Hey y'all! Im so sorry it's been so long! Please enjoy this chapter! Oh! I'm just now forgetting to mention that there will be some technological mentions, but the Corps doesn't use them much. They know how to use phones and cars for the most part, but will still use the canon means of travel and communication.
Please enjoy this chapter! 😁

Harry's POV
The Dursleys were not unhappy to see Harry go.
Although he did hear Dudley complain to his parents about losing his favorite punching bag.
Aunt Petunia had her nose turned up in the air. She wouldn't even look at him.
Uncle Vernon was too busy glaring at the other freaks to pay attention to him, for once.
Harry ignored them all, enraptured by the strange freaks.
"Come! We must take you to meet the Master!" Mr. Rengoku stated cheerfully.
They began leading him away, paying no more mind to the Dursleys.
As they walked, the freaks talked to him a lot, asking so many questions.
Harry didn't know how to answer most of them.
How could he know what his favorite movie was if he hadn't seen one before?
But, he did his best, not wanting to disappoint the freaks.
They also explained who they were and what they did. Harry couldn't believe it at first. Demons exist? And people hunt them? He didn't know what to think of this information.
They also told him about the Master, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. He was the one who would decide Harry's fate.
He swallowed nervously at the thought. Despite the fact that the freaks praised the Master highly, the boy was skeptical as to his character. Nobody could actually be that kind, right?
Especially to a freak...
When they finally stopped in a small, nondescript town, Mr. Rengoku knelt in front of him again.
"I'm afraid I must warn you of this part of the journey. You see, the Master's location must be protected at all costs. This means that no one, except for the Hashira (and even then to a limited degree), know where his home is. This means that we will be blindfolded and carried on the back of a Kakushi. This is a routine measure that must be performed by everyone who wishes to meet with the Master, and is by no means a punishment. Am I understood?"
Harry took a moment to process the information. Considering what he had learned about the Demons, in particular their leader, he could understand the precautions.
He nodded firmly in understanding.
Mr. Rengoku smiled.
"Perfect! Let's get going."
The journey to the Master's house went better than he thought it would. Most of the Kakushi were very friendly, although Harry didn't like or understand it when they patted his hair or pinched his cheeks, calling him "cute."

He didn't know why they would think he was "cute."

However, there was one definite positive to the whole experience; there was almost no way that this situation was a set-up. Harry could tell that every Kakushi who carried him was different, and they switched dozens of times. There's no way that anyone would set up anything as elaborate as this just to trick him.

His trust in Mr. Rengoku and Mr. Tengen began to increase.

It took them a full day to reach the Master's house. By then, of course, Harry was so tired that he could barely keep my yawns in. He didn't dare let them out for fear of inconveniencing Mr. Rengoku and Mr. Tengen.
Despite the boy's best efforts, however, they noticed.
"The little tyke looks exhausted. No wonder. It's been a long , why don't you take him to your place for tonight? I'm sure your wife and kids would love to dote on him!" Mr. Tengen suggested.
"That sounds like an amazing idea! I know they'd love him! What do you say, kid?"
Their eyes were suddenly on him, causing him to freeze.
"I-I" he stuttered, still not used to the attention.
Mr. Tengen just chuckled and said,
"It's not a pop quiz, kiddo. You can calm down. It's alright if you want to go with Rengoku. You'll have more fun at my house, though! I've got three wives." He winked at him.
Harry looked back and forth between them, not knowing who to choose. Whoever he didn't choose would probably get angry.
What do I do? What do I do?
Seeing his panic, Mr Tengen chuckled.

"It's alright if he goes with you, Rengoku. You've got kids his age, after all. It will be good for him to hang out with them."

Mr. Rengoku chuckled kindly and nodded.

"Very well! And Ruka will love doting on him, too! Come on, Harry!"

Before Harry could say anything, Mr. Tengen had vanished, and Mr. Rengoku was leading the boy to a nearby village. The man began chatting about his family.

"I have two boys about your age, Kyojuro and Senjuro! They are good boys. I'm sure you'll get along just fine!"

Harry was nervous. None of the boys his age ever liked him. They usually followed Dudley's lead and hurt him. How would these boys be any different? They'd see what a freak he was as soon as they saw him and make fun of him for it.

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts as they arrived at a quaint house. Mr. Rengoku opened the door,, calling out.

"My dears!" he boomed. "I have returned! And I have a guest!"

Immediately, a few pairs of footsteps were heard. Two young boys appeared, bounding around the corner.

"Father!" the older one cried out happily. "You're back!"

The man chuckled happily as he scooped the boys into his arms.
"It's good to see you, my boys! Where is your mother?"

The younger of the two started pulling at Mr. Rengoku's hair as the older one answered.

"She went to the market to buy supplies for dinner. She'll be back soon!"

This was when the boys suddenly noticed me. I had not moved an inch since they had appeared. The older one jumped out of his father's arms and proceeded to bow, of all things.

