Chapter Text
It was surprisingly peaceful on the way back to Headquarters, Giyuu was well on his way and would likely be there soon.
He probably would have gotten there a bit sooner if not for Nezuko. He didn’t want to go too fast to disturb her sleep.
If she woke up she would rip his head off. And he’d rather not deal with that. She was a lot like Sabito in that regard.
They both looked sweet, but if you angered them, you’d be met with rage and spitfire.
His thoughts were silent for a moment as Giyuu continued on his path.
Would he become a Hashira? The answer seemed obvious yet, it didn’t feel right. He had only killed Lower Moon Six, the weakest of the Kizuki, and had barely managed that.
If it had been one of the stronger Kizuki, or even an Upper Moon…
Did he really deserve to become a Hashira? When he had barely passed the final selection? He who lived while everyone else died, even Sabito, who had shown so much more potential than Giyuu ever could?
No, no he didn’t.
He was snapped out of his daily dose of self hatred by the basket on his back suddenly shifting, along with a loud thump and a curse.
It looked like Nezuko was awake. Well, this was certainly going to be fun.
“Please tell me I’m not In a basket.” The girl’s voice rang out, tinted with confusion and annoyance. How do you respond to that?
Easy.
You don’t.
Giyuu pretended not to notice and continued to walk. He was truly an expert at pretending that other people weren’t there. He had developed this impervious technique while interacting with the other slayers.
Especially Sanemi.
He had only gotten used to talking to Shinobu and her sister Kanae, anyone else and he preferred to stay silent. It was easier to just fade into the background and be forgotten about.
He had talked to some of the other slayers but it always felt uncomfortable. There were a few people he liked to listen to as they talked like Rengoku or Mitsuri, but he usually avoided everyone else. It was obvious that the others didn’t like him, and Giyuu couldn’t blame them. So he usually chose to stick to himself, if only to spare others from having to put up with him.
Especially Sanemi. Giyuu had the distinct feeling that the Wind Pillar did not like him. The excessive screaming and cursing that Sanemi hurled in his direction seemed to be a pretty good hint.
Obanai was another example. The Serpent Hashira’s words were softer, but no less harsh or intense. If anything, Obanai’s scathing remarks were even more painful, the man knew how to make his words hurt.
A spike of scorching heat ripped through Giyuu’s body, causing him to shudder violently, almost dropping the basket. While Upper Moon Six was dead, the demon’s blood demon art was still in effect. Although the heat was no longer strong enough to kill, it caused random spikes of agony that made Giyuu want to curl up into a ball and die.
Hopefully the effects would go away on their own. Otherwise he’d have to go see Shinobu and see if she could help. Although, that wouldn’t be so bad. He liked Shinobu, she was very pretty, and a very talented Slayer.
“Are you alright?” Nezuko asked, head poking out of the basket, pushing the lid up. Her expression was twisted with the faintest tinges of worry, which Giyuu couldn’t help but appreciate. “You almost dropped me just then.”
“I’m fine.” Giyuu grumbled, shoving the lid back onto the basket, pushing Nezuko back down. “Just a bit tired from the fight is all.”
“Can I get out of the basket?”
“No.”
The rest of the journey was spent like that, Nezuko demanding to be let out of the basket, Giyuu refusing, and then almost immediately falling over due to the lingering effects of the Lower Moon’s Blood Demon Art.
Finally, finally, Headquarters came into view, and Giyuu could almost cry with relief. Finally, he could talk to Okayata-sama, try his best to avoid the other Slayers, and then collapse at the Butterfly Mansion, with Shinobu making sure he doesn’t suddenly die. The thought of Shinobu was enough to make Giyuu’s heart skip a beat.
Or maybe it was his body overheating to the point where he was about to die from a heart attack. Hmm, death. That actually would be pretty nice. Death was supposed to be quiet and peaceful right?
It would be better than this.
