"The master has arrived," I heard echoed and I looked over to see two whited haired girls like the ones in the final exam in the building along with a man.
"So good of you to come my beloved children" The man said, I could instantly tell that he was sick, really sick and he couldn't see out of his eyes either since he waited for the two girls to guide him where to walk and if I guessed the girls were his daughters.
"Good morning everyone, the weather is strikingly nice today perhaps with a blue sky? It pleases me that we've made it to our semiannual hashira meeting with no personnel changes," The man greeted and before I could move I was slammed into the ground making all of my wounds bust open again and I let out a gasp not even caring that the hashira's were bowing. I was in too much pain, so much so the world was spinning around me but I didn't let go of Nezuko's box.
"I am pleased to see you in good health as well Master. I fervently pray for your continued good fortune" Sanemi returned.
"Thank you Sanemi but please let that young man go" Master said and instantly Sanemi let me go and I took in a breath rolling to the side with a cough.
"Before we start the hashira meeting, would you mind enlightening us about these swordsmen Kamado Tanjiro and Akatsuki Hikaru travelling with a demon?" Sanemi asked.
"Right, I apologise for surprising you all about Tanjiro, Hikaru and Nezuko. I'd sanctioned their situation and I'd also like you all to accept it" Master said, shocking them all.
"Even though it's what you request, Master, I cannot consent," Giyomei said.
"I, too, must firmly oppose," Uzui said pointing to himself while glancing at me, his glances were really starting to annoy me.
"I shall do whatever it is you wish, Master!" Mitsuri beamed.
"I'm fine either way since I'm going to forget anyway" Muichiro said.
"I won't trust them, I won't trust them. In the first place I loathe demons" Oburo said, looking down at me and Tanjiro.
"Although I respect you with all my heart, that's an incomprehensible notion master! I oppose it with everything I've got!" Rengoku yelled, did he ever not yell?
"The demon slayer corps mission is to annihilate demons. I request you punish Kamado, Akatsuki and Tomioka" Sanemi requested, making me glare up at him.
"Then, the letter," Master said to one of the girls.
"Hai" She responded before pulling out a letter.
"This letter arrived from a former hashira, Urokoodaki Sakonji, I shall read you an abridged version. Please allow Tanjiro to be accompanied by his sister, a demon. Because of her resilient spiritual strength, Nezuko has retained her human reason even in a starved state she refused to eat people and this held true more then two years later. Although the situation sounds outlandish it is the indisputable truth. Should Nezuko ever attack a human Kamado Tanjiro as well as Akatsuki Hikaru, Urokodaki Sakonji and Tomioka Giyu will atone by slicing open our stomachs," The girl read and I felt tears gather in my eyes but I pushed them back knowing that Tanjiro was already crying so I laid my uninjured hand that was holding Nezuko's box onto his head and patted his hair.
"So what if they commit seppuku? If they want to die then rot to death for all I care! It doesn't guarantee anything!" Sanemi said.
"Shinazugawa is right! If she kills and eats a human its irreversible, the dead do not come back" Rengoku said.
"You do have a point. We can't guarantee that she won't attack humans, we can't prove it. That said we also can't prove that she will attack humans" Master said.
"The fact is that Nezuko has refrained from devouring humans for more than two years even with a Marechi by her side and also there are four people staking their lives on her. To deny that, those who reject it must offer an even more convincing argument, do you intend to do so?" He continued and I looked up at him. That made all of the Hashira stop and I sighed a little, not loud enough for anyone to hear but enough to help my breathing exercises go back to normal so I could stop myself from bleeding to death.
"Also, there's something I'd like to relay to you: my children, Tanjiro and Hikaru, have crossed paths with Kibutsuji," Master said. Hearing that name made my eyes widen and I had flashbacks of the two times we had crossed paths with Muzan.
"Hikaru" Tanjiro whispered, grabbing my hand and I realised that my hands were shaking as I clenched them tightly.
"No, impossible, even when no hashira has ever crossed paths with him? You mean these kids" Uzui exclaimed.
"What did he look like? What about his abilities? Where was he?" Uzui demanded.
"Did you battle him?" Muichiro asked.
"What was Kibutsuji doing? Did you find his lair? Hey, answer me!" Sanemi said, shaking me.
"Battle.....Doing" I whispered as my whole body started to shake and my breathing got worse and worse as I started to panic.
"Hikaru, Hikaru listen to me" Tanjiro said, pushing Sanemi out of the way trying to calm me down.
"No, no, no. NO! You disgrace, disgrace, disgrace" I yelled slamming my head into the ground.
"Hikaru!" Tanjiro yelled and finally Giyu reacted and cut Tanjiro's hands free and he finally grabbed me and pulled me to his chest.
"It's okay! It's okay Hikaru I'm here, it's okay now you aren't a disgrace" Tanjiro said as he placed a hand on my head and I broke down crying in his lap. The Hashira could do nothing as I cried and cried until finally my tears ran out and I got myself under control.
"I apologise" I whispered out and the master just gave me a kind smile along with his aura, being kind and understanding.
"Kibutsuji has sent pursuers after Tanjiro and Hikaru and even attempted to kill Hikaru himself. Though his purpose may simply be to silence them now that Kibutsuji's shown his tail and we've grabbed it, I don't want to let go. I also believe something's happening to Nezuko that Kibutsuji never saw coming. Can you try to understand?" Master asked.
"No, I do not understand Master. If it were human, I'd be okay with letting it live but not a demon! Not after all that we the demon slayers have gone through in battle! Not after so many people have lost their lives! It's unacceptable!" Sanemi protested still before lifting his sword and slicing his own arm. Wasn't I bleeding in the garden enough to satisfy this guy?
"Master, I will prove it to you myself, the sheer ugliness of a demon" Sanemi said before trying to grab Nezuko's box but I wasn't letting it go.
"I told you before I am not failing her a second time, you think your blood is so good? Why because you're a marechi? Well you're not the only one" I snarled out and I saw the others start to move uncomfortably.
"Did it just get hotter?" Rengoku asked.
"Master please forgive this discourtesy" Sanemi said and before I realised it myself, Sanemi and Nezuko's box were in the shade behind Master. Instantly a boot found its way into my gut and I gasped out before going into the side wall with a cry.
"Hikaru" Tanjiro looked before Uburo sunk his elbow into his back.
"Let go of him! Don't hurt her!" I yelled out trying to get up again but it seemed my body had hit it's limit, I couldn't even use my arms to push myself up anymore. What I didn't see was that the sky was starting to darken like there were clouds going in front of the sun but the thing was that there was no cloud big enough to cover the sun. I watched as Nezuko rose from her box and looked at Sanemi, seeming to glare into him and his bleeding arm while bleeding.
'No Nezuko, please find yourself, the young girl who loves her family not the demon they want you to be' I thought hoping that she would be able to resist, I didn't want to lose my family.
Chapter 17: Meeting the Hashira
Start from the beginning
