A/N:- I own nothing(surprise).
"My sister...she has fought demons alongside me! She can help the corps!!" Tanjiro had no other option, other than screaming as he fought verbally for his sister's safety.
The last thing he remembered was the numerous demons he, along with his teammates, Zenitsu and Inosuke were facing in a town nearby, when suddenly one of the passing Hashira spotted them...or to be precise, the box resting on Tanjiro's back.
The rest of the battle seemed to be settled in a fury as the white-haired man, who was also one of the Hashira, suddenly annihilated over a hundred demons within minutes of engagement. And all of it, while keeping Tanjiro in his restraints.
Tanjiro did try resisting and so did his other two comrades, but the scarred man was too strong to even budge against the combined forces of three slayers.
In the end, a backhanded chop was all it took and Tanjiro was out cold...only to open his eyes in the backyard of a strange minka and a group of colorfully dressed people standing around him.
Tanjiro's limbs were bound by a rope and the restraint was pretty immovable, given how it was attached to a big tree. It was infatuating how his two years' worth of training was seemingly resulting in nothing in front of just a single tree, while his sister was held captive in the hands of the strongest yet the creepiest person, Tanjiro had come across.
"I believe purging the demon would be the best course of action! Well of course, in the most flashy way!" The white-haired tall man made a quick pose, unbecoming of a grown-up man, as he suggested something outrageous.
"That seems to be the only method and the necessary one, at that!" The flame-haired man supported the decision with a vigor that made it seem like, killing an innocent demon(Nezuko) was no big deal. At all!
Tanjiro flailed as strongly as he could. Even though his wounds burnt and his body screamed in unbearable pain, Tanjiro never stopped trying. He needed to...
"I think we should wait for the master. It's his judgment that always has paved the right path for us."
The serene voice of the Water Pillar snaked its way into the heated conversation between the Hashira as he remained straight faces, doing nothing in particular to help the boy, he had helped some years ago. It wasn't like Tomioka was an apathetic guy...but his involvement would only make the matter worse, considering the hatred Sanemi carries for all Demons.
Tanjiro looked at Giyu in gratefulness, hoping that some sort of way could be created by his interference. And true to his expectation, none of them said anything...until a certain snake hissed from above.
"I wonder why Tomioka has such a change of heart for someone who is sheltering a demon while wearing that uniform. What's his connection to the boy and that thing, caged in the box."
Tanjiro was normally a very calm and gentle boy, but when someone calls his sister a 'thing', his temperament surely would shift into an aggressive one.
He couldn't lift his head to see who passed such a disrespectful comment, but Tanjiro surely not going to share any rice cake with him in the new year. He was very rude!
The way Shinobu looked curiously at her fellow Hashira for an answer, weighed Tomioka; nothing. He was not obliged to provide an answer to anyone except for their master.
However, Giyu's silence worked as the best fuel to enrage the fury within the Wind Pillar as suddenly announced,
"I have brought this menace in and thus, I have the right to conclude judgment on it." His declaration made Tanjiro gasp and the others looked at him with varying expressions.
Tanjiro pumped his muscles, swayed his body, and did everything in his power to release himself from the tree, as he saw the scarred man taking out his blade and lifting the box right aligned to his eye level.
With a threatening smile, Sanemi rested his blade against the box, as he finished speaking his judgment, "And I choose to slaughter this thing."
"NEZUKO!!" Tanjiro shouted but did nothing as Sanemi pushed his blade, expecting some resistance from the material and the flesh of the demon inside...however, none of it arrived.
"Hmm?!" Sanemi looked down...only to find the box no longer in his hold.
It just...disappeared.
Not only Sanemi, but the others were astounded as well by the development since they never sensed anyone approaching Sanemi, nor was some string attached to the box that could have pulled it apart. There were no traces of Tanjiro being freed as well, and the way he seemed shocked, exposed, how he also wasn't expecting his sister to just vanish.
"In there." Suddenly, the voice of the quietest Hashira—Muichiro called out with his index finger lazily pointing inside the house.
One could gaze at the sole figure of a man, in his late teens, sitting in a corner with the same box Sanemi held earlier, now in his position.
"!!!"
Just a moment of notice, Shinobu, Tengen, and Rengoku have already marched inside with their blades pulled out. It took less than a blink before the three stood around the boy with their blades inches apart from the target's nape.
"You..." The way Shinobu frowned explained that she must know him; Rengoku noted but didn't budge from his spot.
Someone who could move at such a tremendous pace and was giving off such an ominous vibe could be anything but human.
'More like...did he even move?' Nothing, even a high-ranking demon couldn't have moved fast enough to not get detected by the eyes of the Hashiras. Yet this young man was able to snatch the demon from the hands of Sanemi without leaving a whiff of his presence behind.
'He hasn't moved a bit...' Tengen was irked by the fact that the young boy hadn't tried escaping or resisting being targeted. He was just sitting there solemnly while holding the box in his hand without a care in the world.