“Let me go!” Nezuko screeched, trying to climb out of the basket, while Giyuu desperately tried to hold this trainwreck together. “I can fucking walk, so let me walk, you idiot!” Ah, resorting to insults are we? That took longer than Giyuu had expected.
Without warning, Giyuu dropped the basket onto the ground, ignoring the soft oof from Nezuko.
“Listen.” Giyuu muttered, looking the girl in the eyes. “If I’m correct, we are going to be meeting the Hashira’s and the Master. So I want you to be on your best behavior. No cursing, no fighting people, no kicking people, just act normal and respectful. Okay?”
“Hashira?” Nezuko echoed, trying to scramble out of the basket. “What are those? And who is this ‘Master’ guy?”
“Hashira are the highest ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps. They either killed a member of the Twelve Kizuki, or killed fifty demons after earning rank Kinoto.” Giyuu replied, swinging the empty basket over his shoulders. “And the Master is Okata-sama, and you will respect him.”
“Fine.” Nezuko grumbled, before tilting her head with a curious look in her eyes. “Wait, you said that Slayers who kill members of the Twelve Kizuki become Hashira, right? Wouldn’t that make you a Hashira? Y'know, since you killed that one guy? Back at the village?”
“We should hurry up.” Giyuu said flatly, marching towards HeadQuarters. He knew that he was going to have to face the reality that he was now considered a Hashira, hell he might have to do so in less than an hour, but it was still too much to deal with. “We’re going to be late.”
“But you are!” Nezuko insisted, running to catch up with Giyuu. “I saw you kill that demon, and you said that he was one of the Twelve Kizuki!”
Giyuu sighed, trying not to get annoyed. “It was Lower Moon Six, the weakest one. And I barely managed to defeat him in the first place. I’m definitely not worthy of being a Hashira.”
“Oh for the love of- Of course you’re worthy!” Nezuko shrieked, startling several of the Kasugai Crows that had decided to rest on the branches near HeadQuarters. “You defeated a demon who wiped out an entire town! You’re a hero!”
A hero? No, Giyuu was the opposite of a hero, he couldn’t be one. If he was, then Tsutako would still be alive, and happily married.
Sabito would still be alive.
“I’m no hero.” Giyuu grumbled, trying to shove down the grief that had welled up in his chest. “Don’t call me that, because I’m not.”
“Yes you are!”
“No, I’m not- arghhhhh ! ” Giyuu lurched forward as blinding heat surged through his body, as if he had been tossed into a pool of boiling water, setting every single one of his nerves on fire. This was the worst heat spike, by far, and without Nezuko’s weight to help him balance, Giyuu found himself crashing onto the ground.
“Tomioka-san!” Giyuu vaguely heard Nezuko scream, feeling hands grasping at his trembling shoulders. He couldn’t breathe, why can’t he breathe?
Then his senses locked onto something in the distance. Two somethings actually, moving towards him and Nezuko, people, if Giyuu had to guess. And Giyuu allowed himself to relax, because he knew who those people were. The faint scent of wisteria flowers was a dead giveaway.
“Ara Ara~” Kanae cooed, looking down at Giyuu and Nezuko with a soft smile on her face. Shinobu trailed right behind her, face twisted in an unreadable expression. “What on earth happened to you two?”
. . .
Nezuko stared at the two newcomers, arms still firmly wrapped around Giyuu, who was trembling on the ground, gasping for air. The older woman seemed friendly enough, but Nezuko wasn’t going to let down her guard that easily.
But they didn’t look bad. The older woman had a soft and kind expression,
“What happened?!” The young girl yelled, immediately kneeling by Giyuu, trying to pry Nezuko’s arms off of the man’s shoulders. “Who the hell are you?!”
“I could ask you the same thing!” Nezuko hissed, shoving the girl’s chest. She was not going to let these strangers hurt her new… friend? Something along those lines. “Who exactly are you people? And what do you want with us?”
