Anyways, hello! It's nice to be back with another chapter! I still can't believe how many reads this book has sometimes! :)) Good news is that I have several more chapters planned out but I don't know how long it will be until I can post them. Y'all enjoy!

Harry's POV

Nine-seventy-one

Nine-seventy-two

Nine-seventy-three

Harry counted his sword swings as he trained, sweat dripping down his brow. As he swing his sword, he thought about the past few years.
He had stayed with the Rengoku family for two years, before being sent to the Japanese Wizarding school, Mahoutokoro, as students had to be nine years of age to enter. He stayed there during the normal school months. It was now the summer after his first year there.

Most interestingly, his headmaster had informed him that Dumbledore had contacted the Japanese Minister a couple months after he was adopted, requesting (demanding) that Harry return to England (to his abusive relatives).

The headmaster had, thankfully assured an alarmed Harry that since he was now a Japanese citizen, the Minister could not forcibly deport him to England. Not that the Minister wanted to. From what the headmaster heard, the Japanese Minister despised the man, citing his manipulative nature. In any case, by the law, Harry's current guardian (Shinjuro-san) would have to agree before such a thing could take place (which would never happen). Harry signed paperwork that further solidified his citizenship so that Dumbledore could not find any loopholes to force him back to England.

During the summer and winter breaks, he returned to the Rengoku family to continue his training to become a Demon Slayer.

However, the more he trained, the more he felt that Flame Breathing didn't fit him. It required a certain fiery spirit that he simply didn't posses. Kyojuro-kun on the other hand, who was Harry's older brother in all but blood, had taken to it very well. Shinjuro-san was quite proud of him.
Senjuro-chan was still too young to execute most of the training exercises, but that was alright. He was still young.
Harry was broken out of this thoughts as Kyojuro-kun left the house, an unusually grim look on his face. Harry frowned. Ruka-san had fallen sick recently, and the entire family was concerned for her.
Kyojuro-kun gave a brief wave to Harry before vanishing into the village. He no doubt intended to fetch medicine for his mother. Harry prayed that it would help.
Unfortunately, there were no potions that could help her, as she was not a witch and possessed no magical core that certain ingredients needed to react to. Because of this, there were few remedies for magicals that worked on non-magicals.
This was something that deeply frustrated Harry, especially considering the work of the Corps. He knew many more lives could have been saved if magical remedies worked on non-magical people.

He would have cured Ruka-san in a heartbeat if he could. She was the mother he never had.

But, all he could do was hope that there was something out there that would work.

Fifteen-twenty-five

Fifteen-twenty-six

Fifteen-twenty-seven

Harry continued diligently swinging his sword.

The sudden sound of swift footsteps made him glance towards the gate. The sight of Shinjuro-san hurrying inside, a tiny child behind him, made him pause mid-swing.
From what Harry could see, the boy was about his age, maybe younger. He was wrapped in a stained kimono with bandages around his mouth and, oddly enough, had a white snake around his neck. Harry missed the rest of the details as Shinjuro-san herded the boy inside.
Harry looked at his sword, frowning. He could guess what happened.

Another child lost everything because of those monsters.

Harry began to swing his sword with even more vigor than before. He needed to train hard so children like that young boy never went through anything like that again.

Kyojuro-kun returned a few hours later, about the time when Harry was done with training for the day. He had a package in his arms, no doubt containing medicine for Ruka-san.

Harry finished his stretches and went inside, intent on helping with whatever needed doing.
Shinjuro-san was working on making sure their young guest was warm and comfortable. Harry saw that he was now dressed in one of his old kimonos. He approached him slowly, keeping a soft smile on his face and a warm cup of tea in his hands. This wasn't the first time Shinjuro-san had brought an orphan to their house. He knew what to do by now. Kind, soft voices devoid of pity usually worked the best.

The young boy looked wary of him, but he didn't scream or start throwing things at him, so Harry took that as a plus. The snake did hiss at him though, prompting Harry to keep a safe distance. Harry didn't verbally respond. He knew about his Parseltongue ability, but this boy didn't, and he didn't want to freak him out by revealing he could communicate with snakes. The snake did immediately stop hissing when he spoke, no doubt recognizing a Speaker. From what Harry had learned, snakes could do this.

"Hello, there." Harry smiled at the new guest. "My name is Harry Rengoku. I'm Rengoku-san's adopted son! It's a pleasure to meet you! Would you like some tea?"

The boy didn't reply, but he did allow his hand to escape from his blanket to accept the warm mug that Harry held out to him.

