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“There is one more thing I would like to relay to you, my children. Kamado has met Kibutsuji face to face,” Ubuyashiki said.
That was the one sentence that made everyone around him freeze. One moment they were ready to kill him and his sister and the next minute they were all shouting questions at him about Muzan.
“That’s impossible!” The white-haired man with the bejeweled headband shouted out in confusion. “Not even a hashira has crossed paths with him! How can this kid interact with him?”
Now everyone was looking at him. The same man locked eyes with him and started questioning him directly. “Did you see him? What’d he look like? What are his powers? Where did you see him?”
Whoa. There were a lot of questions.
Then the one teen that looked around his age glanced down at him with a slight bit of interest in his mint eyes. “Did you fight him?”
Tanjiro suddenly found himself being forced face-first to the ground by that same man who stabbed his sister. He asked while his hands twisted his hair into knots. “What was the demon king doing? Did you find his stronghold? Answer me!”
“Shut up, Sanemi. I asked the kid first!” Tanjiro’s head was let go so he could slowly lift his head and spit out the rock that ended up inside his mouth. He gazed up and to the side where the tall man was looking down at him. “Now tell us the power that Kibutsuji has!”
Tanjiro did not even get a chance to answer—or take a breath— before the master made the hashira quiet down. They all returned to their bowing positions with their heads down towards the sick man.
“Speaking of that man, we know that he has sent pursuers after Tanjiro. While his goal might be to simply silence Tanjiro, I also think that something is happening to Nezuko that Kibutsuji never saw coming.” The master explained with his soft, guiding voice. “And now that the demon king has finally revealed himself, I wish to seize on this opportunity.
“But we will discuss that in our later hashira meeting. For now, we must tackle the trial before us.” He gestured his hand towards one of the girls next to him. “Daughter, please read out the letter that Urokodaki sent.”
*
Before Tanjiro knew it, the trial was over. Nezuko had overcome her demonic urge in the face of marechi blood and proven herself. However, some of the hashira seemed more than reluctant to let her live on.
Especially the one with the snake that had pinned him down moments before and the scarred man who smelled like anger and was still standing before his sister as she crawled her way back inside her box.
Even after the trial seemed to be over with him and his sister being allowed to stay in the Butterfly Mansion, the tension was still thick. Nevertheless, Tanjiro bowed before the master of the demon slayers, thankful that he would not lose his sister.
“Sanemi… Obanai, don’t torment the younger ones too much,” Ubuyashiki gently said with his words lingering in the air.
“As you wish,” Iguro said, looking down at the ground with the scent of frustration wafting up from his figure. It was so potent it made Tanjiro’s nose wrinkle.
Tanjiro looked up to see his sister sitting in her box in the shadows as Shinazugawa bent down to the master and stiffly set his sword beside him.
“As you wish,” Shinazugawa responded, fighting back the anger in his tone. And before the master could say enough words to dismiss any of them, Shinazugawa spoke up. “Master, I humbly ask for a request.”
“What is on your mind, Sanemi?” The master asked, his face slightly turning towards the kneeling hashira.
“I would like to hear the details of Kitsubuji,” Sanemi replied stiffly as he desperately tried to answer respectfully despite the tightness in his words. “I need answers from the kid especially when no other slayer has ever gotten close to the elusive demon king.”
...
Silence.
It was only for a few moments yet it was enough to make the scarred man stiffen like he has just been too expectant to indulge in his desires in this case. The situation felt like a child was about to get scolded by their wise elder.
Yet the scolding did not happen
Instead, the sickly man smiled at the white-haired hashira. “Hm. Very well. Though I ask all of you to not overwhelm young Tanjiro with questions.”
“Good,” Iguro muttered from somewhere behind Tanjiro, which was followed up with a hiss.
Tanjiro had no issue recounting his encounter with Muzan if it meant that he would be dealt with quicker. But everything in him was itching to get back to his sister.