“I’m Kocho Kanae.” The older woman murmured, glancing down at the three of them with a serene smile. “And this is my younger sister, Kocho Shinobu. We were sent to go find Tomioka-san, since he’s never late to meetings. And you are?”
“Nezuko Kamado.” Nezuko responded, kicking at Shinobu, who was still trying to pry her off of Giyuu. “And stop that! He’s hurt, you can’t just drag him off to some meeting!”
“That’s why we’re here!” Shinobu snarled, swiping at Nezuko. “We’re both medics. So let us do our thing and leave us alone! How the hell do you know Tomioka-san anyways?”
“He’s my friend!”
“Liar!” Shinobu hissed, lavender eyes filled with rage. “Tomioka-san doesn’t have friends! Nobody likes him!”
“Well fuck me, I guess I don’t exist then!” Nezuko screeched, landing another well placed kick on Shinobu’s stomach causing the girl to seize up in pain.
“Will both of you shut up?” Giyuu groaned, eyes hazy with pain. “Shinobu, I know that nobody likes me. You, Iguro and Sanemi have made that clear. Nezuko, please let Kanae treat me. She’s a professional who knows what she’s doing, and I don’t want to be any later than I already am.”
“Hmph.” Shinobu huffed, sticking her nose in the air, and folding her arms across her chest. “I told you so.”
“Fine.” Nezuko grumbled, carefully setting Giyuu onto the ground, and shuffling backwards, eyes fixed on Kanae. If she tried anything funny…
“Let’s see here.” Kanae crooned, kneeling in front of Giyuu, cupping the man’s face. “My my, you are terribly warm. Are you sick? The weather has been quite awful lately, so perhaps you are simply ill?”
“No.” Giyuu muttered, shaking his head. “It was a Blood Demon Art, from the Lower Moon. He could cook a person alive by boiling their blood. I guess I’m still feeling the effects.”
“Ara ara~” Kanae murmured, reaching into a small satchel that hung around her waist, pulling out a small syringe filled with some sort of strange liquid. Nezuko tilted her head, confused by the smell of wisteria flowers. “This should help with the aftershocks, but I can’t say it will be an immediate fix. I would recommend a trip to the Butterfly Mansion after this.”
“Fine.” Giyuu groaned, wincing as Kanae carefully inserted the needle into his neck.
“Why the wisteria?” Nezuko whispered to Shinobu, who glared at her and rolled her eyes.
“Wisteria is lethal to lower demons.” Shinobu whispered back, surprising Nezuko. “And it can nullify a stronger demon’s Demon Blood Art or regeneration. So medics will use wisteria based medicines on injured slayers, and some slayers use poison to kill demons.”
“Huh.” Nezuko replied, mind racing. You could poison demons? Giyuu never mentioned that! Could she use poison when she became a Demon Slayer? It sounded pretty effective from what Shinobu had mentioned.
“Shinobu-chan.” Kanae called out, drawing the girls’ attention back to her. “Could you please help Tomioka-san make his way to the mansion?”
“Fine.” Shinobu grumbled, grabbing Giyuu’s arm and yanking the man to his feet. “Come on you idiot.” Nezuko watched as Shinobu began to drag Giyuu in the direction of the mansion.
Nezuko blinked, was that a blush on Giyuu’s face? It was faint, but there. Why would he be blushing? Unless… Shinobu was blushing as well, face bright red as she dragged Giyuu along. If it was just Giyuu, or Shinobu, Nezuko would chalk it up to anger or embarrassment. But it was both of them.
The two of them.
Blushing.
Oh.
Oh.
“Are you coming?” Kanae’s voice snapped Nezuko out of her thoughts. The older woman was gazing down at her, a soft, yet stoic expression on her face. “I don’t think the Master will mind you being there, if you are Giyuu’s witness.”
“Witness?”
Kanae giggled, running a hand through Nezuko’s hair. “You saw Tomioka-san slay Lower Six without any help, correct? Your testimony will be crucial when it comes to determining whether or not our friend becomes a Hashira.”
