Chapter Text
July 1459
“Ushi-Sama.”
“You failed.”
…
“Michikatsu was made into a demon, we haven’t been able to locate him yet, nor his creator.” Yorrichi whispers.
The Ubuyashiki mansion stood still, breathing halted despite the warm July day that it was. A stray leaf fell from the tree and onto Ushi’s lap. It settled before it slid from his lap and onto the tatami between him and Yoriichi.
“…. We shouldn’t expect to find this Muzan Kibutsuji. He’s evaded the corps for so long already. And Yoriichi-Sama’s encounter may have pushed him to more drastic measures.”Ushi murmurs as he gently pushes the leaf away from his knees.
The thunder hashira and water hashira shift uncomfortably on their zabutōn. The situation had gone to hell recently. How many had already died from the mark? How many had been slain by demons alone? They had one hashira less, who had brought shame towards the corps from his decision. And his brother, who had decided to show mercy on the night of his brothers transformation. It only left the water hashira, wind hashira, thunder hashira, flame hashira, and Yoriichi. Five. And now with one of their own against them, the reliant elder brother whom they looked up to, against them. Someone who their job is to kill.
“Yeah Michikatsu’s the prize after all. Never imagined he could be that gullible to believe demon hood is better than dying with honour.” The snarky wind hashira mutters.
“He knows the location of our homes. Ushi-sama’s too.” The thunder hashira adds on.
“We should protect Ushi-sama. Can’t have the master dying on us. The corps is already in disarray.”The wind hashira leans his head on his hand. His movements are rough, showing agitation within.
“Mh. But what about-“
The water hashira is interrupted when Ushi suddenly speaks up.“I am disposable. You need not divert your focus from the current situation for me. Focus on protecting the people.”
The master lightly grips his kimono around his knees. Deep down he’s afraid of the consequences that could befall the corps if Michikatsu were to speak out. The Ubuyashiki location, the training grounds, where the best places to camp out and watch for demons are. He knows everything. Nothing was kept hidden between Ushi and Michikatsu. The betrayal stings, it sends pangs of worry through him, his decision to be too trustworthy to his slayers may have costed them all. The guilt weighs heavy.
“You have your priorities now. And I expect you to all dismiss any concerns you have with my safety.”
Five pairs of eyes linger on their master. Each devoted within the seas of turmoil. Naturally they had to respect their superiors commands, which was undesirable in this situation. He was at risk. It’s only common sense Kibutsuji would want Ushi dead, no master no united slayers. If Michikatsu were to spill to Kibutsuji then Ushi really was in danger.
“This is all Yoriichi’s fault.” The wind hashira mutters.
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“Master think about it. If Yoriichi had actually taken out Kibitsuji then-“
“None of this would’ve happened. Michikatsu would be fine.” The water hashira adds on to his comrades comment.
“Nothing will come of Yoriichi. That is final.”
Ushi’s hands on his kimono tightened. His children should be united in their goal, to protect civilians from demons. Yet they’re turning on each other, passing the blame to someone else to make themselves seem better. They weren’t saints, yet Ushi wanted them all to be seen as one. As comrades. There was strength in numbers. And yet he wanted to keep Yoriichi protected instead of himself.
“Tch- as you wish.”
The glare from the wind hashira shot towards Yoriichi, who was on his knees in front of Ushi. He had his head bowed, but the sharpest of glares can be loud in more ways than by sound.
“If you insist. We should change our usual routes, the ones Michikatsu would know about. This change will be instant. The more time we bicker the less time we have to run.”
“We don’t need to run Ushi-sama. We can fight.” The thunder hashira murmurs.
“You cannot defeat Michiaktsu. He’s a loved one to us all, you’ll hesitate.”
The hashira were family, Ushi knew that. A death or a loss stung. They’re like brothers, all of them.
“Michikatsu was stronger than you (enter the Thunder Hashira’s name). You’ll hesitate and he’ll strike you down.”
Ushi didn’t like to word it like that. But each of them needed a reality check. Michikatsu was a samurai, he didn’t hesitate to bring death. Comrades or not, there’s no telling what he’s going to do. Kibutsuji could’ve gotten to him and changed him completely against the corps.
“What no-!”
He could already hear the denial in that Hashira’s voice. The denial of being weaker than someone else despite his rank.
“I’d like you all to begin the necessary preparations for the routes change. And I’d like this to be carried out immediately. Please go. All of you.”
