"Wake up Tanjiro! It's time to get up. You need to wake up… he must really be out of it…" Shinobu said as she proceeded to shake one of Tanjiro's shoulders.
"W-wha?" Tanjiro said as he finally wrestled himself out of his own slumber. He had no idea where he was. All he knew was that he was laying rather uncomfortably on a layer of pebbles. He moved to stand up but Shinobu's hand quickly forced him to take a seated position instead.
"It's best if you don't get up given your injuries and you really shouldn't be standing in the presence of the other Hashira anyway," Shinobu said.
"Other Hashira?" Tanjiro asked before he noticed the other figures standing behind Shinobu. There were five swordsmen. One seemed to be a mere child younger than Tanjiro. He was wistfully gazing at the clouds without a care in the world while the other four were older and staring directly at Tanjiro. One was a pink and green haired woman who had a constant blush adorning her face. Another appeared to be a cheerful young man of moderate height with orange and red hair. A taller man stood near him with white hair and a tattoo upon his left eye. Lastly, was a very tall and muscled man clutching prayer beads and crying constantly.
"Yes, we are the nine highest ranking swordsmen in the corps and you have been invited to this meeting because of your unique circumstances," Shinobu replied.
"Nine? There's only six of you," Tanjiro said.
"There are eight of us here you fool. You need to observe your surroundings better," said a sharp voice from somewhere to Tanjiro's left. Tanjiro gazed around and found that the person the voice came from was lounging in a nearby tree. He wore black and white clothing and had a snake coiled around his neck like a scarf. His presence was somewhat unnerving but his point seemed fair enough to Tanjiro who felt like an idiot for not looking around more. The young slayer then decided to look for the last member and eventually saw Giyu standing on his own to his right. Tanjiro's eyes widened as he had no idea Giyu was one of the strongest slayers; however, there was no one else around so he must have been the eight member the snake man was speaking about.
"My apologies but then where is the ninth?"
"He will be along shortly we presume," Shinobu said. "Anyway, Tanjiro. Why don't you tell everyone else about Nezuko so they can hear it from your mouth instead of mine or Tomioka's?"
"Right," Tanjiro replied. He then began to explain his and Nezuko's unique situation to the other slayers before him. He went over how his family had been killed and how Nezuko had resisted devouring human flesh for so long. When he finished his story, he could tell the others around him did not find it particularly compelling.
"Well I certainly don't believe you. She's family so of course you would side with her," the snake man said as he pointed towards Tanjiro.
"People don't always side with their families Iguro. You of all people should know this," Shinobu said.
"… You have a knack for being irritating Kocho," Obanai replied.
"Regardless of whether or not she's family, the boy is still breaking Corps rules by protecting a demon. We all know this," the orange haired man decided to chime in.
"That is true; however, he already was granted an exception by the master so this isn't a trial here. He's just giving the rest of you an explanation so you don't go off killing his sister by accident," Giyu said.
"I doubt that's the case. That would be very uncharacteristic, not to mention unflamboyant, of our master. You and Kocho say that's true; however, I think you're both just covering for the boy," the white haired swordsman declared.
"I want to believe Tomioka and Kocho but I agree it would be best to hear it from master Oyakata himself," the pink haired girl said.
"There is no way our master would allow such a thing! Everything they're saying must be bullshit!" a new figure said as he approached the group carrying the box Tanjiro carried Nezuko around in. He had a large scar across his face and his eyes were manic.
"Ah hello Shinazugawa. Nice of you to finally arrive," Shinobu said with a vein popping out of her forehead.
"Shut up! I don't know why the Hell you and Tomioka are saving this brat's ass but there is no way we can accept a demon into our midst!" Sanemi said as he stabbed Nezuko's box with his green blade.
"No one hurts my sister!" Tanjiro yelled as he leapt at Sanemi. Sanemi attempted to slash at Tanjiro; however, the boy dodged and clocked the Wind Hashira with a headbutt. Shinobu and Giyu were both shocked and impressed while the pink haired girl couldn't help but giggle. Even Obanai raised his eyebrows in surprise at Tanjiro's skills.
"The boy is thoroughly possessed by this demon. That is the only explanation for his behavior. We should end his suffering," the large crying man finally said while not stopping his sobbing.
