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"something bad has to have happened!"
tokito muichiro was awakened by the sounds of yelling outside. he grabbed his sword and rushed outside, his heart beating fast in his chest.
"what is it? it's early," he groaned, blinking the blur of sleep out of his eyes and trying to focus on the group of panicked hashira in front of him.
"it's hotaru!" shinobu kocho cried out.
"tanaka is missing, and everyone's worried about it," obanai iguro muttered, absentmindedly petting his snake.
muichiro's heart leapt up into his throat, and he felt a panic he had only felt when his brother had died.
she wouldn't just leave... something bad has to have happened!
visions of all the different horrible things that could've happened to hotaru swum in front of muichiro's eyes, making them mist over with tears.
she could be dead on the side of the road somewhere! she could be in pain and crying out for help! she could be far away in a place she didn't know, scared and alone!
or she could even have been turned into a demon...
the cloying scent of wisteria snapped muichiro back into the real world, and he looked up to see oyakata standing in front of the group of hashira, the same smile on his face that he always had, although it was a little faded now.
"my children, listen to me," he said, commanding them, but in a gentle voice.
all the hashira were instantly silenced and looked up at oyakata with respect and reverence evident on their faces. he was their leader, and as such, he deserved nothing but the utmost respect.
"i have heard that tanaka hotaru, the moonlight hashira, and one of my precious children, has disappeared. this hurts my heart to hear, and i'm sure it hurts your hearts as well."
mitsuri kanroji sobbed loudly, then apologized with a sniffle. shinobu gave her a loving pat, and mitsuri rested her head on the butterfly hashira's shoulder.
muichiro could hear gyomei softly reciting a prayer, and the usually smiling rengoku kyojuro was frowning with a furrowed brow.
he had never realized how much his little firefly was loved until now. it made him feel confident that, no matter what happened, she would return home safely.
"despite the pain this causes you," oyakata continued, "you need to summon your demon slayer spirit and fight on! you will find hotaru and bring her home safely, but to do that, you need to be levelheaded! don't waste your time crying; instead, spend it searching for your lost comrade. is that understood?"
all the hashira responded with an enthusiastic, "yes, oyakata-sama!" earning them a bright smile from their leader.
before oyakata left, he beckoned muichiro over to talk to him in private. the shy boy anxiously paced, worried that he would be chided for not being levelheaded enough. all the other hashira had seemingly abandoned their concern and acquired a newly found sense of duty from oyakata's speech, but muichiro was still worried and scared for his girlfriend.
"you needn't be anxious, my child," oyakata murmured soothingly. "i didn't call you here to snap at you."
muichiro sighed in relief and let his previously tense muscles loosen up.
of course oyakata wouldn't have chided him for feeling concerned; how silly that would be! being concerned was only natural when someone you love had disappeared!
"muichiro, i understand that you're scared for hotaru. i just want you to know that i and all the rest of the hashira are here for you during this trying time. please, don't hesitate to come to me if you need someone to talk to."
muichiro smiled a weak, but genuine smile. he was always amazed by the kindness and love oyakata felt for the hashira. he truly loved them as if they were his own children, and they loved him back like a father. such a genuine relationship was rare, and muichiro treasured it.
"thank you for your kindness, oyakata-sama," muichiro said with a bow.
"it's nothing," oyakata replied, smiling brightly at muichiro. "now, go and save your lover, why don't you?"
muichiro didn't have to be told twice! he bowed one last time to oyakata and began his journey into the wide openness of the japanese countryside, searching for the one thing that meant more to him than life itself.
his precious hotaru.
a/n- i know this is a short chapter and i'm sorry about that, but this is just the beginning! i will do my best to write longer chapters in the future, especially for the chapters in muichiro's pov! i'm still getting used to writing for muichiro, so i hope this chapter is good! see you in the next one :)
