me and the master, right?" The lanky child said in a hopeful tone.
"There you go. That's a good way of thinking" The male kakushi said to Yuki.
Yuki was itching to remove his blindfold and see the master of this place. He followed the kakushi's directions and hunched over when they decided it was time to remove the blindfold. What caught him off guard was not only the lack of a leader around, but nine people standing and talking to one another. He was thankful no one noticed him for he felt insecure about not having any other attire to wear. He was intimidated for each an every one of these people seemed super strong and there was a sense of superiority surrounding them. After taking deep breaths, Yuki decided to go up to the two tallest members in this group first.
"WOW! YOU GUYS ARE HUGE!" Yuki closed his mouth and looked away, embarrassed from his outburst. This resulted with everyone in the immediate area looking his direction. He felt uneasy with so many eyes staring at him and who could blame them. Here they were, minding their own business and when some strangers called them huge. It was too late to stay in the background, so his only option was to push forward and set the record straight.
"Sorry," Yuki replied as he bowed his head "It's just, all my life I've been made fun of for being the tallest person around. I-I know we only just met, but it feels nice not being the tallest person around anymore. Yuki said aloud with gleam in his eyes, resembling stars.
"And to whom are you referring to, little one?" A man wearing a green kimono asked. He was by far the tallest person in the room, standing over 7 feet. His face was distinguishable due to large scar on his forehead and his eyes, devoid of pupils. This man was built differently; Yuki was amazed how much muscle one could gain. He wondered how a man of such physique could cry for no reason.
"Obviously he is referring to us, Gyomei-kun. To be honest, my height only plays a small factor to my flamboyancy." The person who spoke up was several inches taller than Yuki, but stood out in terms of appearances. This person had white hair, held in place by a bandana covered with diamond-like beads. From a closer look, the beads would extent to the sides of his head in the form of chains. Yuki was also impressed this person's physique as well because he was the only person not wearing a kimono or coat of any sort, despite the chilly weather. He wore a sleeveless shirt and long black pants. The lanky child also noticed some gold bands around the flashy person's muscles along with tattoo on his left eye. He wondered if there was a purpose for them.
"I still can't get over the fact that there are people taller than me in this world. It still blows my mind!" Yuki exclaimed. "Um, may I ask for your name, sir."
"I'm the sound hashira, Tengen Uzui and the big fella next to us is the stone pillar, Gyomei Himejima. Know this: When it comes to appearances and prowess, you won't find anyone more flashy or flamboyant than me." The sound hashira proclaimed.
"Whoa! Long live the king of flashiness and flamboyancy." Yuki said trying to match the sound pillar's enthusiasm.
"I like your way of thinking, kid." Tengen smiled and gave Yuki a thumbs up. "Though you have ways to go if you wanna be in my league. You're like a firework, flamboyant for one second and then unflashy the next. Speaking of which, why are you here? It's not proper to attend a meeting uninvited, especially since this is for hashira's only."
This brought Yuki back to reality as he saw several pairs of eyes looking his way. He brought his arms inwards and became stiff. He started to tremble over several people staring at his direction. All Yuki knew was he did not want to be on anyone's bad side. Unable to find his cards, the urge to cry had never been greater. Before the tears began to fall, the brown-eyed child took a deep breath and stopped shaking.
"G-good morning everyone. M-m-my name is..." Yuki stuttered while he bowed his head and was saddened when he looks up because the hashiras had since dismissed him. He does notice Tengen goes to someone with bright hair and seemingly positive energy. The dull-eyed boy decides to approach this person instead.
"Hi my name is Yuki Subachi. Its very nice to meet you, sir." He introduces himself as politely as he could.
"Hello Subachi-kun. My name is Rengoku Kyojuro and I am the flame hashira. If you don't mind me asking, what business do you have with our master?" Rengoku shouted, who failed to notice right away the lanky child covered his ears. The first thing Yuki noticed about the flame hashira was his face. Yuki couldn't help but be drawn to Rengoku's yellow-red eyes, colors he had never seen from anyone. Yet, he was a bit unsettled how big eyed the flame pillar came off. The other characteristic that stood was the hair. Just like his eyes, Rengoku's hair was bright yellow with red tips. Along with a white cape colored yellow, orange, and red, the hashira before him was truly upholding his title as a flame.