"I apologize for my rudeness! I am Kyojuro Rengoku! It is a pleasure to meet you!" the boy exclaimed loudly.

Harry hesitantly bowed back.

"M-my name is Harry.."

"Harry will be staying with us for some time," Mr. Rengoku interrupted. "So make sure you boys be nice and welcome him properly, alright?"

Kyojuro and the other boy nodded vigorously.

Kyojuro gestured to the other boy who was clearly his brother.

"This is my younger brother, Senjuro! He's a bit shy, sorry about that." he chuckled sheepishly.

Harry assured him that it was alright.

Mr. Rengoku's hand came down on Kyojuro's shoulder. "Why don't you and Senjuro show him where the guest room is? I'm afraid I need to write to the Master about an important matter."

Kyojuro immediately straightened. "Of course, Father! Come on, Harry! The guest room is this way!"

Harry wordlessly followed, unsure of what else to do. The two boys had been nice so far, but he knew that could change at the drop of a hat. Nobody would ever be that nice to a freak like him, right...?

Kyojuro pulled open a door in the hallway, oblivious to the internal struggle of the boy behind him.

"Ah, here we are! This will be your room for as long as you need!"

Harry blinked in shock. The room was simple, with few, but tasteful decorations and a single... (futon...? Isn't that what they called them...?) on the floor. Through a slightly open door, he could see a bathroom. It was the biggest room he had ever seen, much less stayed in. He blinked again.

"Is this... all for me?" he asked in a daze. Surely this was some kind of trick.

Kyojuro's smile turned soft. "Of course! You are our guest! This room will be yours for as long as you are under our roof!"

Harry turned back to him and bowed lowly.

"I... thank you."

Kyojuro just laughed.

"Think nothing of it! Now come on, would you like to train with Senjuro and me?"

Harry tiled his head.

"Train? For what?"

Kyojuro chuckled.

"I am training to be a Demon Slayer! I'll become a Hashira, just like my father!"

Harry jumped as his heard a chuckle come from behind him.

"Maybe one day, my son." It was Mr. Rengoku. He was back from wherever he had been.

Then he noticed that Mr. Rengoku wasn't alone. A beautiful woman with black hair and kind red eyes was behind him. Mr. Rengoku gestured to her.

"Harry, meet my wife, Ruka. Ruka, this is Harry. He'll be staying with us for now."

The woman smiled at Harry as he stared at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"It's nice to meet you, Harry. I hope you will get along well with my boys."

Harry was too struck by her kindness to speak, but nobody seemed to mind.

"Kyojuro, why don't you help your mother with dinner."

Harry immediately spoke up.

"I can help with dinner too! I'm used to cooking for the Dursleys after all..."

In his effort to be useful, Harry didn't notice the slight twitch in Ruka's brow, or how Mr. Renogku's mouth tightened ever so slightly.

"That's alright, Harry," Ruka spoke up. "You're our guest. It would make us bad hosts if we had you help with the cooking, no matter how used to it you may be."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Mr. Rengoku jumped in first.

"Senjuro, why don't you go play with Harry while your brother helps with dinner?"

The two boys chorused their affirmative replies. Kyojuro left with his mother after giving me a kind smile and wave. Senjuro, who had said very little this entire time, grabbed my hand.

"C'mon," he said softly. "Let's go play with some toys."

Harry sighed as he gave in, unable to think of any more protests. He decided that he would clean the kitchen later to make up for it.

Harry and Senjuro ended up playing with a handful of toy soldiers. Dudley would have been aghast at how few toys there were, but for Harry this was the most fun playing he'd ever had. Senjuro turned out to be a fun person to play with, once he stopped being quite so shy. He'd even given Harry three toy soldiers of his very own once Harry let slip that he didn't have any toys of his own. There were five toy soldiers in total. This action confused Harry for the longest time. Why would you give away most of your toys?

After awhile, a still-energetic Kyojuro appeared at the door, declaring that dinner was ready. Senjuro quickly rose, pulling Harry along with him. It was so strange not having to cook...

Senjuro pulled Harry to sit between himself and Kyojuro as Ruka and Mr. Rengoku started passing around the food and plates. It sure would be nice to not eat the leftovers for once...

That evening, Harry had the best dinner he'd ever had. Not just because of the food, but because of the company. The Rengoku family never once made him feel out of place. It felt like he had a home for the first time.

Is this what it felt like for everyday families?

For children like Dudley?

Was this what it felt like to be loved...?

That night Harry went to sleep in a soft bed for the first time in his life.

Hello everyone! I am so, so sorry that I haven't update in so long! I've been going through a writer's block with this story. It didn't help that I recently discovered a certain Giyuu Punishment comic. I still see red when I see the other Hashira, and I kinda wanted to wait for that to calm down so that it doesn't affect this story too much. Anyways, I hope to see y'all again soon!
❤️DaughterofHalt❤️