[3rd POV]
The Hashiras.
They were a bunch of monsters if Obanai had ever seen one. The mere act of standing in the same space as they were was like having a blade at his neck.
It did not help that Kabumaru (his snake) kept whispering in his ear. The snake did not differentiate between demons and humans and only told him how much of a threat they were to him.
It told him to run.
It whispered helplessness.
He had not been told that for a long time now. He was subjected to cruelty ever since he was a child so he got as strong as he could, never to be overpowered again.
If not for most of the Hashiras smiling, he might even feel more nervous.
He eyed the pink-haired girl beside him once more, wondering for the nth time how she could be so at ease around these monsters. She looked like no one here could harm her and she possessed something none of them did.
Her only reactions were towards her new title.
Obanai observed the Hashiras one by one. He could tell that each one of them was a master of their own aspects.
Obanai possessed something akin to a sixth sense, an intuition that had accompanied him all throughout his journey. And he referred to that once more while he examined the Hashiras.
His eyes fell on the biggest man first, a mountain dressed up as a human. Obanai could not even imagine moving him, that was how powerful the blind Hashira was.
His presence was giant, almost overwhelming. It seemed to press down on everyone present even without any intention to do so. Obanai seemed to be the only one affected though as others were used to it.
He was like a mountain that you could not ignore. The only way to deal with him seemed to be to find a way around him. There was no moving him or going through him.
Obanai noted before he looked at the young child beside the giant. Their height alone was comically different. Obanai would've mistaken him for the child of one of the Hashira if not for the child's uniform that showed his rank.
Obanai could not feel much from the boy, and that was concerning. The presence of the boy was light and fluctuating - as if reality was in a perpetual decision on whether he existed or not.
It felt like he was looking at a mist, something that he couldn't touch yet he had to be wary of it because he could get lost in it.
The next Hashira was in one word, intense. The smiling man gave off a powerful aura that seemed to burn the air around him. He was like a campfire in the coldest winter. It could either warm you or burn you, and it was ultimately dangerous.
An unyielding fighting spirit summed up his presence.
The next Hashira was someone Obanai was familiar with, Giyu. It was the Water Hashira and like always, he gave off the feeling of a calm ocean.
There was always a sharp look in his eyes. In his depth was an endless expanse that made you feel forever small.
The man beside him on the other hand was anything but calm. The Hashira with scars covering his body looked exactly like how he felt.
He was chaotic and had endured countless battles that tested his storm. He was like a whirling tornado, a sleeping storm.
The next one was a woman and Obanai was glad to say that she was the weakness amongst them. She had a smile for a mask and Kabumaru could smell potent poison on her. It warned him to stay away from the woman.
Obanai's eyes travelled to the man built like a wall next to the woman. The guy flexed his biceps and gave a sparkling wink at him.
He was.... probably the most dangerous among them. Not because he was the strongest but because he seemed like the most willing to kill.
If the others were a sharp sword in a sheath, he was a sword that was drawn and in mid-swing. His presence told Obanai that he wouldn't require much to kill him.
Other than that, his snake friend told him that the man was annoying. He was loud and released unpleasant vibrations.
And finally....
Obanai observed the last Hashira. The one that inflicted a chill down his spine when those purple eyes looked at him.
.....
There was nothing.
No, maybe it was everything instead. There was no unique characteristic to him and that seemed to be, not because he had none but because he had them all.
His presence told one thing, the strongest.
The man with purple hair and a scar running down his forehead was the strongest among the monsters that had gathered. The closer he looked, the closer Obanai was convinced of that fact.
It was not just him, everyone was admitting that he was the strongest from their body language.
The way they were standing, it was not one made by an order. The purple Hashira stood wherever he wanted and the rest lined up to match his position.
The body language of the other Hashiras also changed when they turned to him. It was not noticeable to everyone else but Obanai's kneen senses and his resourceful friend told him everything.
He was the strongest there was.
Obanai wondered though, just how strong he was.