"Um, have you traveled to a small village recently, Mr. Rengoku?"
"I travel to several places recently. You'll need to be more specific" He declared for anyone to hear.
"You look familiar, do you remember visiting a village near Mt. Kumotori?" Yuki looked at the flame hashira with curiosity.
"Yes, I remember now. I went to that village with my former tsugoko. We were informed of a demon attacking an estate just outside the village. It was snowing a lot that night.
"Then that means you and your former student saved me. Thank you so much, I am in your debt. I will be sure to thank your student as well. " Yuki bowed politely to the flame pillar.
"Think nothing of it. I do my best to help out anyone I can. My former tsuguko would say the same" The flame hashira replied happily
"She has pink hair right?" The lanky child asked
"Yes she does. You seem fixated with people's hair for some reason." Rengoku said bluntly
"Sorry, the events from that night are blurry and your guy's hair color were the last thing I remembered" The dull-eyed child explained.
"In that case, hold your head high. Feel blessed to be standing here after what you gone through. I for one, am truly happy you're alive and well." Rengoku said with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Mister Rengoku." Yuki followed the flame pillar's advice and shouted, holding his head high.
"That's Rengoku for you. He can do anything with efficiency and flamboyancy. He's as good as a hashira can be." Uzui said with a tone of proudness for his pal.
Thank you, Uzui. I must say, you are a great hashira in your own way. Rengoku turned to his best friend.
Yuki bowed and stepped back for he no longer felt included included anymore. In doing so, Yuki noticed someone looking up. A kid who looked far too young to be in this room full of grown-ups. This kid had long black hair with light blue tips, that reached his back. Just like Rengoku, this kid's hair matched his light blue eyes. Yet, whereas the flame pillar's eyes were full of life, the blue-eyed kid orbs came off as lifeless, staring at the sky. Yuki was intrigued and went down to his level, decided to look up as well.
"Uh, why are you copying me?" the long-haired boy asked, glanced at his direction for a second.
"I don't know. I guess I'm curious what you're staring at" The dull-eyed boy said.
"Oh, before I forget, my name is Muichiro Tokito, Mist hashira." Muichiro replied.
"My name is Yuki Subachi, new guy I guess?" Yuki spoke softly.
"What is the shape of that cloud? The cloudy-eyed kid asked absentmindedly.
"That is a cumulus cloud. Also known as a picture cloud" Yuki replied kindly.
"What is that again?" Muichiro asked as he took one glance at the dull-eyed boy before looking up once again.
"Well, I see a potato." Yuki sighed, then stood up to step aside. Before he could reach out to the remaining hashira's, the room became quiet when a woman in a purple kimono made an opening statement.
"The master has arrived" The woman said politely.
Everyone kneeled the second the announcement was made. Yuki, who looked at the kakushi standing at the opposite side of the room, tilted his head when he saw them waved their hands downwards. He saw them slip past the hashira's and came up to him to pull his arms down.
"Sit down." The male kakushi said.
"We mustn't keep the master waiting" The female kakushi quipped.
It was then Yuki finally understood the situation and sat down crisscrossed. To say Yuki's impression of the leader of the demon slayers was underwhelming would be an understatement. In his mind, he expected a leader to represent strength, someone who had battle scars or had an authority in their voice. Instead, the master of this group didn't display any sign of strength. On the contrary, the word Yuki would use to describe this leader was "sickly". What he saw was a slim figured individual, dressed in a black kimono, wearing a white coat with flames colored in pink and a solid shade of purple at the bottom of the coat. The eyes resembled that of the stone pillar, but distinguished itself for the upper half of his face was covered in a violet-colored scars. Yuki may not have been great at picking up body language, but even he knew a leader should hold his head high and walk proudly, not sluggishly slide his feet on the floor or rely on someone else to guide him. Even so, the lanky child was taken aback that everyone, including a huge person like the stone hashira, kneeled before such a scrawny leader.
