Douma, Akaza, and Kokushibo haven't even taken a step in Kimio's estate before they were stopped by a huge number of humans, surrounding them from all sides.
Not far from them, there are a few demon slayers. It's not hard for Douma to identify them, with swords strapped on their hips and all of that.
"Hashira's, huh?" He mumbled under his breath, unaware of the surprised look he got from the two demons beside him. Akaza frowned and turned to the demon slayers, scoffing in disdain.
"And how can you be so sure about that, idiot?"
His face looked thoughtful, "It's obvious, isn't it? They have golden buttons in their uniform while the regular demon slayers have silver buttons."
Not once did he meet any slayers before this, but he knew that. Huh, weird.
Akaza squinted his eyes and was surprised to see that Douma was right. The slayers appeared to have a very high fighting spirit and their power level also matches that of a hashira.
—But how come they're here? Not even a day had passed since the Infinite Fortress had been destroyed. Did those demons who rebelled against the demon king started their rampage already? Did the humans ask for their help?
Kokushibo tightened his grip on the hilt of his flesh sword, ready to retaliate at any given moment that the humans initiate an attack.
"Uh..." Douma shouted hesitantly, stepping up and managing to garner everyone's attention.
"What are you doing?!" Akaza whispered with a hiss, tugging his arm and trying to pull him back.
He ignored the demon and wore his best smile in business. A smile that was full of sparkles and flowers with a pastel rainbow background. "... We come in peace?"
An urge to cringe came over him as the statement ended so much like a question.
"S- Stay back, demons!" Cried one of the humans, pushing the demon slayers forward and using them as some kind of a shield. The slayers only grunted at the act.
Douma frowned at them.
"Now isn't that a bit cowardly?" He finds himself blurting before he can prevent himself. Throwing them an insult seems to be as easy as breathing itself. Like he had spent years upon years of doing it.
Not that he intended for it to sound like an insult.
"Ha?! And what about you, demon?!" Came a loud shriek from the demon slayers before cells chimed and a woman with an unusually large muscular stature came stomping towards them.
Douma eyed her form with interest.
Three bells were tied from each of her ankles, chiming with every step she took. Her brows were thick and pointy, resembling the tail of an arrow. She wore a white cape with blazing flames that billowed with every step she took towards them. Confidence radiated from her.
But what caught his attention the most is her large owlish eyes that were blazing like fire as they focused on him.
"You're pretty." He finds himself blurting once again, and he pouts when he sees the woman wince.
"I could not accept the words of a demon, (un)fortunately."
Akaza punched the back of his head with the least strength the demon could muster as not to blow his fragile head to pieces.
"Do not annoy everyone that you meet, idiot."
"—What is your purpose for being here, demons?!" The fiery woman stood in front, semi-drawing her sword. Her flame-like hair matched her blazing attitude, and Douma can't help but grin at her, showing his blunt human teeth.
She froze briefly, eyes widening even further. "You're..."
"... Eh? Me?" Her shadow loomed over his figure. He only blinked once then his vision blurred, followed by Kokushibo softly calling his name in alarm. "... Uh, what?"
Gold filled his vision. A golden haori to be exact.
He blinked and found himself no longer beside Akaza and Kokushibo, but in the arms of one of the slayers. Looking up, his eyes were met with a striking pair of hazel eyes. Dumbfounded, he turned and managed to see the two demons standing quite far away from his position. Akaza wore an irritated expression on his face while Kokushibo remained impassive.
"... Huh?" He was speechless, still not comprehending what just happened. Did he just— Was he snatched away?
From the corners of his eyes, he saw the fiery woman swiftly drawing her sword, a blazing orange katana, and lunging towards Akaza who was planning to face the attack head on.
Akaza gnashed his teeth, the corners of his eyes turning bloodshot. The veins on his face became more pronounced. He bent his knees, stretching his palm out while the other hand rested beside his waist.
"Flame Breathing: First Form..." The woman adjusted her hold on the hilt of her sword, inhaling a mouthful of air.
"Unknowing Fire!" She swung her sword and unleashed a singular horizontal slash directed at Akaza, aiming for his neck.
Akaza grinned, not attempting to move away from his position, confident that he'll be able to break the weapon even at his current strength. But to his annoyance, Kokushibo interfered by standing between him and the current Flame Hashira.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she tightened her grip on her sword and redirected her aim towards Kokushibo.
"...This is enough trouble for one day." The burgundy haired demon uttered with a small hint of annoyance, not even attempting to prevent the attack from hitting him.
The orange nichirin sword met his skin and immediately shattered like glass.
"Stand down, Hashira. We have no desire to start a fight—"
"To hell with that!"
Kokushibo glared at the woman's interruption, disliking the fact that he can't just swing his sword and cut her up. Instead, he only watch her step back and take a glance at her broken sword in despair.
"My swordsmith will definitely use me to pound my sword once I meet him! You—!" She looked at him with much hate as if he murdered her ancestors...
He actually did, but he forgot who exactly he had murdered.
"It's all your fault, you worthless demon!"