The longer Harry sat there, the more he realized that something was wrong. It reminded Harry of how he was when he first came here. There was more to this than just a demon attack. Harry was sure of that. He suspected severe abuse. The child was skin and bones, and Harry could see blood staining the bandages around the child's mouth. A recent injury, then.

Harry knew that the boy would probably not appreciate if Harry's observations were voiced, so he remained silent on the subject, instead trying to find harmless questions. He noted that the boy did not drink the tea, instead just holding it in his hands. Harry supposed that the might not want to injure himself further.

"Your snake is pretty! What's his name?"

Harry could see that the snake and boy had a bond, and hoped the boy would talk about him at least.

"Kaburamaru," came the softest whisper from the child.

Harry beamed at him like he had just mastered a new Breathing technique.

"That's a wonderful name for him! I have a snake as well! Her name is Lily. Would you like to see her? I can bring her here if you'd like! She's really nice!"

The boy took a moment to think, and then nodded his approval. Making sure to keep his hands in full view, Harry quietly rose and left the room. He quietly padded to his room, where Lily the albino snake was resting in her cage.

"We have a young guesssst here, and he'd like to meeeeeet you. He has a ssssnake of hisss own. Are you willing to meeeeeeet with them?" Harry hissed to her quietly in Parseltongue.

He reached out and gently took her in his hands. Lily hissed quietly as she considered his question.

"Sssssure Masssster. I will meeeeeet with thisssss boyyyy and hisssssss friend," she replied.

"Thank you, Lily." Harry hissed back quietly.

He gently lifted her so that she was comfortably coiled around his shoulders, her small, white head rubbing his cheek softly.

Harry gently padded back to the living room where the boy still sat. It looked like he hadn't so much as twitched since Harry left them.

Harry sat down in a seiza in front of him, still keeping a distance so the boy didn't feel crowded. He gently unwound Lily from around his neck and held her between them, beaming widely.

"This is my friend, Lily. Lily, these are our guests."

Lily hissed out an acknowledgement. Kaburamaru hissed back. They began a conversation only the snakes and Harry could understand.

Choosing to pay them no mind, Harry smiled at the other boy.

"It looks like our companions get along well! That's good. It would be awkward if they hated each other!"

At that moment, Shinjuro-san returned with more tea and some food that, Harry noticed, would be light on the stomach. He remembered being fed something similar when it appeared that his stomach needed to adjust after long periods of starvation. Harry again wondered what happened to this boy, although the pieces were starting to come together.

Shinjuro-san was surprised to see Harry there, and handed him the tray.

"I have to report to the Master for Hashira business. Are you alright with looking after our guest this evening?"

Harry knew what that meant. This boy needed a place to stay and there was also the possibility that he would want to become a Demon Slayer himself. They might need to find a trainer for him. Harry immediately nodded.

"You can count on me, Shinjuro-san!" he replied brightly.

Shinjuro-san chuckled, brushing through his hair with a large, scarred hand.

"You have my thanks, Harry-chan. I will be off now!"

Harry turned back to the boy with a bright smile

"Shinjuro-san is a Hashira so he's often busy in the evenings." he explained.

The boy tilted his head at the word.

"Ha-shira?" he questioned.

Harry smiled and nodded.

"Yes! Shinjuro-san is a part of an organization that kills those monsters called Demons. He's a Hashira, which means that means that he has the highest rank."

To Harry's somewhat surprise, the boy sat up a little straighter and looked at him steadily, steel replacing the wariness he'd previously found there.

"Teach me," was all he said.

Well, that answered the question of if the boy wanted to be a Demon Slayer or not.

The boy, Obanai Iguro, eventually went to live with a trainer. Harry didn't see him again for a long time. He thought it was a shame. They seemed to have more things in common besides the abuse and a similar animal companion.

Harry did find the story behind Obanai's scars to be atrocious. Turns out that Obanai came from a family of thieves who partnered up with a Demon in order to increase their own wealth. They'd even feed their newborns to it. Obanai had only narrowly escaped such a fate, but still paid the price in having both sides of his mouth gruesomely cut open by the creature.

Harry was glad that he was alive, even if the Demon massacred his family out of anger before Shinjuro-san ended it. In Harry's mind, they deserved what they got. They should not have treated such a precious child like livestock. He was surprised to learn that Obanai was actually older than himself by about a year.

But that was months ago. Now, Harry was curiously peeking in the living room as another guest appeared. It was the current Wind Hashira, Masachika Kumeno, likely here on Hashira business. Harry only rarely got to see other Hashira, so he was curious.

The stranger smiled as he spotted Harry.

"Hello young one! It's been quite awhile hasn't it?"