"I believe that is enough everyone," a soothing voice said. Once the Hashira heard that sentence, they quickly prostrated themselves and both Sanemi and Shinobu placed hands on Tanjiro's shoulders to force him to bow as well.
"What the?" Tanjiro asked as he was forced to place his face on the smooth stones scattered around him. No one bothered to reply to him as instead they all gave their master their well wishes and asked him to bring clarity to the situation.
"Ah yes, I'm sorry for the confusion surrounding young Tanjiro Kamado and his sister. They are both sanctioned just as Tomioka and Kocho have said. I have it on good authority that Nezuko is very different from every other demon. A former Hashira and dear friend observed her for two years and found no indication that she had any interest in eating humans. In fact she has been working alongside Tanjiro to save several in the time he has been with the corps. I please ask that you all accept this," Kagaya said. A couple Hashira expressed their acceptance while most stated doubts and concerns; however, in the end they all decided to trust their master's judgment even if they did not like it. "Excellent, now Tanjiro. You and Nezuko are going to have to prove yourselves to gain the Hashira's trust. I think killing a member of the Twelve Kizuki would be a good start."
"I promise I will earn their respect. Not only that, I will vanquish Kibutsuji and avenge my family!" Tanjiro declared.
"… Killing Kibutsuji is perhaps too large of a goal for you as you are now. I would suggest focusing on the Kizuki for the time being," Kagaya advised.
"Oh… right," Tanjiro replied sheepishly.
"Now that Tanjiro and his sister's situation has been cleared up. We have another matter to discuss regarding another demon that has been brought onto the premises by Kocho," Kagaya said.
"Another?!" Sanemi yelled. He couldn't believe what was happening today. Every fiber of his being despised demons and yet their master, whom he cherished dearly, was allowing two to grace his presence. The thought was absurd!
"Yes, Sanemi. This demon is a particularly interesting one and I think you will all want to hear her story," Kagaya said. He then motioned for members of the Kakushi to bring out Susamaru who was tied up and muzzled; however, she was calm and cooperating. The fact that she was bound brought some comfort to some of the Hashira as they thought this meant she wasn't in the same situation as Nezuko and was in fact their prisoner. "Hello, Susamaru correct?"
Susamaru was deeply confused by the man in front of her. His voice was the most gentle and wise that she'd ever heard and yet… he looked very similar to Kibutsuji. He smelled human but… she couldn't help herself at wondering. As she thought, her muzzle was removed by some very fearful Kakushi members and when it was off they retreated rapidly. "Yes, who are you exactly? And why do you look like Kibutsuji?"
The Hashira balked at her question. All were deeply offended by the comparison including Shinobu and Giyu; however, Sanemi had a question of his own. "Demon?! You can say Kibutsuji's name?!"
"Yeah! What of it?!"
"Then tell me everything you know about him right now! That's why Kocho brought you here right?" he said as he looked at Shinobu hopefully.
"That isn't exactly why I brought her here but it would certainly be beneficial," Shinobu said. She knew Susamaru could say that horrible monster's name but she had no idea the demon had come into contact with him and could give them information.
"Patience, Sanemi. I'm sure this demon would be happy to tell us as much as she can but first I'll answer her question. Yes, I'm sure I do bare some resemblance to the progenitor of demons. After all, it was my bloodline that bore him into this world. That is why my family has been cursed for generations to die early. We cannot be cleansed of this sin until he is destroyed," Kagaya stated.
"Wow, that would explain the… you know what? I should shut up before I say something I'll regret," Susamaru said.
"There is no need for such restraint. I am well aware of my condition and it brings me no shame when others notice it. Now, could you please inform us of all that you know of your former master?"
"Absolutely! Although… I admit I don't know as much as I would like to tell you," Susamaru said with regret in her voice.
"Anything would be great, Susamaru. We pretty much know nothing," Shinobu chimed in.
"In that case, he usually appeared before me in the form of a wealthy business man similar in appearance to… what was your name?" Susamaru asked the Demon Slayer Corps' leader.
"My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki; however, most call me 'Master Oyakata'."
