Secret of the Spider Lily

Chapter 8 - Master Ubuyashiki

Yuki and Giyu woke up around 7 in the morning, immediately packing up their tent with the help of Rengoku. Neither Giyu nor Rengoku saw anything during their patrols, which was a massive relief. Once everything was packed, they all started to head back to the Butterfly Mansion.

The trek back was nice and calm, everybody making nice banter together. Giyu stayed quiet most of the time, but Yuki and Rengoku instantly hit it off. They chatted for hours at a time, getting to know each other, and talking about their families.

Yuki didn't know that Rengoku's family has a history in the Demon Slayer Corps, and got invested in the conversation they were having. They talked about the lineage of both of their families, and found out that Yuki's mother, and Rengoku's father were Hashira at the same time.

Yuki had a burning question in her mind, and looked to Rengoku to ask, "Do you think our parents were friends?"

"Hm... I'm not sure honestly. My father now is a senile man, but he used to be very happy before the passing of my mother. It's possible they were friends in their early days as Hashira, but unlikely by the time he left."

"Even if they weren't, it's still interesting that they were Hashira at the same time."

They both smiled at each other, their company making the trek not as boring.

The sun had fully set by the time they returned to the Butterfly Mansion. All of them were tired, but Yuki pulled the books out of Giyu's bag. She smiled at him, "I'm going to take these to the library. The two of you should get some rest. You both look exhausted."

"The same thing goes for you Yuki. You're just as exhausted as the rest of us." Giyu chimed in, leaning up against the wall.

"I'll probably stay the night here," Rengoku stated, "It's already past sunset, so demons could be wandering around. It would be safer for me to stay here rather than attempt to travel back to my home."

"I'll be doing the same," Giyu calmly said, "Besides, I want Yuki to do the training exercise she was supposed to do with Tengen tomorrow morning. The only reason we didn't was because someone was quite distracted."

Yuki rolled her eyes but laughed, "That's fine Giyu. We can do it tomorrow. I am rather excited to see what Tengen has in store for me tomorrow."

"Good. He should be arriving here tomorrow morning since we have the Hashira meeting in the afternoon. He should be able to train you before the meeting."

"That's fine. I'll meet him on the training grounds. I assume you'll be there to supervise?"

"Yes. Even though you're almost at Hashira level, I still have to supervise until you reach that level."

Rengoku looked confused hearing their conversation, and piped in, "Why would you need to supervise her Tomioka? She seems capable of training on her own."

"It's a long story, but I can't be left alone while I train. I've just been nervous to train alone because of the attack."

"I see. Then I wish you the best of luck tomorrow. I'll be retiring for the night. The two of you have a good night."

Rengoku walked off towards the bedroom corridor, waving both Giyu and Yuki goodnight.

Giyu looked at Yuki, before starting to walk away, "You should go get some rest. You'll need all you can to face Tengen."

"I will soon. I'm going to hide these books in the library. I'll see you in the morning, Giyu."

They waved to each other goodnight, before they split paths for the night. Yuki made her way to the library, looking inside. At this time of night, the library was empty. It was a great time for people to study if they needed to. She set all of the books on the table, happy to see they were still in good condition after all that time locked away. She grabbed one of them and opened it, beginning to skim through the pages.

It felt nice reviewing old knowledge, especially after such a long time. She got lost in the book for hours, losing track of the time. She got so invested, she eventually drifted to sleep, her book still open on the table.

A few hours had passed, no one coming into the library to disturb Yuki's peaceful sleep. She stayed in her spot, but was woken up by someone gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes, rubbing them as she sat up in her chair. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep.

Without looking behind her she muttered, "Sorry... I should head to my room..." She stood up from her chair, collecting her books, when she noticed what the person was wearing.

It was the same haori the person she passed the other night was wearing.

"That's quite alright," the man softly spoke, "I understand the feeling of getting lost in a good book. I can see you are very protective of those books due to their importance. I recommend you store them in a safe place."

"Well that's given. I can;t lose these books. It could spell disaster for the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"I'm well aware. These books have been passed down for generations in your family. It would be devastating if these got lost or stolen"

Yuki was caught off guard by his statement, "How do you know that? She questioned. A slight hostility to her tone.

"No need to be hostile, Yuki. It's my duty to know these things. It's my family's duty to look over the Demon Slayer Corps, and I believe it's your family's duty to protect the secrets of the Blue Spider Lily."

Yuki stood there in silence, now beginning to feel uneasy. She thought what he meant, so she straight up asked, "What do you mean, 'watch over the Corps'?"

"Ah, that's right. You were to never see my face as the guardian. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Yuki froze in place. This was Master Ubuyashiki. She quickly bowed in respect, her heart beginning to race. "My deepest apologies, Master. I didn't realize it was you. And I apologize for the hostility."

"There is no need to apologize my dear. I understand why you would be hostile. I'm a stranger to you, and I told you things normal people wouldn't know about you. It's only fair for you to feel nervous and uneasy in a situation like that."

He spoke with incredibly formality that surprised Yuki. She stopped bowing and fixed her posture, "Thank you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well." She greeted with a soft smile.

Ubuyahiki smiled lightly, looking at the books in her hands, "Do you need a safe place to store your books?" he questioned.

"Oh. I was going to store them in my room, but even that doesn't feel like a safe place to keep them, especially with everything going on right now."

"If you would like, I can take them back to my home," He offered, "It is extremely well hidden, so they will be safe within the walls of my home."

Yuki looked at the books, feeling slightly reluctant about handing them over. She looked up at him, asking, "You'll promise to keep them safe?"

"Yes. I'll make sure they are." Ubuyahiki reassured.

She took a deep breath, before offering the books out to Ubuyashiki, "Alright. I trust you. Please make sure you take good care of them."

He smiled, taking the books into his hands, "I will. There is no need to worry about them. If you ever need them, please feel free to send me a message by crow, and I'll make sure to get them to you. Now, it is rather late. You should head to bed. Sleeping in the library probably isn't the best idea."

Yuki chuckled, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll head to my room. Have a goodnight, Master Ubuyashiki," she spoke, before walking out of the library, retiring to her room for the night.