Yuki's disappointment was inscribed all over his face. He snapped out of his focus when he felt someone looking at him. His instinct proved right when he saw another big-eyed man glaring at him. Unlike the flame pillar, there was no trace of friendliness whatsoever. Instead, Yuki shivered over a pair of crazed looking eyes staring at his soul. Everywhere he looked, there were scars all over the white-haired man's body. The dark-haired teen had nowhere to look because he didn't want to be rude and stare at his scars, yet he felt uneasy looking at this person's chest, whose top was exposed for all to see. He didn't know what else to do other than look at the ground and made a small gulp. In return, an audible "tch" sound was made and the wicked glare had vanished. From then on, until called upon, Yuki decided to not cause a scene and keep to himself.
"Good morning, my children. I'm told we have lovely weather today, although it hard to tell given the chilly breeze we have." Kagaya declared.
Good morning, Master. It is indeed a lovely day to be outside. Though the wind is harsh, we are fortunate the sun is beaming at us with its warmness." Rengoku shouted for all to hear, never once faltered his smile.
"Today's meeting will be shorter than usual, so please bear with me if you begin to feel cold. We don't want any of us catching a cold, don't we? Kagaya said, who received several chuckles from the hashira's.
"First off, I'd like to start today's agenda with an important announcement. After careful consideration, we finally have ourselves our newest pillar. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Kanroji Mitsuri." Kagaya continued
"Hello! I'm the Love hashira and it is a pleasure to meet your all. I hope we can be best of friends." Mitsuri bowed slightly and received a round of applause.
"As expected of my former tsugoko. I knew you had the potential to become a hashira. Congratulations on your promotion, Mitsuri." Rengoku said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Rengoku-sensei!" The love hashira cheerfully replied in return.
"Wait, I know you. You're the girl who saved me along with Mr. Rengoku." Yuki exclaimed.
"I'm sorry?" Mitsuri said in a surprised tone and looked away.
"He's right, we were sent on rescue mission over a demon attacking a village near the mountains several days ago. If you recall, he's the boy we rescued." The flame hashira announced.
"Oh yeah. I'm so glad you're alive and well!" She waved at him. Yuki's face turned red from embarrassment, but he waved back.
"He's so cute when he blushes."
I hear an unfamiliar voice in this room. Would you mind telling us your name?" Kagaya asked sincerely. All the hashira's looked at him. The lanky child hated the pressure he was feeling being in the spotlight for no matter how many times he was in the spotlight, he could never convey his words properly, often leaving his listeners feel awkward and uncomfortable. He hoped that today would break his public speaking curse.
"M-my name…is Yuki Subachi. I am heir to the Subachi family of the Chiba region. Until recently, I was responsible for overlooking my family's inn. I…don't mean to disrupt anything, I just answers to my…predicament." Yuki explained, stared at his cards while frantically flipping through them. Once he noticed his hands were shaking, mentally told himself to calm down.
"You said your last name is Subachi, correct?" Someone from a nearby tree asked.
"Y-yes, sir." The Subachi heir asked nervously.
This swordsman jumped down from the tree and walked up towards the lanky child. This one had an odd pair of yellow and green eyes. Yuki was mesmerized by its uniqueness but his attention gravitated towards the snake coiled around the swordsman's body along with the bandages covering the snake owner's mouth. The black and white striped kimono helped the odd-eyed boy stand out from the others. If given the opportunity, the first thing he'd asked, if possible, would be what type of snake the odd-looking swordsman owned.
"I thought so. From what I've heard, his family has the supposed power to see into the future. It's how they've accumulated their wealth. Lucky guesses are one thing, but consistent predictions are something different. Could it be, that your family have conspired with the demons?" the snake swordsman confronted the lanky child as he got up close to him, who was uncomfortable with his accuser glaring at him the same way the battle-scared person did. The room began to feel unease, no one anticipated this level of tensions during this meeting.