"Kagaya it is then!" Susamaru said much to the Hashiras' chagrin. Kagaya himself laughed at her. He was so used to everyone acting so formal around him that her calling him by his first name was rather amusing. "Anyway, he is similar in appearance to Kagaya except with red eyes that match the color of muscles. Unfortuantely, he can change his appearance at will; however, his red eyes and pale skin never change and are a dead give away. As for location: he bounces between Tokyo and various other locations frequently to keep slayers off his t'rail. At every location, he has a human family or connection to hide behind. He doesn't care about any of them I'm sure; however, he will kill them at a moment's notice so in a sense they are all hostages. I would recommend luring him to you rather than chasing after him if you want to minimize human casualties. I only ever saw him dispatch normal humans so I can't tell you much about his combat abilities but it only takes a single scratch from him to turn a human into a demon. I saw him do so in the streets of Tokyo with my own eyes. He also can just kill people by injecting his blood into them… the end result is horrific," Susamaru paused to take a breath after rambling for so long. "The last things I know are about the demons he makes, i.e. those like myself. He can see through any demon's eyes and can destroy them remotely… which he tried to do to me before I was saved by… a doctor," Susamaru was reluctant to say Tanjiro saved her since they all seemed quite upset with him about Nezuko already. "I also am guessing that the reason he keeps all of us demons separate is because he wants us all to cover more ground because he is looking for something through our eyes; however, that is just a theory I have and that is all that I know," Susamaru finished with a slight pant from speaking for so long.
The Hashira around her were speechless. Never before had they been given so much information about their enemy! For saying she didn't know much, this random demon was far more useful than all the intelligence the corps had received over the last several centuries! That was… if everything she said was true.
"While all of that would be great information, how do we know this demon is telling the truth? She could just be a plant by Kibutsuji to feed us false intel," Obanai stated.
"That's true. We can't trust a word she says!" Sanemi agreed.
"Susamaru, was the doctor who saved you named Tamayo?" Kagaya asked.
"Yes actually! How do you know her?" Susamaru said extremely surprised that the leader of the Slaying corps would know a demon.
"I am familiar with her and if she is the one who saved you then I will believe everything you said."
"But master! How can you take her word for anything just because of some doctor!" Sanemi said.
"Tamayo is someone I trust but if you need more proof Sanemi then let us look at what Susamaru here has done recently. Shinobu, why don't you do the honors since you brought her here."
"It would be my pleasure Master Oyakata. I observed this demon last night on Mt. Natagumo. You all know I am trying to befriend demons in honor of my late sister and so I wanted to see if she would be a good candidate for such a thing. As I followed her I saw her save not one but two of our slayers from other demons. She first saved a slayer by the name of Murata and helped him kill a demon that had devoured no less than eighty of our men. She then parted ways on friendly terms with him and went on to save Tanjiro despite me trying to poison her after I determined she wouldn't be a good candidate based on how many humans she killed. Her resilience surprised me but she didn't take revenge or even deny that she deserved to die; however, she still felt a need to save someone she thought of as a friend and went off to protect him anyway. She succeeded in doing so and in the process killed a member of the Twelve Kizuki all on her own. After that I decided to offer my deal that you are all familiar with and she accepted," Shinobu said.
The others could barely believe what they heard. Giyu wouldn't have believed her himself if he hadn't seen Susamaru kill Rui with his own eyes the night before.
"She accepted that bullshit from you? Damn, at least she's got balls," Sanemi said.
"This is a strange development. I've never heard of demon killing one of the Twelve and I doubt Kibutsuji would sacrifice one of them just to put a demon in a spot to give us false information," the pink haired Hashira stated.
"I still don't like her but, fuck me, that's some flamboyant stuff I'm hearing!" The tattooed Hashira stated.
"Then I hope all of you can accept that she will also be staying among the corps after Shinobu has finished with her?" Kagaya asked the Hashira members.
Most of them were not particularly pleased with having one demon around, let alone two; however, the idea was made easier to stomach once they were aware she killed one of the Twelve. In the end they accepted their master's wishes yet again and Susamaru was placed in a basket so she could be transported to the Butterfly mansion along with Tanjiro and Nezuko. When they arrived, Tanjiro was placed in a very dark medical ward with his friends Inosuke and Zenitsu. Shinobu explained to them that the reason they were given such a dark room was so that Nezuko and Susamaru could hang out with them since the three of them wouldn't be able to get up and move to a separate room for a while.
After she got the three humans and Nezuko reunited and situated, Shinobu carried Susamaru down to a basement level of the mansion to begin her punishment.