Ushi’s words were firm, yet had a sense of vulnerability. Right in front of him the structure his family had dedicated centuries to maintain was crumbling. He was forcing out the people who had become dedicated enough to throw themselves into danger for him. Yet he felt he had no choice within this divided corps.
Each one of his teaming hashira look at him, some with shock, some with confusion, betrayal, anger, acceptance. The Wind Hashira was a mix of anger and betrayal. His hands clenched his arms that were crossed. And he was one of the first to reluctantly bow and storm out. His comrade the water hashira stayed looking like a confused fish. Eyes wide and mouth parted like it was slow to drown. But seeing his comrades exit he followed. Bowing before he walked through the shoji, forgetting to leave ih open for the rest to follow out. Rengoku was nearest to the shoji, and swiftly opened it as it was accidentally closed. Just in time for the thunder hashira to slither out. Rengoku swiftly followed, taking slow steps and bowing before he himself made his leave. Yoriichi went to rise afterwards, as the last hashira.
“Wait Tsugikuni-sama.”
Ushi’s voice was quiet. But Yoriichi picked up on it perfectly fine. He swiftly turned his body back, causing a stray leaf to blow back across the tatami towards Ushi’s lap.
“….”
“Yes? Ushi-Sama?”
Silence
“I don’t blame you for allowing that demon to live. Either of them. We’ve learnt more than we ever have because of her knowledge.”
Ushi continues “it was a good call.”
For once the day seemed calm. Forgiving. Like he had a chance at redemption that he didn’t deserve. The peace from the turmoil was lighting something deep inside him. Gratitude.
“Thank you, Ushi-sama.” Yoriichi whispers with a trembling voice.
He bows low, the silliness of the moment overpowering the tension from the situation. He felt like nobody understood the situation besides another hashira and Ushi. His failures that had over powered his emotions these past days, felt like a blinding mist that had been lifted.
-
“Shit…….” The wind hashira sighs out.
He has his arms crossed and his posture is tended but slumped against the wooden beam of the training grounds. His geta kick the dirt beneath him to pass time. Because he knew himself, and he best lashed out when he was frustrated. To his side was the thunder hashira, who had followed him out of Ushi’s meeting earlier that day.
“I get it. It is partially Yoriichi-Sama’s fault that Michikatsu-sama became a demon. If he had-“
“If I he had just laid down his life actually trying to kill Kibutsuji then maybe, just maybe I could forgive him. But no. The shithead survived without giving his all. And Michikatsu’s gone, fucking traitor, probably spilling the secrets of the corps to the one demon who actually needs to die.”
The wind hashira sighs in frustration once he’s done talking. He slams his head back against the wooden beam, hell it hurts, but he can’t show it otherwise his rant would seem less than valid. Once he was close with Michiaktsu, they trained together, now he wouldn’t be. Blaming Yoriichi for Michikatsu’s transformation isn’t right, but he wants someone to blame. Anyone. Just anyone to make the situation feel like it wasn’t Michikatsu’s decision. Hell, who knows if it was even Michikatsu’s decision to become a demon? He could’ve been forced by Kibutsuji. Which would lead the blame back to Yoriichi for failing to kill Kibitsuji. Yoriichi, it’s his fault.
“Mh. I suppose so. But Yoriichi was the strongest among us. If he couldn’t defeat the demon not one of us can.” The thunder hashira murmurs.
The hashira had the urge to put his hand on his comrades shoulder, but the frustrated Wind Hashira would probably let out his anger on him.
“Tch- calling me weak?” The wind hashira mutters. His head turning swiftly towards the other.
“He kicked your ass more times than I can count.”
“Yeah yeah. But Yoriichi’s weaker now. Seems…..”
“Depressed?” The Thunder hashira suggests.
“Nah, not that tragic. What’s the word…..”
“Fazed?”
“Shut up with your suggestions man.” He grumbles as he pretends to smack his smart ass friend.
He continues. “Anyways, Yoriichi’s weaker. We’re already dropping like flies. Hell even I will. But, the masters letting Yoriichi off way to easily. Hell…. Even Ushi-Sama seems more down and worried.”
The wind Hashira joins his comrade against the wooden beam. Only he squats down to his right. He slides his sheathed blade out from his obi sash so it won’t hit against the ground. He slides it to his lap, making sure it’s supported and the blade itself won’t fall out from its sheathe. The wind hashira takes a glance at this before he reaches down and picks his friends katana up. He holds it up so the handle is facing up.