“Oh, yeah I saw him kill that demon. Or at least I saw him standing over the disintegrating corpse.” Nezuko shuddered as she remembered the blood on Giyuu’s sword, and the way that the demon had crumbled into a red mist.
Hopefully Tanjiro hadn’t met the same fate.
“Very good!” Kanae said, clapping her hands together. “Well, then, we had better get going, after all, we don’t want to be late.”
As Nezuko practically ran to catch up with Giyuu and Shinobu, she couldn’t help but wonder just what she had gotten herself into.
. . .
Nezuko stared, unsure if she should be confused or unimpressed.
Over half a dozen people stared back, expressions ranging from confused, to furious, to uncaring, to downright ridiculous.
There was a guy with fluffy white hair who was covered in scars, a man with a flame patterned haori and bright yellow hair with red tips, an absolute giant covered in prayer beads and an olive green happi, and more.
So these were the Hashira… to be honest, Nezuko was expecting more. The way Giyuu had described them made them sound like epic legendary figures, but these people just had colorful hair and strange clothing.
Kanae, Shinobu and Giyuu stood behind her, Shinobu supporting Tomioka, who was still trembling. All of the other people looked even stranger than Giyuu or Kanae, especially the scarred guy.
“Tomioka-san!” The man with fiery hair shouted. Nezuko flinched, did this man not have any concept of volume control? “I heard about the defeat of Lower Moon Six at your hands! I offer you my congratulations!”
“It was only Lower Six.” A voice from above hissed. Nezuko whipped her head around, searching for the voice’s owner. She eventually looked up, surprised to see a man draped over the branch of a tree. “Why should we celebrate the defeat of the lowest of the Lower Ranks?”
The man was one of the strangest looking people Nezuko had ever seen. He wore a black and white haori over his navy blue uniform, and his calves and the lower half of his face were wrapped in bandages. Most striking was his eyes, which were different colors, one a bright yellow and the other a crystal blue.
Wait a minute, was that a snake? Why the hell did this guy have a snake wrapped around his neck like a scarf?
“And look at you.” The man continued, tilting his head. “You can barely stand on your own. How can you expect to be a competent Hashira if you can barely hold your own against Lower Six?”
“I’m fully aware of that Obanai, no need to rub it in.” Giyuu muttered, glaring up at the snake man.
“I’m just saying-“
“Now, now.” A stupidly tall man covered in gold bands and wearing a rhinestone headband stepped forward, thumping a hand against the tree. “It was still a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Lower Six or not. And look, he even brought someone new with him. Although she isn’t very flashy.”
Nezuko took a step back, uncomfortable with all of the attention suddenly being focused on her. Only to immediately run into a person standing behind her. Great, she was making a fool of herself in front of all of these people.
She spun around to try to apologize, only to be met with a pair of glazed over turquoise eyes, inches away from her own face. Nezuko jumped back in surprise, startled by the new person’s appearance.
The newcomer tilted their head, their long greenish blue and black hair swishing in the wind. “Who are you?” The boy (were they a boy?) asked, blinking at Nezuko. “I don’t remember seeing you around here.”
“I’m Nezuko. Nezuko Kamado.” She said, slightly unnerved by the boy’s blank expression. There wasn’t the slightest hint of emotion in his face or his eyes, or even his voice. It was all just… blank.
The rhinestone man turned to Giyuu, a slight smirk on his face. “Hey Tomioka-san, who’s the new girl? Last I checked, you don’t have a tsuguko.”
What the hell was a tsuguko? Some kind of apprentice?
“I found her in the mountains, her family was killed in a demon attack.” Giyuu mumbled, staring at the dirt. “She said she wanted to join the Slayer Corps, so I decided to bring her along. We ran into Lower Six on the way back here.”
Nezuko flinched at the mention of her family. She desperately wanted to forget that horrible night, Takeo’s screams, Mother’s desperate attempts to pry Tanjiro off of her, Rokuta’s dismembered hand on the floor, the blood, so much blood.
