Chương 29: The Mission to Stay
Staring out the window blankly at the continuing snowstorm, I sighed that my luck had been bad enough to have a month-long snowstorm. I felt eternally bad for leeching off the Kamado family during the first week of our stay and had stated that we would be leaving, but Kie had stopped us from doing so.
Under the guise of Kie, we stayed in their home, but we made sure that we did actual work, making it so that when I went with Tanjiro to the base of the mountain to sell charcoal, the Kamado family could continue. I continuously fought with Kie on that though, but with my demeanor Kie had backed off.
Being stuck indoor for four weeks, made all the Kamado children attach to any entertainment that they could, which meant Kanao, Shinobu, and I. They continuously tried to pressure me into showing what skills I had with my katana, but Kie halted any of us from going outside, unless to work.
The person I had the most interaction with from the Kamado family was Nezuko, since it appeared as though I was the only source to calm the nightmares that inflicted Rokuta with sadness. Nezuko hadn't want to give up her caretaker position, so she took care of Rokuta with me.
I had tried to brainstorm the reasoning behind Rokuta's calmness around me, but no matter how much I searched through my brain, I could reach no conclusion. I didn't even look like Tanjuro, so I was left in the puddle of mystery.
Having the time of my life while staying with the Kamado family, the snow that I saw through the window eventually slowed to a near halt. Stepping outside, I could feel that the winds had slowed, and the storm had finally passed. Following me out the door, Tanjiro was quick to notice the same thing.
Rushing back into his home, Tanjiro quickly returned with every resident in tow. Shigeru, Hanako, and Takeo then came hurtling towards me while looking at me with expectation. Blinking twice, I remembered the continuous promise to show them the sort of skill that I had with a katana.
Not using any of my breathing forms, I performed a sort of kata that was a sort of base choregraphed pattern that allowed for the breathing arts. If I could relate it to anything, it was like a slowed version of Hinokami Kagura. Praising me after my performance, Kie then came up to me with a saddened look in her eyes.
"You're going to leave, aren't you?"
Halting themselves where they stood, all the Kamado children shook when they heard their mother ask this question. It appears that in this month, the Kamado family had grown greatly attached to me. Clinging to the hem of my uniform, I turn to find Hanako with tears in her eyes.
"You can't leave, oni-chan. We need you."
Stroking Hanako's head, I in turn say. "Well, it feels impertinent to stay here any longer. We only took shelter here to get away from the snowstorm and now that it's over, I feel as though we have no more reason to stay here."
"Then stay for them." Kie steps in. "I know you want to continue on your journey, but I am more than willing to accommodate you and your companions. Furthermore, Rokuta would get lonely without you here."
Looking to both Kanao and Shinobu, I could see their hidden want to stay, but they also knew that we should keep moving. Turning, I show a sad smile before then bowing.
"Then please, treat us well."
Looking at the brightened faces of the Kamado family, they all clamored over me and embraced me in a hug. Breaking from the hug, I look to find confusion clear in the eyes of Shinobu and Kanao. Signaling to them to wait for a while until we could talk privately, I spent the remaining morning chopping firewood with Tanjiro.
Deep in the night with both Shinobu and Kanao staring at me in anticipation for why we were staying, I open the side window and allow for a deep colored bird to fly in. Staring at Salvia, I stroke its chin with my forefinger. Tying a note to its foot that I had prepared beforehand, I began to speak while looking Salvia in its eyes.
"The Kamado family is far more special than we give them credit for. The dance that Tanjiro spent so much time describing to me enlightened me of this fact. They might or might not be the object that Muzan is searching endlessly for, but the power that they've inherited is enough for us to stay here and protect them."
"Wouldn't it be safer to move them to the Demon Slayer Headquarters then?" I hear Shinobu ask.
"Muzan has eyes everywhere." I begin. "Also, I'm pretty certain that he has started to monitor my movements as I've felt blood red eyes watching me from afar. They of course lost interest when we had no set path and travelled whatever which way, but if we were to head back, with an entire family in tow, this would cause Muzan's attention to shift to us for our entire journey, risking the safety of the Kamado family as well as the Demon Slayer Headquarters. Muzan hasn't discovered this place yet, and I wish to keep it that way."
"Muzan comes?" Hearing Kanao's short question, I let Salvia out of the window and turn towards them.