“Yeah this’ll work.” The wind Hashira murmurs to himself.
“(Enter the wind Hashira’s name) that’s mine.”
“….”
He looks down at his friend.
“Yeah, and? Nice blade. Not as nice as my own. But bearable enough so it won’t make me look like a girl.” He then throws it into the air and catches it.
“Your long hair already makes you look like a girl.” He mutters as he subtly tries to reclaim his blade.
“Shut the hell up, your hairs longer than mine. Your mother probably braided it into little plaits when you were little.”
The wind hashira then throws the blade back to its rightful owner, albeit with little care. His comrade catches it, but he doesn’t immediately return it to his obi. Instead he subtly unsheathes a bit of it to check for any damages near the habaki.
“Come on man, I wouldn’t break it.”
The wind Hashira then slaps the back of his comrades head. He’s met with a sharp kick to his shins from his right, not really with any malicious intent, not unless his friend does something heinous. Which is pushing it for a man like that. He’s probably committed atrocities against humanity at this point.
“….. (enter wind Hashira’s name) you’ve already broken five blades.” The thunder hashira says bluntly.
“…… Four and a half. And it wasn’t even my fault.”
“Four is still bad. Wait a half?” He gives his comrade a genuinely baffled look. “How the hell did you manage that?”
“This old lady. Keeps on taking them to use as décor.” He mutters.
“…… You mean your grandmother? The ‘old lady’ you live with?”
“Tch- shut the hell up.”
Although he loves his grandmother, it’s embarrassing living with her full time and having it known by his comrades. Who live alone or with their wives. In large estates with many servants. While he gives his earnings to his grandmother so she could live her best life in her elderly years. Personally I think he’s a sweetheart, he cooks and cleans for her, but he does deny it at all costs to maintain his dignity- if he has any left.
“It’s cute, you’re going soft.” The thunder hashira laughs.
“Yeah yeah…..”
With that his hand comes against the back of the thunder Hashira’s head, causing him to rub his head in pain.
The next week:
There was rice between their nails and fingers, and their fingers were sticky with whatever sauces Lady Thunder had picked out for them. Five clean plates as the result of the Wind and Thunder Hashira’s dinner. The wind Hashira smacks his palm against his belly, just to emphasise the good food he had been fed.
A woman enters the dining room. Dressed in brown kimono and yellow apron. Brown hair and hazel eyes. Carrying a basin of water that she slowly places down in front of the wind and thunder hashira.
“Sis you didn’t have too.” The Thunder hashira slumps against the tatami, full from his sisters cooking.
“You both looked malnourished. A demon may have well of taken your stomachs.” She retorts.
“Talking about demons, your master has given you new timetables right? Or is that classified?”she asks
“How’d you know about that?” The wind Hashira asks with a raised eyebrow.
“You were talking about it earlier, you didn’t shut up about it. And it got crumbs on the tatami.”
The sisters words are blunt. This was her home after all, and although she likes having guests she doesn’t appreciate them when they are loud enough for an entire army to hear. She then points down to the bowel of water she brought in. Their hands were messy, it was like two toddlers had broken into the pantry and played in every sauce and rice sack there was.
“Tch- I’m not that loud.” He mutters.
And the siblings just give him a dumbfounded look.
“…… assholes.” The wind hashira mutters.
“Anyways, I can’t be the only one annoyed about the change of plans. I get it, the locations of our strongpoints are at risk. But that’s not our fault. It’s Yoriichi’s. He’s the one that failed to kill the demon that transformed Michikatsu.”
“True. And I had such a good area beforehand. The village I always had had the best onigiri. Easy work and a good meal to fill me up after.”
The Thunder Hashira then shrugs. But he immediately gets slapped over the back of his head from his sister. As he did insult her cooking, the cooking she sent him out with. The cooking he should’ve been eating instead of buying more.
“Asshole-“
Smack
“Don’t speak to me like that (enter the thunder Hashira’s name).” She says as she sternly crosses her arms. Which warrants the wind hashira to burst out laughing.
“Anyways, if you’re so annoyed about the change of plans then speak to your master about it.” She suggests.
“His decisions firm. And he seems to be covering for Yoriichi-sama.” Her brother answers.
“Then speak to Yoriichi-sama, resolve it like men.”
“Why didn’t I think of that…..”