The last time Harry saw him was about a week after he became a Rengoku, when he was still quiet and wary of everyone. This time, Harry stepped forwards and greeted the man with a smile and bow.

"I am glad to see you in good health, Masachika-sama," he said formally as he had been taught.

To his surprise, Masachika-sama just laughed.

"No need for that now, young Rengoku-san. Come, sit with me. Shinjuro-san and I wish to have a conversation with you."

Harry, somewhat dumbfounded, obeyed and sat in a seiza next to his adoptive father.

Masachika gave him an encouraging smile.

"We have been talking about your training progress young one, and how you feel you may not be fit for Flame Breathing. We were just talking about the possibility of seeing if Wind Breathing suited you better. If that is the case, then I would be happy to train you- assuming you wish the same, of course."

Harry blinked in shock. He hadn't considered asking to learn another breathing style. He hadn't wanted to offend his adoptive family when they had done so much for him. Shinjuro-san, sensing his dilemma, spoke up.

"I have long suspected that you may not be suited to Flame Breathing. However, Wind Breathing might suit you more given the technique's longer range of attacks. If you wish to continue to learn Flame Breathing then I will not stop you. However, if Wind Breathing suits you better, your path to becoming a Demon Slayer will be that much easier. Please also know that choosing a different technique does not make you any less, just that you fight differently. What do you say, Harry-kun?"

Harry considered this for a long moment. He knew by now that he was loved and that the Rengokus certainly did not desire to get rid of him. He forced the thoughts down of them having one less mouth to feed might mean more medicine for Ruka-san and a better chance of her recovering. He nodded.

"I will... try it out... and then I'll decide," he answered slowly.

From the moment that Harry, with Masachika-sama's guidance, touched the Wind Breathing technique, he knew it was the one. The forms came to him much easier than Flame Breathing did. He felt freer, like he was the wind. It was amazing. Both Masachika-sama and Shinjuro-san were impressed by how quickly he picked up the technique.

However, Harry was reluctant to just up and leave the Rengoku family. While he would always be a Rengoku, if not in blood at least in spirit, he was worried that his leaving would mean more work for Kyojuro-kun, as he would have the sole burden of looking after his younger brother and mother while Ruka-san was ill. He asked for a month of time to decide, which was immediately granted to him.

Later that night, Harry found himself unable to sleep. He kept tossing and turning restlessly. Finally, he gave up and went to the engawa for some fresh air. To his surprise, Shinjuro-san was waiting for him with a smile and cup of tea. The Japanese drank as much tea as the English did, Harry thought to himself as he accepted the warm mug with a sigh.

"I know how you are when you have an important choice to make," Shinjuro-san answered his unasked question.

Harry supposed that this wasn't the first time that he had slipped out of his room in the middle of the night when coming to a tough decision, whether that be whether or not he wanted training for his magic or... anything else. He looked at Shinjuro-san.

"If I decide to choose Wind Breathing..." he began slowly. "What would change for me?"

Shinjuro-san nodded thoughtfully.

"You would still be under my guardianship on paper, although Masachika-san will be caring for you. Given that his estate is a ways away from ours, and the fact that he often travels due to his own Hashira duties, you would have to live with him if you want him as your sensei. However, you will always be a Rengoku and will be welcomed here anytime... you will not be abandoned by us." Shinjuro paused for a moment. "Think of it like your magical schooling. You may be there for a time but this house is still yours to call home."

Harry considered this for a moment. What Shinjuro-san said did make sense. It's like he would be cut off from them, since he could visit anytime. He knew he would be busy with training, but he knew he could probably come visit and practice his forms here while Masachika-sama was on missions. He looked at Shinjuro-san again.

"And what of Ruka-san? Will you be able to take care of her when I'm gone?"

Shinjuro-san smiled sadly.

"We managed it when you were still in your magic school. We'll be alright."

Harry nodded reluctantly as he thought about it. And he could help on the days he visited as well

And then there was the Wind Breathing itself. It suited him perfectly, he knew it. Although he had not perfected any of the forms yet, he could feel it in his blood- like something clicked. He knew he could better serve the Corps if he learned Wind Breathing as opposed to Flame Breathing. And, since he wished to become a Slayer to save lives more than anything else, he knew what he had to do. As much as he loved living here, he had to put the future lives that may be held in his hand first. He straightened his back and looked Shinjuro-san in the eye.

"I would like to accept Masachika-sama's proposal and learn Wind Breathing."

Phew! Another chapter done! I am sorry it took me long but I've been busy and exhausted with doctor's appointments and homework so I've just been working on this in chunks until it was finally done! I hope y'all enjoy this new chapter.
❤️DaughterofHalt❤️