A massive hand was placed on Nezuko’s shoulder, snapping her out of her morbid thoughts. It was the giant, who was gazing down at her with pure white, tear filled eyes. “I am terribly sorry for what happened to your family, and I hope that you can one day find peace.”
“Thank you.” Nezuko muttered, not wanting to seem rude.
I don’t want peace, I want revenge!
“Oh please.” The white haired man sneered, rolling his eyes. “We’ve all lost someone, no need to cry about it.”
Pure rage bubbled up in Nezuko’s chest, and she found herself stomping over to the man, snarling. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I just watched my entire family be brutally murdered in front of me, and I’m not supposed to cry about it? What the hell is your problem?”
“And who the hell do you think you are, pipsqueak?” The white haired man snarled, glaring down at Nezuko with a crazed grin. Was this guy crazy? Considering the scars covering his face and bare chest (seriously dude put a shirt on), and the belts wrapped around his legs, yes, this guy was probably batshit insane.
“For the last time, I’m Kamado Nezuko.” Nezuko growled, glaring at the man. “And who the hell are you? Some guy who escaped from an insane asylum?”
“The fuck?” The man sputtered, eyes bulging. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”
The tall guy, Tengen if Nezuko remembered it right, began cackling madly. “I mean, she’s not wrong, is she Sanemi? You do look like an escaped convict!”
“Fuck you, you flashy asshole!”
“All if you are awful.” Obanai groaned, his snake hissing in agreement. “You all belong in an insane asylum.”
The white haired man- Sanemi, turned back to Nezuko, a cold sneer on his face. “Seriously though, you? A Demon Slayer? Not a chance. You don’t even look like you could take on a mouse, let alone a demon!”
“I can fight!” Nezuko hissed, looking Sanemi directly in the eyes. “And who are you to stop me? Aren’t you guys low on people anyways?”
“Doesn’t mean we need pathetic trash like you filling up the ranks!” Sanemi snarled back, shoving Nezuko’s shoulders. “I doubt you’d even make it through Final Selection! You’d probably get torn to pieces by the first low level demon you met!”
“Fuck you!”
“Nezuko please, don’t encourage him.” Giyuu groaned, trying to pull the girl back. “He’s not going to listen no matter what you say, so let’s just…”
“You know what?” Sanemi cackled, spreading his arms out. “If you think you’re so tough, hit me! Let’s see just how weak you actually are.”
“Don’t.” Giyuu whispered, trying to pull Nezuko away. “Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
“You know what?” Nezuko growled, yanking herself out of Giyuu’s grasp. “You want me to hit you, fine. But you asked for this?”
Sanemi simply smirked, clearly expecting Nezuko to hit him on the chest or face. But Nezuko didn’t hit him. She kicked.
The Kamado family had a strange history with feats of strength. They had always said that Mother and Tanjiro had foreheads of steel, and Nezuko believed that. She had seen Mother knock out a bear with a single headbutt, and Tanjiro had once taken a pot of boiling water to the head with nothing but a small scar to show for it.
Nezuko on the other hand, could kick harder than a horse, she had kicked a log once in a fit of rage and it had split clean in two. The family used to joke that between Nezuko’s legs and Tanjiro’s forehead, they could start splitting wood without any tools.
So Nezuko kicked as hard as she could, and instead of going for the head or the chest, she aimed where it would hurt.
CRUNCH!
“ Shit!” Sanemi hissed, crumbling in on himself. The Hashira curled up on the ground, garbling out an increasingly creative stream of curses.
Other than that, the courtyard was dead silent. Nezuko glanced around, and everyone was either gaping at her, or gripping the hilts of their swords, or both. Giyuu looked particularly horrified, staring at Nezuko in pure horror.
Then Tengen began to laugh. It started out as a soft chuckle, but it quickly grew into howling laughter, the older man clutching his sides as he cackled.