"You're wrong! My family would never do such a thing! I don't care how skilled of a swordsman you are, snake guy. I won't sit by and let you call my family a fraud!" Yuki looked down at his accuser, raising his voice for every passing second. Everyone stared intently at the lanky child when he raised his arms up making a fist.
"That is enough." Kagaya declared. "Obanai Iguro. While I appreciate your concerns, it is misplaced given the testament made by two hashiras about the boy whose home was destroyed by a demon. I personally invited him for a quick word. Please refrain from making further accusations unless you have evidence to back them." Master Kagaya said sternly.
"As for you, young Subachi. Is it true you raised your fists at Obanai? The master turned to Yuki's direction with the guidance of the woman presumably his wife. Everyone began to ease up and dropped their stance, resumed kneeling once more.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, but he insulted my family's name." Yuki replied melancholy, lowering his arms.
"I understand. However, until I conclude this meeting. Please wait patiently and keep your hands to yourself." Kagaya stated. The dull-eyed boy bowed politely and walked away from the crowd.
As he maintained his distance, it was after he turned his head, he spotted someone next to the sound hashira. Even for someone with heightened eyesight, it was difficult to get a good look at this mysterious person. The most Yuki could pick up was a red kimono and uncombed black hair. He giggled mentally because this person's hairstyle reminded him of a porcupine. The master eventually resumed the meeting, given the distance between both parties, there was no room to be acquainted with the allusive swordsman. Yuki couldn't believe someone managed to get by him unnoticed.
Since he wasn't able to eavesdrop, let alone partake in the meeting, Yuki decided to entertain himself by looking up at the clouds and decipher their shapes. Once he got bored, a crow flew just passed him and followed it. The dull-eyed boy inched step by step towards the bird. Growing up in his household, they rarely encounter pests thanks to the family's pet. Yuki crouched in hopes to come off more approachable to the crow. To his delight, the dark-haired boy offered a small bread crumb on of his hand. The crow eventually flew up to his hand and accepted the offer and leaped onto boy's arm. Yuki was shocked yet relieved how easy it was to get over his fear of crows. Several more crows flew onto him and his smile grew wider. In one leap, he managed to get back on his feet without scaring his new friends. He counted four birds sitting on his right and left arm. Yuki's sense of wonder concluded when his arms started to feel sore from holding his arms, yet no matter how much he shook them, the crows wouldn't budge.
Yuki's arms were killing him but after the incident from earlier, he didn't want to disrupt their meeting any more than he already had. He looked around and spotted the tree Obanai used earlier. For obvious reasons, he couldn't climb up the tree for the birds would simply follow him, instead he treaded behind the tree and sat down. Since nothing could be done without some assistance, the only option left was to sit back and wait in due time.
'Now I know what a scarecrow feels like.' The dull-eyed child thought as he closed his eyed and hoped someone would notice him.
"…To conclude today's meeting: We have all nine pillars present, restoring the balance of the demon slayer corps once more. Giyu Tomioka will prepare for a mission on the mountains and finally, the struggle of boosting morale upon rank-and-file demon slayers continues to persist. Not to mention we still have no trace of Muzan or the twelve kizuki at the moment. Do not loose hope, my children. I stand with my belief that this is the era where Muzan's reign will come to an end. With that, concludes today's meeting."
The hashira's all stood up and stretched before their departure, and at that moment, the pink haired swordswoman frantically looked around. "Wait, where did that tall boy go?"
"Mitsuri is right, he did wait for his turn to speak with the master after all." Rengoku quipped.
"Maybe if that kid was more flamboyant, we'd find him easier." Tengen said
"I wish for his safety. Though if I'm being honest, given his insecurity and attitude, perhaps it'd be best if we put him out of his misery. No good can come out from anyone with those attributes. Namu amida butsu." Gyomei stated as he began to cry on his way out.