"Well, that's why we're here. If Muzan ever arrives, we can fend him off. Right?"
Giving a smirk, Shinobu and Kanao turn to one another before turning back to me and nodding their heads. For the next week after explaining that, I spent my time training both Shinobu and Kanao. The snowstorms grasp had finally loosened Kie's grip on us and I freely extorted it to help their family and train, myself included.
Resting in my room, I suddenly hear a banging on the window of the home and open it to find Salvia sitting there impatiently. Coddling Salvia, I take the small note on its foot and open it to find two words.
"Protect It."
---
(Time Skip)
Like I had predicted, Muzan didn't show any intentions of attacking the Kamado Family yet. But a sort of impending sense that something wrong was about to happen fell over me when the final month began.
"Is something wrong aniki?" I hear Tanjiro ask when he notices that I halted my swing down upon a log.
Showing a reassuring smile, I respond kindly. "Of course not."
Continuing my stroke of my axe, even if it was a few inches away from it, I cleanly cut through the log, earning another surprised gasp from Tanjiro.
"I still don't know how you do it." He mutters.
Throwing the two halves upon the log stack, I walk towards the Kamado household before then walking past it. Reaching the peak of a crest, I look to find a small cabin. Having a small smile on my face as I look at the home that I had built.
Previously, when the snowstorm had ended, Kie had taken us to the village that lay at the base of the mountain. The villagers were slightly suspicious with my crew, but upon seeing the well-natured Kamado family treat us like family, those prejudices slowly started to disappear until we were clearly accepted. With their help, and on a decision made by Shinobu, Kanao, and I, we built a home that lay further beyond the Kamado household.
The entire Kamado family had almost cried their guts out when they realized we would be moving out, but upon learning we were just a hop, skip, and a jump away, their worries had been quelled.
Opening the door to my home, I immediately find a bladeless katana against my neck.
"We told you not to disturb us during this time." Shinobu hisses.
Putting my finger on the only applicable part, I push the blade away from me.
"But you do realize I still live here." I deadpan.
Only huffing in response, Shinobu steps to the side and adds, "Then make it quick."
Immediately upon entering, my eyes land upon three zabuton that were in a triangle formation with both Kanao and Nezuko sitting on two of the three.
"Good morning, Nezuko." I greet.
"Afternoon." Kanao corrects emotionlessly.
Deadpanning at Kanao, I still turn back to Nezuko and show a smile.
"Good afternoon, S-Shiro."
Hearing a small stutter as she said my name and a faint blush that tainted her cheeks, the smile on my face slightly grows. Resisting the urge to pat her on the head, I then compliment her on the bun that I knew had taken her much time to complete. However, when I hear a small grumble from behind me and turn to find Shinobu drilling holes into my back.
Raising my hands in surrender, I proceed to walk to my room, but am halted when I feel a tug upon my uniform. Looking down, I see Kanao staring cutely up at me.
Having experienced this multiple times before, I bend down and give a kiss on Kanao's head. In return, Kanao instantly starts pouting, but loosens her grip on my uniform none the less. Knowing that I would have to deal with Kanao's desperation for my attention when we were alone, I break free of her grip.
Upon entering my room, I find it exactly the way that I had left it, thankfully.
My eyes then land on the blade that lay in the corner, and I recall what had occurred while training for the last almost four years.
The first thing that came to mind was the surprising results of my Tsuguko. Shinobu had taken what I said about a breathing art and managed to create Insect Breathing, however, Shinobu's body still wasn't strong enough to handle to actual weight of the blade with this breathing art.
---
Insect Breathing is broken into Four Forms which are:
1st form – Butterfly Dance: Caprice – Shinobu leaps up and charges towards the opponent and stings them multiple times with her blade to inject her poison.
2nd form – Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter – Shinobu dashes at her target at an incredible speed and uses the momentum of her speed to then strengthen her single thrust into her opponent and inject lethal poison into them.
3rd form – Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon – A six strike attack with which Shinobu aims to strike and inject her target with multiple doses of poison at the targeted Demon's weak spots to kill them with a large dose of poison.
4th form – Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag – Shinobu uses her full speed to run a zigzag pattern to confuse her opponent to create an opening for her to directly stab her opponent's neck and inject poison to kill them, with the stab's force and power being further enhanced by the momentum of her speed.