“Holy shit that was amazing!” Tengen wheezed, gasping for air. “Someone get this kid a medal, she deserves one!”
“Young Kamado!” Rengoku boomed, looking torn between laughter and disappointment. “I do not believe that was very appropriate! You should apologize to Sanemi”
Never. Nezuko thought smugly.
“Oh come on Kyo, he literally asked for it!” Tengen laughed, slinging an arm over Rengoku’s shoulders. “And you have to admit that it was about time someone did that!”
The giant man sighed, gazing at Nezuko with unseeing eyes. “I apologize for my friend’s actions. Shinazugawa-San can be very.. abrasive. Although I do ask that you not do it again.”
“Fine.” Nezuko muttered, crossing her arms. The guy had quite literally asked for it! What was wrong with following through with her threats? It meant that people would actually start taking her seriously.
Muichiro finally seemed to snap back into reality, titling his head at Sanemi. “Wait, did something happen? I don’t remember.”
Nezuko stared in disbelief, did this guy not remember what had just happened? Did he hit his head or something? How was he a Demon Slayer if he couldn’t remember anything?
A raspy cackle snapped Nezuko out of her thoughts and yanked her attention back to Sanemi, who seemed to have recovered from Nezuko’s kick.
“Not bad, not bad at all!” Sanemi hissed, wiping his eyes. “You could probably just kick the heads off of demons! Someone get this brat some nichirin toed boots, we’re going to send heads flying!”
“Really?” Obanai sneered, glaring down at Nezuko with an unimpressed look. “One kick and you’re convinced? And here I thought you had standards.”
“Ara Ara~” Kanae crooned, swiftly gliding over to Sanemi’s side, pulling the man to his feet. “Either way, it was strong enough to possibly break something. So if you don’t mind…”
“The fuck are you doing?” The man hissed, swatting at Kanae’s hands. “Stop touching me!”
“I’m just making sure nothing is broken or fractured.” Kanae crooned. “Surely you wouldn’t want to risk going into the field with an injury? Especially one in such a sensitive area?”
“Fine.” Sanemi grumbled, and if Nezuko didn’t know any better, she would say that the man was blushing. Wait a minute, he was.
Huh.
“If it was anyone else, I doubt Shinazugawa-San would have let them examine him.” Gyomei spoke up suddenly. “I’m glad that he’s finally getting along with others.”
“So you’re the one with the tea.” Nezuko said without thinking.
“The tea?”
“It’s a figure of speech.” Nezuko said, frantically waving her hands, despite knowing that Gyomei couldn’t see them.
“Ah, good afternoon my children.” A soft and sweet voice rang across the garden. Immediately Nezuko felt herself being shoved onto her knees by a rough hand. Looking around, she could see that it was Sanemi pushing her down, and that he was kneeling as well. In fact, everyone was kneeling, staring at the small veranda jutting out of the house.
There was a man sitting there, with shoulder length black hair, clothed in a white robe. Purple scar tissue marred the upper half of his face, and if Nezuko had to hazard a guess, she would say the man was blind. The hazy glaze covering his eyes was a pretty good clue.
Judging by the way that everyone was kneeling, this man had to be ‘The Master’.
“It’s such a lovely day isn’t it.” The man continued, gazing off into the horizon. “Is the sky a beautiful shade of blue today?”
Nezuko blinked, a sense of awe washing over her. She wasn’t sure how to describe it, but the man’s voice was like pure sunshine, and she immediately felt compelled to listen to and respect this man, despite only hearing him speak three sentences.
No wonder this guy was in charge of the Slayer Corps, the question was, why wasn’t he in charge of the government? Things would go so much smoother!
“Tomioka-san.” The Master said, and Giyuu immediately shot to his feet. “I have received word that you supposedly slew Lower Moon Six with no assistance. Is this true?”
“Yes.” Giyuu replied, keeping his head lowered and gaze fixed on the ground. “I encountered him on the way back to Headquarters, the demon had just finished ravaging a town. When I left there were several Kakushi taking care of the survivors.”
