My Missing Piece {Uzuren}

9

Okay, so I'm having a bit of a motivation block right now. Sorry for not updating sooner TvT this book might not be as long as I want it to be.

Mini timeskip to let's say... nighttime?

Rengoku stuffed another bite of sweet potatoes into his mouth, uttering a hearty 'Umai!' just a moment later.

Word had gotten out quickly among the Hashira that he'd woken up. Mitsuri came to see him as soon as she could, as did Tanjiro and his friends. Giyuu was with Tanjiro, standing just outside the doorway while they talked to Rengoku. The fiery demon had looked up at the water hashira, smiling brightly as he greeted him. After they'd left, Kocho informed him that similar to Nezuko, he'd have to prove to the hashira that he wasn't a danger to humankind. She admitted that she thought the 'trial' was pointless, and just wanted to get the whole ordeal over with. As did the other pillars. It was decided that Rengoku would be tried that same night.

———————

Uzui sat in the porch of his house, waiting patiently for Makio's first update on their scouting mission. The moon had risen high in the dark night sky, a slight scattering of clouds dotting the horizon. As he gazed pointedly into the shadows, a black feather floated down in front of him. Glancing up, he saw his bejeweled Kasugai Crow, a light brown paper in his beak.

"Ah! Is this from the girls?" He asked as he took the tiny package in his hand.

"Indeed!" The crow cawed loudly.

Dear Lord Tengen, 

The mission is going well so far, we've split up to infiltrate three different houses. No sign of demons yet, but there's definitely something wrong here. The courtesan have been disappearing and running away- we think someone (or something) is driving them to do this. It's just a matter of figuring out why.

I'm currently scouting out the Ogimoto house, Suma is in the Tokito house, and Hinatsuru went to the Kyogoku house. Just thought you'd want to know where we're risking our lives, right?

All jokes aside, don't worry about us, we've got everything under control. Say hi to Rengoku for us when he wakes up!

Don't make a mess of the house,
~Makio

Uzui folded the letter closed, a smile on his face. He stood, stretching his arms above his head. Now that he'd taken care of that, he could hurry off to make sure Rengoku's 'trail' went smoothly.

He hated to put his friend under a label of demon, and didn't see any point in holding such an event if Rengoku could easily prove himself just by sitting in the same room as a human. As he passed a pond full of moon-white koi, he let his mind wander. If it were up to him, he'd hand back the hashira's nichirin blade, and drag him off to the entertainment district.

Since when did he have so much favoritism?

And who, if anyone, would protest if Uzui did just that? As a god, he could do whatever he wanted.

The flat surface of the water glimmered in the bright moonlight, reflecting perfectly the face of the sound hashira.

Put in front of everyone as a monster, even someone cheery as Rengoku wouldn't be immune to the feeling of shame. Uzui sighed heavily, tipping his head back and closing his eyes in thought. This is a different case from those Kamado siblings.

With a determined frown, Uzui resumed his walk, steering himself towards the Ubuyashiki mansion.

Mini timeskip brought to you by your local candy store

The manor's main lights were all out, dim candlelight in one window being the only sign the master was still awake. Hesitating, Uzui wondered if it would be better to wait until morning, but quickly shook the feeling away and knocked lightly on the door.

Amane was the one to answer, sliding the door open and smiling up at the sound pillar. Reading his expression, she could tell his reason for showing up so late at night was important. "Come in," she whispered, not wanting to wake any of the children. "You're here for Kagaya, yes?"

Uzui nodded. "I need to talk to the master about something."

"He's in his room. I'll take you there." Kagaya's wife led him down the hall, stopping at a door near the end. She rapped on the surface once with her knuckles before sliding it open and moving so Uzui could step inside. He dipped his head respectfully in thanks as she closed it behind him.

"Tengen. What can I do for you?" The master faced the general direction of the door with a calm smile, knowing that would be where the hashira was standing.

"Let me prove that Rengoku can continue being a hashira," Uzui proposed, not wasting a moment to get to the point. He didn't even question how the blind man knew it was him who came through the door.

His idea was met with a brief moment of silence. "How do you plan on doing that?" He sounded genuinely curious, not at all opposed to the idea.

"It should be enough to cut his restraints and sit in the same room as him for a while."

Uzui could tell that the master was considering it.

"You trust him, then?"

"I do. I could also overpower him, if it came to that!" He grinned.

"Alright. You can go ahead with your idea." As Uzui thanked him and turned to leave, Kagaya called after him, "I wish you luck! Be safe, Tengen."

———————

Decided to roll with the punches T^T