“Because you’re dumb.” The wind hashira mutters to his comrade.
The thunder Hashira looks at his comrade, then to his sister, and then back at the wind hashira, then at his sister. Like a deer in headlights that can’t comprehend what’s happening.
“Anyways, my idea of visiting Yoriichi-sama. I say it’s a good plan of mine. We can do that tonight. Get him to actually give us a half decent apology for his mistakes. Make him learn not to ever spare another demons life again.”
Two pairs of eyes linger on the Wind Hashira when he claims the sisters idea as his own. And it warrants her to grab the wind Hashira’s hands and slam them into the bowel of water.
“Steal my ideas I don’t care- but you’re not spreading my intelligence with grubby hands. Especially not in my house-!”
“Oi what the hell!” The wind hashira yells as he tries to pull his hands back from the sister.
The sister is quickly splashing water all over the hashira, making sure to purposely get him wet and soaked. Just so she can kick him out quicker. Others owe who knows, he’ll eat her entire winter stock of food she’s began preparing. And she could kick out her brother too for some peace and quiet around the house.
“Okay now dry your hands so you don’t ruin the tatami.” She yells as she takes his hands out of the water, and she thrusts them onto his Haori to dry them off.
His hands are still wet, but at least it’s shut the sister up from being too bossy-
“Okay. Now I’ll go prepare some food for you to take to the Tsugikuni estate, and then you can be on your way.”
“Sis calm down-!” The thunder Hashira chuckles as he puts his hands up in mock surrender for he and his comrade.
“You’re sleeping outside tonight now.” She interrupts almost instantly. She seems rather proud of that threat, and who knows, maybe he’ll believe her and get a move on.
“So mean…..” he mumbles
“That’s because you’re a glutinous brat.” She retorts jokingly.
While her brother is stuck pouting she stands up from the tatami, and retrieves the bowel of water from the wind hashira. Which is a little cloudy and now contains the rice from his fingertips as well as a bit of the soy sauce she had used. She grimaces when she sees how dirty it is, and shoots the wind hashira a dirty look before she turns around. He doesn’t notice the dirty look, but he’s snickering under his breath, he can tell how annoyed he’s made his host.
After about the ten most longest minutes of waiting she finally reappears. With two home made bento’s, one each for their journey. And in a smaller pouch she has a bag of small sweets, nothing fancy, sugar was expensive. But they looked appealing. Well to her at least. Her brother thinks not with his grimace on his face.
“This is for Yoriichi-sama, these are for you. Don’t eat them all at once though. It’s for the way there and back. And I’m sure one of you.” She then glares at her brother “has some money if they’re even more hungry.” She intensifies her glare.
“Okay as you say.” He shrugs, shrinking underneath the glare of his sister.
“Good.”
“Now shoo.”
She crosses her arms once she hands them each their respective bento box’s. And she hands the sweets to the wind hashira, who has annoyed her slightly, just slightly less. Although it’s close. She’d rather she go herself, but if she didn’t she’d have them to deal with. She gestures for them both to ‘shoo’, By flicking her wrist back and forth repeatedly.
“Yeah yeah lady, we get it.” The wind hashira mutters as he throws the sweets up in the air and catches them. He gets up, throws them up, catches them, and then puts them in his inner pocket of his Haori.
The thunder Hashira gets up too, and he quickly pats his sister on her head before she can complain. But she covers her head, and blocks his attempt of affection.
“Bro stop-! My hair-!” She squeals as she tries to swat his hands away.
He chuckles as he pinches her cheek with his spare hand, but it backfires since he has half the defences. And unfortunately she gets up and tackles him, pushing him out of the room and onto the wind hashira.
“Dumbass siblings.” The wind hashira yells as he nearly trips out the front door and off the engawa.
The siblings aren’t too lucky, and they tumble down the engawa onto the ground.
“Owh…..”
“Yeah. Real dumbasses.” The wind hashira mumbles before he picks his comrade up and hoists him over his shoulder. “Okay, we’ll be going now. I’ll make sure to keep him somewhat safe.”
“Eh? Define safe?” She squeals as she gets up from the dirt.
“Okay. Maybe with a few broken bones. At best.” He scoffs as he adjusts his comrade.
“Hmph-“
“Okay, we’re heading off now.” He mumbles as he turns around, struggling thunder Hashira over his shoulder. To punish Yoriichi for his failures. For the corps. And for their duties as hashira.