And in the following introduction where every Hashira introduced themselves in return, he learned of his name.
Seiji Shigan.
A familiar name. He was known by everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps. The Hashira to slay the first Upper Moon, the master of all Breathing styles.
And today, Obanai finally had a face to put that name on.
..
..
In the end, Obanai felt a great relief come over him. They were comrades now.
All of these monsters were going to work together to fight the creatures he hated all his life. The demons were in for a cruel awakening.
Obanai was glad
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[Seiji's POV]
"I think he fell in love with you," Tengen whispered in my ears when Obanai continued staring at me, lost in his own thoughts.
"For the infinite time Tengen, I'm deaf," I said with a sigh. It has been how many years? The Sound Hashira still refused to acknowledge my deafness.
"Never stopped you from hearing me," Tenegn said, moving his face away from my ear and folding his ripped arms under his chest.
He was right. I had virtually almost no trouble except for only being able to know what the people I could see were saying.
Eventually, Obanao looked away from me and the ceremonial oath began. It went like always, where Ubuyashiki asked questions like if they were prepared to protect and be the pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, bla bla bla.
It was almost too repetitive for me but for the new Hashiras, I could see that it was a magical moment.
After the oath-taking was done, we had an introduction. We introduced ourselves to the newcomers, one by one. We said our names and attached titles after it.
We welcomed them with grace, I for one was trying my best to be nice to Obanai no matter the mixed feelings I had for him. Giyu was also glad to see his previous tsugoku again whereas Sanemi was trying his best to not lash out at him.
The real Hashira meeting started after a few minutes. The newcomers were included in the meeting immediately. There was no official ranking amongst the Hashira but Gymoei was the unspoken leader so he began the meeting.
He was the oldest and most experienced amongst us. The fact that he gave off a serious big brother aura was also a factor. Must have to do with the orphans he used to take care of.
The meeting went better than usual and we finished everything quickly. The main issue of discussion was the demon activities and the recent Upper Moon which was slayed.
Sanemi and Rengoku got the praise and credit they deserved while they shared about what took place during the fight and what they learned from it.
It was not an intense battle at all, nothing noteworthy as Sanemi put it. Gyokko was a fairly weak demon which Muichiro who was caught off guard had no trouble slaying by himself.
Against two Hashiras who knew what to expect from him, Gyokko had no chance,
Regardless, it was an amazing achievement.
"We should expect a rise in their activities," Ubuyashiki said. This was the third time an Upper Moon was killed and we were more accustomed to dealing with the aftermath.
Usually, demon activities would spike after the fall of every Upper Moon. At first, we thought that it was the Demon King being angry and ordering his demons to go wild as a form of revenge but we realized it was not just that.
The demons would compete for the vacant position left by the fallen Upper Moon. This leads to ambitious demons with great power taking risks and attacking humans, even demon slayers, in order to impress the demon lord.
It was usually quite a messy situation.
So to deal with this, each Hashira was assigned a new territory they should guard. There will be no taking mission for us for a while to keep everyone safe.
We were already 10 in number and each Hashira guarding a territory was more effective than ever before. A Hashira now had just the right amount of territory they could maintain.
I took the chance to raise my hand and demand which part of the territory I wanted to take care of. My request was not denied and I got assigned to the region of Gifu.
It was a mountainous region with remote villages. Normally, it was best to assign me to populated regions but since it was my request, I was not denied.
And why did I ask to be assigned to this region?
The answer was obvious. It was the region where the Kamado family lived. I was meant to spend the winter with them and wait for Muzan to come.
"The Gifu region...that's quite far from the Kazusa Province," Mitsuri said, almost whining. The Kazusa Province was located near Tokyo and it was the territory she was assigned to.
We have been living in the Butterfly Mansion - recently changed due to Shinobu being the leader - for four whole months now so such a distance was a horrible turn of events.