---
Kanao on the other hand had managed to master Flower Breathing and even stated that she had a Final Form which remained the exact same as her mother. I had asked how she had managed to accomplish said Final Form, and she acutely explained that she could simply do it, like it was instinctual. Making sure to properly warn her of the dangers that her Final Form held, Kanao only agreed to use it when either I, Shinobu, the Kamado Family, or herself were in immediate danger of death.
Among that, when the two of them reached a mature enough level in their training, I allowed for them to take the Demon Slayer Final Selection in which the two of them had passed with flying colors. Kie was instantly worried when I told them that Kanao and Shinobu would be away for a small period, but upon explaining that it was there way of finishing the training that I had been sanctioned to oversee, Kie's worries slightly died down.
Their blades had been just like I expected with Kanao's being light pink in color. Her hilt circular shaped with a light pastel blue center and border, filled 3 red five-leafed flowers and a winding pattern that is light green in color.
Shinobu's blade on the other hand has lost its blade and is instead replaced by a rod. It ends in a needle-like tip, resembling an insect's stinger in appearance and function. Her katana's hilt is designed to bear a resemblance to a four-petaled aqua-colored flower, trimmed with orange. The blade is lavender-blue in color.
After that, the two of them would then begin to receive missions from their crows, leaving me majority alone with Shinobu to take care of Rokuta, allowing me to grow a close relationship with her, much to Shinobu's discontent.
Which brings up another aspect of my life, when Kanao has begun to grow overly clingy and even began to sleep in my bed even when I locked the door, Shinobu had approached me directly about it, constantly berating me for allowing Kanao to do as she pleases.
After a very interesting conversation for me to listen to, I was left with a stuttering mess of Shinobu who had confessed to me, even if accidental. In turn, I accepted her confession, which earned a both confused and happy Shinobu.
"But wouldn't Kanao be against it?"
In response to her question, I lead her directly to Kanao and asked her directly. Instead of giving a response, Kanao instead hugged Shinobu while muttering "Sister."
Being coated in red, my relationship with Shinobu thereafter became known to the Kamado family. With Shinobu's addition though, she tried to dodge her missions to stay with me and keep Nezuko away, but being her Master still, I made her go on the missions.
Beyond what had occurred with Kanao, Shinobu, and the Kamado Family, I had made advancements that easily surpassed what I was like when I fought Doma. After training myself relentlessly with the blade, I managed to finally make my body one with the blade, no longer having it be a tool but an extension of my body. I also managed to augment Sun Breathing and combine its twelve forms with different parts of each other breathing form, making them even stronger. Along with that, I made Ice Breathing Forms Four through Six. I wished to have more advancement with Ice Breathing, but no matter what I did, I was entirely unable to progress further. Finally, I managed to achieve, in my own opinion, the strongest extension of 'Lightning Breathing' which is 'God Speed' in which the user flashes forward so quickly that the senses can no longer keep up, leading for the possibility of Upper Moons being culled.
My strength, at least how I believe it to be, is strong enough to comfortably beat the three strongest Hashiras: Gyomei, Giyu, and Rengoku.
Shaking my head free of my thoughts, I grabbed my child gear, prepared to take care of Rokuta. Having Rokuta laugh happily while he plays with me, with later Hanako and Shigeru joining in, the next few nights pass quietly.
Being in the winter months, the winter storms start to hit, and the snow starts to cover the ground in huge heaps. Along with such, the feeling starts to worsen, and anxiety takes a firm grip on me.
---
A/N: The three Ice Breathing Forms that the MC had achieved
4th form – Piasuaisu – The user dashes forward insanely quick and stabs their sword in the middle of the chest of the target. Immediately after, a large area of the target's torso becomes ice, making it extremely brittle to where even a punch could break through it.
5th form – Aisubān – The air around the user drops in temperature rapidly while the blade emits a sort of mist from it. This makes it so that any damage the user inflicts on their opponent from this point on until the skill is deactivated, the targets skin begins to burn wherever the ice residue it left.
6th form – Frozen Tomb – The user thrusts their sword upward, and within a single breath, ice erupts from the ground around the target while conjoining to each other above the target. The ice then immediately creates spikes from its walls that pierce into the target trapped in the ice. The ice will then begin to freeze the body of the target and only disappear by melting or when the target is completely frozen.
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