“Wait a moment!” Tanjiro interrupted the mumbles of the hashira behind him who were no doubt planning the interrogation he would soon face head-on. Yet he did not look back at them even once. Instead, he focused his eyes on the figure of the master and bowed his head low. He pleaded, “Can I please be near my sister for this?”
The master let out a soft chuckle. “You may.”
“Thank you.” Tanjiro hurriedly replied before dragging himself up on the stage at the same time that Sanemi jumped off. He cast a glance in the hashira’s direction before focusing all of his attention on his sister who looked ready to sleep off the stab wounds.
He crawled forward until he was sitting right beside her box as she closed her eyes to drift off into sleep in front of everyone.
Tanjiro shifted in his position, still feeling the tight pain in his chest. The pain reliever was a big help for it until the man with the snake pinned him down harder than necessary. Luckily, the butterfly woman from before quickly stepped forward to roll the medicated water-filled gourd over to him. He took it with a grateful smile and gave a quick thanks to her.
Then, he addressed the hashira who were all waiting in anticipation to ask the questions burning in their minds. “Alright. I’m ready.”
“Did you see him?” The tall, white-haired man from before repeated one of the questions he had asked previously. “If you did, what did he look like?
“Yes.” Tanjiro nodded. “He had black, wavy hair that was down to about here.” He demonstrated with his hand to show how short Muzan’s hair was. “He had very bright red eyes with pupils that were kind of like a cat’s but that was only when he was looking at me and not at the people around us.”
“There were civilians around you?” The butterfly woman asked with that same tight smile that hid an immense amount of anger behind it.
Tanjiro replied honestly. “Yes.”
“You were surrounded by people when you met him... Where did you see him?” The flame-colored-haired man called out to him rather loudly with that fixed grin on his face.
“Akasuka city.” The name drew the hashira’s attention like a bolt of lightning. It was like everyone was pinpointed on that location in their minds now that he said it. “It was for the second mission I ever had as a slayer. My crow told me there were signs of a demon, so I went to check it out and found him.”
Tomioka watched him silently as Sanemi clicked his tongue at his answer. “Of course. He was hiding in plain sight in the big city.”
“What’re his powers?” Iguro asked.
“I don’t know?” Both Iguro and Sanemi glared at him but he did not care about their reaction. He was telling the truth. Tanjiro explained more in-depth. “I only saw him do one thing. I saw him claw a man’s neck who quickly became a demon that I had to take care of.”
“Did you fight him?” The tall man with prayer beads spoke up with that deep voice.
“No.” Tanjiro shook his head.
“Then—How!” Sanemi looked even more angry than he was before the trial officially started. “How did you, a low-ranked slayer, even find the demon king in the city?”
Tanjiro sniffed the air which was full of a mix of emotions from all the scent profiles ranging from poisonous flowers to burning embers. “I could smell him.”
“Oh?” The fiery-haired man tilted his head in confusion yet that smile still stayed.
“Bullshit.” Sanemi immediately responded.
“What the hell?!” Iguro shouted.
“Of course.” The flashy man sighed, slapping his palm against his forehead in frustration. “A teenager sniffed out the demon king like a dog. We have spent so many years trying to find this bastard only for this kid to show up and track him down.”
“What does he smell like?” That young teen asked, gazing up at him with those cloudy blue eyes.
“Malice,” Tanjiro replied. He took a moment to try and bring more detail into his scent but he couldn’t find descriptors. He tilted his head as he thought back to that horrid stench that was the same that stained his family’s mountain home. “And blood. Lots of blood.”
“And was she there too?” The green and pink-haired woman pointed at his sister who was now curled up in her box with soft snores escaping from the sides of the bamboo muzzle.
“No. I left her at the udon cart on the city’s outskirts.” Tanjiro glanced over to his sister and then back at the hashira who did not look too happy that he left his demon sister with the udon cart seller. Tanjiro winced. “I didn’t mean to but when I smelled him, I was running back to the city before I knew it.”
“You could smell him from that far?!” Sanemi shouted with clear outrage.