"As long as he stays out of the way, I'll let bygones be bygones." Obanai grunted and then made his way to the exit.
"I didn't like the way he looked at the master, I ought to give him a piece of my mind." The battle-scared swordsman remarked.
"Time to head out now." The water pillar said to himself, wondering what his meal should be.
Muichiro was the first pillar to rise but instead of leaving right away, he took his time to walk around, get the blood circulating his legs. It was because of this he encountered the dark-haired boy, passed out, surrounded by everyone's crows.
'Found him. Wait, why was I looking for him again? What was his name?' The mist pillar flicked several pebbles to check if he was alive, which served efficiently in waking the lanky child, whose sudden movements finally scared away the crows. By the time Yuki snapped out of his drowsiness, the blue-eyed kid lost interest and wandered off.
"Look, Muichiro found him!" Mitsuri exclaimed.
"That's great news. Now let's out and celebrate, Mitsuri-san. I know a place where they serve amazing ramen." Rengoku said.
"Let's go, senpai!" the love hashira cheered.
"Umai!" Rengoku shared his former student's enthusiasm and the two hashira's ventured to their destination.
"Shinazugawa-kun, could you inform the boy and let him know the master is ready to see him?" A feminine voice asked.
"Sure thing" The white haired looked at his comrade and nodded.
Yuki noticed him and then flinched seeing a sinister smile. He was not a fan of him the moment the battle-scared swordsman glared at him but he knew better than to oppose him, avoiding to create any more conflict. He walked up to the white-haired swordsman cautiously and hunched.
"Yes, sir? Eeeek-"
"Listen up, kid. I didn't like the way you looked at our master. Especially when you have no business being here. You're better apologize to the master immediately. He deserves nothing but the utmost respect. Do I make myself clear?" He said while pulling down the lanky's child shirt, forced the boy to meet him eye to eye.
"yes, mister-" The dull-eyed boy pleaded while looking away. He also raised his hands up as a means to defend himself
"Shinazugawa. I'm the wind hashira and you better stay out of my fucking way. If I were you, I'd pray we don't cross each other paths any time soon." Sanemi lashed at the dark-haired kid, then finally left the building. The woman in the distance sighed heavily but said nothing. Yuki walked sluggishly, stared at the ground to prevent anyone from seeing him cry. He sat down and looked up sheepishly.
"Thank you for your patience, my husband will now speak with you." A much older woman replied kindly. Yuki looked up and saw the master looking directly at him. A key detail unseen prior was the scars weren't only unique for its colors, but the texture. The scars greatly resembled that of veins and found himself struggling to look at the master's eyes, which were a pair were a pair of silver pupils. Yet, Yuki couldn't help but to be fascinated by the master's smile, it creased somewhat but there was no sense of dread in the air. Anyone else Yuki knew, including himself, would rather die than be seen with such scars.
"How long have you been here, young Subachi?" Kagaya asked.
"I've been told I've been at a mansion these past few days." The lanky child replied timidly.
"What I meant was, how long have you been by yourself?" The master clarified.
"It's been a few months since I left home to look after my family inn. I miss them, I hope they missed me. Just like how I miss my servants." Yuki spoke softly and looked at the ground as Kagaya simply nodded.
"You had 10 servants who protected you correct?" Kagaya gaze remained the same, unaware of the shocked reaction the dull-eyed boy had on his face.
"Akira, Hideo, Itsuki, Jin, Juro, Katsuo, Michi, Ryuji, Haruka, and finally, Kenji Haruno."
"H-How do you know their names?" Yuki covered his mouth then began to hasten his breathing.
"My wife paid a visit to the butterfly mansion the very night you and your servants were rescued. The few who were conscious shared with us the events, along with the names of those who didn't make it, and, what a kind-hearted master you were to them. They said you are a good kid who loves animals. They also told us about your struggle talking to people, yet you continue to push through, never letting your struggles get the better of you." Both Kagaya and his wife smiled at the boy with approval.