“And do you have any witnesses?”
“Yes, Okayata-sama.” Giyuu nodded, and Nezuko was yanked to her feet by Sanemi, who was clearly glaring at her. “Nezuko Kamado was with me when we came across the town, and saw that I had no help.”
“Young Kamado.” Nezuko turned to Okayata-sama, trying not to shake under the man’s empty gaze. “Is this true?”
“Yeah.” Nezuko muttered, lowering her head. “He was the only one to fight the demon, no one else was there and I didn’t help him.” She was kind of ashamed that she didn’t help out, but if Lower Moons were as strong as Giyuu said, maybe it was for the best.
“In that case, between your testimony and the reports from the Kakushi and the Kasugai crow, Giyuu Tomioka, you are officially promoted to the rank of Kinoe, and are to take the position of the Water Hashira.” Okayata announced, a soft smile on his face. “Congratulations, my child.”
Giyuu simply nodded, face still hardened and stoic. Nezuko was confused, shouldn’t he be happy? Becoming a Hashira was clearly a big deal, so why wasn’t he excited? Then again this was Giyuu, and given what he had said earlier, he probably thought that he didn’t deserve the position. He really needed to get some self confidence.
“One last thing before this meeting ends.” The Master continued. “Tomioka-san, you were the one to take this girl in. Do you plan to train her as your tsuguko?”
Nezuko glanced at Giyuu, slightly hopeful. It would be nice to have a friend as her teacher, and he was clearly very talented. Those hopes were quickly dashed when Giyuu shook his head. “No, I have just earned the title of Hashira, and I am not ready to train anyone yet. I believe it would be best if Urokodaki-sama was her teacher, he was my teacher and should be able to train Nezuko properly.”
Not ready to train anyone? Seriously? That was absolute bullshit, at least in Nezuko’s opinion. And who the hell was this Urokodaki guy? She took a deep breath, this was fine. The man had apparently trained Giyuu, so he had to be alright, right?
“Is this alright, young Kamado?” Okayata-sama asked, surprising Nezuko. “I will warn you, the job of a Demon Slayer is an incredibly dangerous one. You may not even survive the test required to become a member of the Corps.”
Nezuko didn’t hesitate. “I want to avenge my family.” She gritted out, fists clenched by her sides. Mother, Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, Rokuta, Tanjiro, oh Gods Tanjiro. She would destroy the monsters who had killed them. “I want to do this. I know I can do this.”
The Master nodded, a soft smile on his face. “Then I wish you the best. The meeting is adjourned. Tomioka-san, please accompany Kanae-chan and Shinobu-chan to the Butterfly Mansion so they can ensure that you are healthy. As for the rest of you, rest, and await your missions.”
“Yes Okayata-sama!” The Hashira echoed, heads still bowed.
And with that, the meeting was over. Immediately, Giyuu marched over to Nezuko, grabbed her sleeve, and began to drag her towards Shinobu and Kanae. “Come on, I don’t want to deal with all of these people. And we need to get your arm checked out.”
Nezuko blinked, she had forgotten about the bite on her arm. It had been lost in the chaos that had been the last few days.
“Once again, congratulations Tomioka-san!” Rengoku called out, before turning to talk to Tengen.
“Next time kill a higher ranked Kizuki!” Sanemi screeched, swatting at Gyomei who was trying to help him up. “Aim for Upper One, I heard he’s batshit insane!”
“Will do,” Giyuu muttered, yanking Nezuko along. “Maybe I’ll go for Upper Six next time. Although even then I doubt Iguro would be impressed.”
“Jerk.” Nezuko muttered, earning a surprised look from Giyuu and a soft laugh from Kanae.
“Come on.” Shinobu grumbled, grabbing the back of Giyuu’s two toned jacket and dragging him towards the exit. “Let's get a move on.”
“To the Butterfly Mansion!”