“Okay.” The butterfly woman who had mostly stayed quiet up to this point spoke up. “I think we could ask questions for hours but I think it would be better if Tanjiro just starts from the beginning and explains the entire interaction in detail.“
“I can agree with Shinobu about her assessment,” Ubuyashiki said. His daughters moved closer to his side as he shifted in his place. “Tanjiro does need to get medical treatment rather soon for the injuries he sustained from his last mission.”
Many of the hashira immediately agreed in response to the master. Sanemi looked like he wanted to argue for a brief moment before conceding from the master’s agreement. “Fine.”
“Well then,” Shinobu cleared her throat and aimed her eyes at him staring into his soul like daggers. “Tanjiro, can you start from the beginning.”
“Alright.” Tanjiro swallowed around nothing in his throat. “My crow told me about rumors of a demon in Akasuka so I traveled there after my first mission dealing with this swamp demon that made clones of himself.” He looked over to his sleeping sibling and rested his hand on her wooden box. “My sister was by my side without her box for the first part when we first entered the city. But the lights and all the smells were too overwhelming for me so we walked out to the outskirts.”
Thankfully, all of the hashira remained quiet as they all took in his words. Tanjiro trailed his gaze over to Tomioka who was either steadily staring at him and his sister or looking at the other hashira. From his scent, it seemed like he was ready to step in if Iguro or Sanemi came after him again.
“We stopped at an udon cart because I was getting hungry. Nezuko was sitting next to me when I got my order but I ended up dropping the bowl on the ground because I smelled it. I smelled him.” Tanjiro explained. That teen hashira was staring up at the sky again. The flashy man was steadily whispering to the tallest one there while gesturing with his hands. “It was the same scent I smelled back when I discovered my family was murdered.”
“So I ran back to the city. And that’s when I found him.” Then, he felt the eyes staring at him suddenly shift to pinning him to the ground even Tomioka’s indifferent gaze felt like he was drowning. “I grabbed him with one hand and was about to reach my sword with the other but I couldn’t.”
“Why not?” The flashy man called out to question him with his hands on his lips. His judgmental magenta eyes narrowed at him.
“He had a child in his arms,” Tanjiro answered.
“He had a human hostage?” Iguro seethed.
Tanjiro shook his head, feeling four specific pairs of angry eyes on him. He clarified, “It was a small girl calling him ‘daddy’.”
At this information, the green and pink-haired woman gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise. Tomioka tilted his head while that fiery-haired man made a confused noise that sounded strained through his grin.
“He is parading around like a human in disguise.” Sanemi sharply turned his head to the side. “Tch. How disgusting.”
“Then a woman came close and started calling him by a different name.” Even more shock, confusion and, not surprisingly, anger were etched onto the hashira’s faces. “Muzan had a wife and a child that he used to hide in plain sight.”
“There I was in the middle of the street with Muzan explaining to this woman named...Rei? I think her name was Rei.” He couldn’t remember exactly since he was more focused on the fact the one who killed his family was right in front of him. “He was saying that I somehow mistook him for someone else and I was just confused.” Tanjiro could feel the frustration building up in him again just recounting that incident. About how easily Muzan waved him off when he managed to track him down. “I couldn’t do anything to him since we were surrounded by innocent people. I didn’t want anyone caught in the battle. But most importantly, I knew I was outmatched.”
“His scent was unlike anything I have smelled before. The amount of blood and bloodthirst coming off of his body was gut-wrenching. I could feel how strong he was based on the smell.” Tanjiro risked a glance over to the master who seemed so calm and steady reading this information. It is like he heard all of it before. But how would he be able to know?
“Then something happened. I could barely see what he did behind him when I heard a woman cry out. A man was suddenly turned into a demon causing a ruckus. Muzan used that as a distraction to get away from me and the new demon with the two humans with him.” Tanjiro bit down on his lip as he admitted what choice he made in front of the eager hashira listening to every breath he took between words. “I chose to restrain the demon and let Muzan get away.”