"Well.." I said, "You have a duty now, as a Hashira. But don't worry, we will meet again in the New Year and if things go well we won't have to be apart anymore," I gave her a reassuring smile which she returned back with a hopeful one.
At most, in a year or two, I would've ended Muzan Kibutsuji and wiped out all demons.
The meeting came to an end not long after but we did not leave the headquarters. Instead, we all stayed for dinner as we celebrated for a moment, the new Hashiras and the new hope.
..
..
..
[IMAGE]
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Author : This chapter had no real content so I will offer a deal. I'll post an extra chapter if we hit No. 1 ranking.
Shouldn't be hard consider the current number one update once a week. So I am not scamming you. 👏👏
[Seiji's POV]
"So that's how it was," Kanae whispered softly while her dainty fingers travelled around my scalp, gently massaging my head,
"I am happy for Mitsuri, she deserves to be a Hashira, she worked hard for every ounce of the weight that title carries," Kanae's praise came from seeing Mitsuri work hard for four months.
The both of us were in the small veranda overlooking the garden of the Butterfly Mansion. The silver sun was in the sky, its soft light shyly lit up the world yet neither of us needed the light. She was sitting on the futon, her legs dangling down the platform but not touching the ground.
On the other hand, I was lying on the futon, my head resting on her lap. Her supple thighs made for the second-best pillows in the world (the first obviously being the boobs).
The natural scent of her body was perfume for my nose, her magical touch soothed every bit of tiredness from my body, releasing knots of exhaustion in my spirit. One thing about Kanae that no one could replicate was the peace and rest I found in her embrace.
Her presence nearly made me forget I was in a world infested by bloodthirsty demons. Everything was so relaxing and serene when I was by her side.
Her fingers gently teased my earlobes, bringing an unknown sensation to my ears. It felt like at that moment, I could hear her touch.
"What else? What do you think about the other new member? Obanai was it?" she asked me but I was closing my eyes and only focusing on the pleasant sensation of her touch so I didn't see it.
We were talking about the Hashria Meeting that happened today. I was meant to inform her about what transpired but here I was, unable to even respond due to being so relaxed.
Misturi was already asleep in her own room. Somehow, someway, Rengoku had convinced her to drink sake to celebrate her promotion so she was drunk and had fallen asleep after the duo finished all of the food in the feast.
I had to carry her home as she was stupidly drunk. She was not a drinker so she did not know how to hold back.
"Don't you go dozing off on me mister, I want to know more," Kanae said and spread my eyelids so that I would look at her.
"How was the other newcomer?" she asked.
"He was okay," I said, trailing off as I thought about what more to add. Honestly, I never really thought deeply about it.
He was a Hashira in the original story, so I was not thinking about whether he was worthy or a good addition to the ranks, as the other Hahsiras did, or what Kanae expected me to think. I just knew that he was the right person to be a Hashira.
"He has my hatred, similar skills to Giyu and the attitude of Sanemi," I said, describing Obanai.
"Wow...that's...an odd combination," Kanae hummed.
"It is," I said. My thoughts lingered on the Snake Hashira since she brought him up. I wondered, would he be angry if he was aware of the possibility that he could've been with Mitsuri? A possibility that I robbed from him.
I was chucking him basically, although he didn't know it.
That was one of the issues I battled for the longest time in my relationship with Mitsuri. I always had the feeling that I was taking her away from the true love she was supposed to share with Obanai.
Whereas loving Kanae did not give me even the slightest guilt. It felt more natural - like fate was on my side if I loved her.
But I had long since been over that. Mitsuri herself helped me overcome that issue.
"Why did you love me Kanae?" I asked suddenly as my mind was on the topic of romance.
It was a generic question that has been asked countless times between couples, but I still.
I knew how she loved me. She slowly fell for me throughout our time together and she completely fell for me because I was always there for her, whenever she needed me.
What I wanted to know was why she decided to go along with that feeling, even when she had many opportunities to stop.
Why did she fight for it, despite being easier to forget about it?