"Are any of my servants alive? Please tell me, Mr. Ubuyashiki" Yuki pleaded.
"Haruno-san is the only one remaining, he also gave me this letter you wrote a while ago." Kagaya said. His wife held up a golden envelope who offered it back to its rightful owner. Yuki accepted it immediately.
"He gave us consent to open the letter, in hopes we had some clue to a dream you had some time ago."
The lanky child couldn't help be taken aback that Haruno-san actually remembered his dream and kept the letter.
"What I can confirm is the demon that caught you in your dream, was none other than Muzan Kibutsuji. He is responsible for all the demon's existence, including the one that attacked your estate. The description are similar to the few reports we have on Muzan. However, I can't imagine the morale here bolster over a dream, let alone from someone unfamiliar with our ways. You understand, don't you?" Kagaya asked with concern and offered a small smile.
"Are you asking if I want to join your cause, Mr. Ubuyashiki?"
"Let me answer your question with a question: Do you wish to return to your family?"
"I…don't know." Yuki was surprised of his own hesitation because at any other point in time, he would've said yes in a heartbeat.
"Its okay. Our time in this world is not infinite. We are born, we live, and then we die. That is the circle of life. When we are alive, our choices are what we believe will let us live our days to the fullest. That is what makes us human. Should you to join our cause, I'm sure you'll become a great swordsman with a noble heart and soul. If you wish to return to your old life, we can only wish you the best endeavors. Destress these next few days at the butterfly mansion and make your decision. Remember, only you can fill and sustain your box of happiness, Yuki Subachi." Kagaya said calmly.
"You know, I'll admit that I wasn't impressed seeing you for the first time. But, after this conversation, I can see why all the hashira bow to you. Why you are indeed the leader of this organization. Thank you, Ubuyashiki-sama. You have my respect and I'm sorry for any wrong doing I done today." Yuki declared as he repositioned himself to kneel, just as the all the swordsmen before him had done earlier."
"Believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything you put your heart into. Now, get some rest and think over your choice carefully. The head of the butterfly mansion will lead you back." Kagaya stood up with the help of his wife.
"Yes, sir." Yuki nodded then turned around to see a woman behind him. He turned to face her completely.
"Wow, you're tiny."
"Hello out there. Welcome to World Wide Wonders, and i'm the wolf demon from chapter one. Allow me to share with you all a little known fact: Werewolves are not a thing in Japan. Their origin was in Rome and Greece. In fact, there weren't too many wollves in the wild during this point of time. More likely, my appearance is based on the Okuri Inu or the Inugami. Thanks for giving this wolf the time of day." The wolf demon snickered.
"What are you doing here? Haven't you ruined life enough?! Get out of here!" Yuki whined as he waved his arms around to scare the demon away. He then pulls out some cards to read from.
"Sorry about that, I'll see to it we get some human guests from now on. Next time on chapter 4, who is this woman in front of me?" Yuki waves goodbye!
Here we are, our protagonist has seen all the hashira's. So, this was the second half of the chapter I mentioned previously. I stand by my choice splitting them to two parts. While this chapter has been completed and gone through a couple rounds of edits, the reason I hesitated to upload this one is because I was so scared on writitng up the Hashira's. I looked up videos on the hashira meeting to keep everyone in character to the best of my ability. Up till now, the max numbers of characters I have talking to one another is four. This is the first time I had ten different characters talking to one another. I put this down as an OC x Shinobu fanfic and it's only now that Yuki and Shinobu finally meet. I love Shinobu. She's my favorite female character in the series and I want to do her justice.
If anyone is interested, I'm open to having a beta reader or have someone look over this story in general after chapter 4. I did everything myself in my last fanfic, but here, I just have a feeling I'm going to need some help to deliver consistent coherent and enjoyable chapters.
I hope I'm doing a good job entertaining you all and being faithful to the existing characters.
Finally, shout out to Bethxangel for being the first person to like and follow this story. Thank you so much.
I wish you all a good day and feel free to leave a comment.