The fiery-haired man nodded at his answer with an understanding smile. “It was smart to retreat in this instance since a slayer of your power level would not have been able to take him on directly.”
Some did not seem to be happy at first with him before the fiery hashira said that they had to remind themselves that he was not as experienced as they were.
Sanemi stared at him with barely hidden anger still seething beneath his skin due to the scent that was carried to his nose by the soft wind. “Are you done?”
“One more thing.” Should he say this in detail? Well, it was too late now to reconsider since all of the attention was on him. “Uh. When Muzan was leaving, I said...”
“What?” Tomioka asked. It was the first time he had spoken up since the midpoint of the trial when he helped him escape from Iguro’s grip.
”I called him out by name.” That was enough to have a few pairs of eyebrows raised. “Then I said that he wouldn’t be able to escape me because I will find him. I vowed that my sword would be the last thing he would ever see. And that I would never forgive him for the endless crimes he had committed.”
“Wow.” The flashy one choked out a laugh. “You had a death wish that early on in your career as a slayer?”
“That was rather...” The sweet-looking lady trailed off as she looked at him in concern.
“Stupid. Ignorant. Dumb. Shit decision.” Sanemi filled in her seance before she could finish
“Language!” The nice lady reprimanded Sanemi’s choice of words. Then she pursed her lips as she addressed Tanjiro directly. “Although I do have to say that it could have ended rather badly for you.”
Tanjiro nodded since he knew it would have been bad if Muzan cared enough to ace him like that. He replied. “I know. I was just frustrated that he could get away so easily. But I guessed that Muzan would not try to attack me out in the open in that busy area.”
“Yes. He has proven himself to be a coward before.” Ubuyashiki interrupted with his soft-mannered voice. He trailed a hand over one of his daughter’s heads. “That is why I have said before that Muzan had sent reinforcements after Tanjiro instead of tracking him down himself.”
“Yeah. He sent two demons after me but I was able to survive the battle against them with some help from my sister.” And the help from Miss Tamayo and Yushiro. But he did not know how much to spill about those two to the hashira who were just proclaiming about killing his sister a mere ten minutes ago.”
“And that’s all I have to say about the encounter with Muzan. The demon he turned was dealt with and the two demons that came after me are dead.” Tanjiro darted his easy from hashira to hashira to check if there was anything else he had to say. It looks like they were less than satisfied yet no one seemed like they wanted to ask anything further. “Are there any more questions I can answer?”
Ubuyashiki raised his hand before anyone could say another word if they even wanted to. “I’m sure that will be enough for now.”
Shinobu bowed low to the older man. “I’ll make sure Tanjiro and his sister are settled at the Butterfly Mansion, master.”
“Thank you,” Ubuyashiki nodded his head to her then moved his head slightly towards him. Then, two people in black and white uniforms appeared at the side of the room. Tanjiro jumped while Ubuyashiki continued to talk normally like this was a very normal situation to occur. “Rest well, Tanjiro.”
With that, Tanjiro helped as he and his sister were picked up in a piggyback held by the uniformed strangers. The other one tucked his sister into the box and closed the door before taking the box in their arms. The one holding him was quick to jump down and start jogging away.
Yet before they were out of sight, he heard Ubuyashiki call out to him. “And make sure to say hello to Miss Tamayo for me.”
Tanjiro gasped and whipped his head around to the master. A hundred questions were on his tongue and before he could act to get back to the center, the person carrying him yanked him into an even stronger hold
“Uh Uh!” The uniformed stranger denied him as he and the other person started to run away from the hashira’s and the master. “You need to get to the butterfly mansion! And we don’t want to be there longer than we have to. The hashira are too intimidating to even be close to. So be quiet!”
Tanjiro slumped down in the piggyback hold with a pout. He would need to find out what the master meant by mentioning Miss Tamayo’s name. Does he know her personally or maybe he just knows of her existence? How is he connected to her?
Hah... for now, he just wants to focus on getting his sister to safety at this mansion and hopefully have his injuries taken care of.