"... You are in no position to measure my worth, Hashira. Stand down." He narrowed his eyes and unleashed his killing intent before turning to Douma who merely blinked at him, clearly amused at their current predicament. "Enough of this. We have no time to entertain these human antics."
Douma didn't struggle to move away from the man's hold, the demon slayer having been frightened to move by Kokushibo's killing intent. He did fumble the person's haori and clumsily tried to lessen the wrinkles he had caused by patting the fabric.
"Apologies."He mumbled and was about to approach Kokushibo when the man had regained his senses and held his wrist in a tight grip.
"They're man eating demons."
Smiling, Douma rested his free hand on top of the man's hand and forcefully pried himself from the demon slayer's grip, ignoring his horrified and confused look. Probably because he didn't know why a human would disregard his life and slide with demons.
"I know." And he wanted to applaud the demon slayer for his concern, but there's really no need for it. He knew where he stood.
"Akaza-san~! You could at least prevent them from snatching me. What if they aimed to kill me?"
He stood in between, yet he favoured demons rather than those slayers who were still strangers to him.
"As if you would ever die from that." His smile widened when the pink haired demon scowled.
Douma had an urge to enrage him even further, to tease the demon and watch him blow up in front of everyone. But he held it back. Instead, he walked towards them and faced the demon slayers.
They looked back at him in various degrees of weariness.
"No one here is going to hurt anyone today, or any other day." His fellow humans looked at him incredulously, like he just said something ridiculous. They were about to retaliate when he purposely slid his mask off, his face turning apathetic. "Isn't that right?"
Chills ran down Akaza's spine when he heard his tone, cold and indifferent. It was just like earlier. He didn't need to see Douma's face to know what kind of look he sent to the humans that made them step back in response.
"To hell with that!" The Flame Hashira shouted, "Why is a human like you sliding with those cold blooded demons?"
Douma remained unresponsive, choosing to look around in search of something. Or someone. His eyes scanned the crowd, zeroing into a familiar man that was covered in a full body armor and wearing a tengu mask, recognizing the man right away.
"Kimio-san, we came here to talk about some misunderstandings that might happen, or have already already happened. Please understand that we mean no harm."
"... No harm?" Kimio's voice shook with anger, he bellowed, "No harm?!"
Douma winced.
"Twenty humans were found dead around the city, not including the injured people who were injured! If not for these demon slayers who aided us, do you think that we would have been here standing in front of you?"
Kimio's voice shook, "And while we were distracted, Kikyo was taken! That happened an hour after our deal!"
"—What deal?" The Flame Hashira interrupted, but Kimio ignored her.
"... So tell me, which part of that meant no harm?!"
"Muzan-sama made no command about killing humans. Those who did that are traitors amongst us." Kokushibo explained to them, ignoring the gasp from the Flame Hashira.
"... Kibutsuji Muzan?"
"Command or not, it doesn't change that demons attacked humans! That's a major breach to our treaty!" Kimio raised his hand, attempting to signal his troupes to attack.
"What treaty are you saying, Kimio-sama?"
"We did no such thing!" Douma's lips twitched, stepping towards the man. Kimio's men were alarmed and blocked his way towards their master, their swords were pointed towards him. But he ignored them, his eyes solely focused on Kimio. He didn't even flinch when a spear was pointed under his chin, drawing blood.
"Don't take another step closer!"
He halted, but didn't back away. "There's nothing in our deal that we violated, didn't we? And you know that, Kimio-san."
Kimio faltered under his gaze, feeling as if Douma could somehow read his thoughts and see the very center of his soul.
"Douma." Akaza called, but he ignored it. He didn't break eye contact, his blank eyes seemed to be slowly filled with an eerie light as they dared Kimio to either answer or command his subordinates to kill him.
Kimio scowled under his mask and signaled his men to stand down.
"Can you prove that?"
Douma smiled, "Kimio-san, in the seventh paragraph on the back of the paper. It was written there that: [Any transgressions that might affect the deal shall be discussed calmly before both parties conclude anything.]"
He continued, "And on the ninth paragraph, it's written that: [Any traitors from both parties shall be acknowledged as enemies and any deed done by them shall not affect the party where they came from.]"
"A deal?!" The demon slayers were shocked, not expecting the turn of events. They concluded that the demons and the members of the government knew each other, but they did not expect that there would be a treaty between them.
Kimio grunted, "You really are a sly..."
Douma smiled at him, "Kimio-san, it's best if we sit down and talk this out. The demon slayers can join us, if they want."
He shot a glance at the three agitated and tense slayers; the Flame Hashira kept reaching for the hilt of her sword, only to be reminded that it broke. The man who had snatched him earlier simply focused his sight on him, unblinking. The slayer who was silent from the beginning just gave them a glare.
Amusement could be seen in his eyes as he looked back at the two demons and gestured them to come along.
Akaza looked at him, his breath hitching. The scent of snow and wisteria drifted in his nose. His fangs itched, wanting to sink it in human skin. Preferably on the flesh of the annoying human in front of him. He could feel his stomach rumble at the thought.
Douma returned his look with a sly smile, "I didn't take it lightly, didn't I? Akaza-san?"