Before Uzui could take some flashy steps to enlighten the young boy about where he led himself...a very familiar voice called out.
"That would be unnecessary my children. After all, Yuta-kun is my guest."
There was one who didn't know the identity of the person who just walked in, with two little girls on either side.
The man had black short hair falling from either side of his forehead and the most prominent part of this person was his calm demeanor, which provided a sense of solemnity toward the people around him.
Everyone, in the Demon Slayer Corps, regards him as the master, but in general, he is known as Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Generally, every Hashira would have knelt just by the appearance of Kagaya, however, not today. The reasons were a very prominent one.
"Oy-Oyakata-sama...your face..."The reason why Shinobu stuttered with those words, was because the person who was on the verge of losing his eyesight and was suffering from an incurable curse seemed healthy and fine.
There were still those people marks on his head and his physicality wasn't top-notch, but still, the head of the Corps looked far better than the last time everyone saw him.
"I will tell you everything, but first...Kyojuro." Hearing his master's voice, and understanding the meaning behind those words, the Flame Pillar reluctantly pulled his sword away from the neck of the raven-haired youth.
Soon the three Hashira joined the others, as they knelt in respect of their master.
Once settled, Kagaya finally began the introduction,
"Everyone, this person here is Okkotsu Yuta-kun. He is not a part of the Corps but his intentions align with ours. And that is...to kill Kibutsuji and bring the era of peace."
No one objected until now, even though several questions were going through their minds. The most repulsed one at the moment was Shinobu, but she held her grudge as of now and heard her master continuing,
"Yuta-kun has his own fair share of secrets and powers, with which he could do things, that are completely unheard of. Treating my disease for an example."
This time, a few gasped and some had their eyes widened in shock as the eldest Hashira asked,
"Oyakata-sama...you mean the curse..."
"It hasn't been removed, Gyomei but surely, the effect has been slowed down and my life expectancy has been extended by a few years."
The news was shocking and at the same time, called for a celebration. Everyone knows the importance of a leader in an organization, and when the master of the Corps was so firm with his intention toward the mutual goal of every Demon Slayer; it was given that his improving health would be good news for every Hashira and the Corps.
However, the question persists, "If I am not mistaken, Oyakata-sama, but that person is not a human, correct?" Tengen voiced his concern regarding the strange boy who has now freed the demon from the box and helped her to arrange her hair.
Tanjiro's eyes softened at the sight of someone treating Nezuko such tenderly. The way she was smiling beside the boy, melted the elder Kamodo's heart.
Hearing Uzui's query, which was not on his mind alone, Kagaya instantly responded,
"Oh, you are mistaken, Tengen. He indeed is a human, but with some special powers. I know it may sound ridiculous, but I have personally looked at his case to identify how great of a person, Yuta-kun is."
Master of the Ubuyashiki family was no amateur to be fooled by some street-side demon thug. This family has carried the role of extinguishing demons from the face of the earth for generations. The head of this era was also a benevolent and mature person, who could not make decisions based on some farce.
If Kagaya was vouching for the man then it meant that there should be something special about him.
Regardless of what they were thinking, the whole backyard has gone silent for an indefinite period.
It was then when suddenly, the person in question, himself called out for the rest,
"I can understand your wariness toward me. Not only my supernatural powers but also my aura leaks negativity and I am aware of it. Countless times in the past, Demons have deemed me as their brethren, and slayers raised their weapons against me."
Shinobu flinched when Yuta glanced in her direction while dictating the last line. However, her reaction didn't stop him from continuing,
"That is why, I won't ask any of you to trust me. I would never ask you to gamble your life for me or someone close to me." Yuta narrated his intentions and expectations toward the Corps without any fabrication of his original intent.
He was alone when he entered this world and he has pretty much gotten accustomed to fighting all alone. It was true that Kanae pleaded to battle alongside him, however, her presence in his life was enough to support Yuta.
"Then what are your intentions to join the Corps?" Obanai was far from believing this person, however, it wouldn't hurt hearing what the intruder had to say about the benefits he was looking for from the Corps.
"I need nothing but information...I am potent enough to handle myself but when it comes to gathering information, then I believe Demon Hunter Corps have the biggest network to help me find different hideouts of the demons."
With his eyes drawing to the ground, Yuta spoke in a condensed tone, "Every time...when I think how innocent people are getting devoured out there by those vile creatures, while I can't do anything to help them despite having the strength...just makes me feel agitated at myself."
His words made everyone surprised and sent a chill down their spine when they felt his wavering curse energy. His anger, his desperation, and his determination to help people were so apparent that even Shinazugawa and Obanai turned silent.
Yuta once again faced the Hashira before concluding,
"That's why, I request everyone here to tolerate my presence and coordinate as much as you can...so together we can save more people from the claws of Kibutsuji."
A/N:- Sorry for the delay.
Do you think, a chapter weekly can gain me patrons? Ig its a hard call.