"I didn't realise it until I had completely fallen for you. And at that point, I didn't know how to live without loving you anymore," she said, "Life had become about loving you. You were a part of my life now, one that could not be replaced or discarded,"
"Was it by chance?" I asked, playing devil's advocate.
"Was it by chance that we breathe?" she asked back for an answer and I thought over the question.
You had no memory or intention when you first took your breath. But by the time you realized you were breathing, it had become so vital to your life that if you stopped you would've died. Yet it was not by accident you breathe either, it was meant to be.
A question made for a good answer. That was a first. I envy her quick mind sometimes.
"What about you?" she asked me back, "Why did you decide to love me and jeopardize what you already had with Mitsuir?"
"...."
"Was it pity?" she so very slightly stilled when she asked that - as if she was afraid of her own question.
"You loved me even before I regained my own heart," I began, "I've always nurtured a hatred for myself ever since that day when the demon killed my family,"
"I had forgotten what it was like to even love myself. But I kept on going solely on hope alone, hope that I would find another love and another family," I said and my hand took her hand and held it gently.
"And you were the first treasure I found, the first fulfilment of my hope. You taught me how to love myself again," I said.
She needed me. That was the first real thought I had when I first met her. I knew her fate which was to die at the hands of Douma.
So the knowledge that she needed me was what destroyed the perspective I had of myself as a foreigner. I had no reason to live otherwise. Even without my presence, Tanjiro and others would put an end to Muzan.
But I felt needed in the case of Kanae's situation. And my existence became unapologetic from then on.
In that way, she unintentionally helped me with her existence alone and I love that.
In my search for a new love and a family, she was the first one I found.
"I've lost enough, I didn't want to lose anything again," I said.
I could feel the smile on her face.
"I understand," she said.
We stayed like that for the whole night. I did not just let her spoil me the entire night either as we took turns spoiling each other.
We talked and talked and talked. Sometimes we talked about the old times and sometimes we talked about our future.
We also did this thing where we told each other what the other could not sense. I told her what I saw, described the beautiful stars in the sky and in return, she would describe what she heard - the whisper of the wind, the sound of crickets and the fireflies.
In that way, we paint a complete picture of our surroundings. We filled the void in each other.
Like we always did, since the very beginning.
The one who needed help and the one who yearned to be needed. We saved each other.
"Do you get it now? We fit together like a puzzle," I said.
For reasons I was not aware of, Kanae's eyes started watering when I said that. She choked out a smile, a bitter joy.
"Yeah," she said, "Our love is not awkward, it is perfect too,"
I was not sure what that meant but I agreed.
"Yes,"
..
..
/////////////////
(A week later)
"Goodbye," I said and kissed her on the forehead.
"Are you sure you can't bring me with you?" Kanae asked like a needy child.
"Unfortunately no," I said. What I was about to face soon would put her in danger, I couldn't bear to do that.
In response to my rejection, Kanae gave a small smile still.
"Okay then...stay safe," she said.
A chilly breeze blew upon us. Gone was the dry autumn air, the wind carried a hint of winter now.
I turned to Shinobu and said, "Take care of her, and take care of yourself,"
"You do know that she is also my sister, right?" she asked while rolling her eyes.
"But sure, if that makes you sleep easier," she replied.
"Seiji-nii..." Kanao called me, her eyes were much like Kanae's, begging me to take her with me but sadly, I can't.
"Keep training, like I taught you," I said.
"Remember, you are going to take the Demon Slayer exam next year," I said and she gave a nod.
"Okay,"
The sun was just about rising on the horizon, urging me to start my travel to the Gifu region and to the Kamado family.
"I'll be back soon, don't worry. It will only be a month," I said.
And with a final farewell, I left the Butterfly Mansion and made my way towards the Kamado family.
I was a Demon Slayer.
I reminded myself throughout the journey as I made my way to what could be, my final destination.
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..
[IMAGE]
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Author : It was too quick so of course it's late.
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