Amare Flos (Demon Slayer)

Chapter 30: Recognition

Rain pelted down on the deep blue tiles of the Butterfly Mansion, the aroma of the flowers flowing through the wet atmosphere. Watching the rain from shelter, there stood Shinobu, the Insect Hashira somewhat calmed by the heavy rain that showered the residence. She took a deep breath and watched as the rain splattered on every tile of the walkway, on every leaf of the trees, and on every blade of grass. To her side came Tomika Giyuu, the Water Hashira.

"How... How are the three kids?" Giyuu softly spoke, it had been several hours since the Mount Natagumo Mission, Giyuu and Shinobu alongside helpers had carried a multitude of injured Corps members to the Butterfly Mansion to treat them, Giyuu, in particular, had taken an interest in the three slayers that solely defeated the vicious demons, Kaze, Eira and Asumi.

Shinobu turned to Giyuu slowly with a soft smile on her face, "They're doing fine for the most part, they're tough. They remind me of that one slayer with the demon sister... What was his name?"

"Tanjiro," Giyuu whispered, the rain hailed down as a silence broke out between them. Neither of them disturbed the peace of the moment.

"Should we consult Eira once she wakes?" Shinobu asked Giyuu, Shinobu was already acquainted with both Eira and Asumi, Giyuu wasn't however. After a minute of matching faces with names, Giyuu was also aware of who Eira was, the girl who had taken down a Lower Moon herself. In the Demon Slayer Corps, you had to climb the ranks by eliminating the demons. Before the Mount Natagumo mission, Asumi and Eira sat at the Kanoe rank with the number of demons they had killed. To become Hashira, the highest rank, you either had to kill 50 demons or kill a member of the Twelve Moons, only then would you become the Hashira of your respective breathing. Eira killing Lower 5 had automatically promoted her to be a Hashira, it all depended on if Eira would take upon the role or not.

Kaze's eyes slowly opened, his chest moved up and down, and he felt the tightness of bandages on his body as he slowly rose, he felt the softness of the bed beneath him and took a deep breath. He couldn't even remember when he had passed out, his head throbbed with a bad headache alongside the recollection of the fight with that behemoth demon. His head turned from side to side, the long room of beds filled with injured people, yet none of them were awake. Kaze sighed loudly and then something touched his shoulder, with a slight jolt his head turned towards his right shoulder. On the small desk next to his bed, a large crow sat with a pen in its mouth.

"We have witnessed your skill in Mount Natagumo, we'd like to thank you for your unofficial contribution to the Demon Slayer Corps with official employment as a Demon Slayer. Please sign this form." The crow spoke with a raspy voice and dropped the pen.

Kaze was quite speechless at this strange encounter with a talking crow, regardless he was quite quick to get to filling the form out, he had no idea how to officially become a Demon Slayer but this worked out for him, before this he was just a rogue who killed demons by himself. As he filled out the form, Eira walked into the room, it was amazing how she was already up and moving with the state of her injuries.

"Oh... Kaze you're here?" Eira spoke softly, slowly walking towards him. Kaze didn't reply, he was deeply immersed in his form, Eira spotted the form.

"I knew it! So you weren't a Demon Slayer!" A smile sparked on Eira's face, she knew as soon as she saw Kaze wasn't wearing a Demon Slayer uniform of any kind. Kaze laughed seeing how excited it made Eira that she was right.

"Yeah no. I was just a rogue slayer roaming around finding demons." Kaze signed the form and handed it back to the crow and then glanced back at Eira. "You're pretty active for someone who got brutally injured..."

The crow notified that Kaze is now a part of the Corps and will be sent his very own sword in the coming months, after the crow flew away Kaze turned his attention back to Eira, and again asked how she was already up and about. Eira awkwardly laughed, she couldn't explain why she felt fine, it must be the adrenaline still present in her body that softened the severe agony her wounds throbbed with. Her smile rested softly on her face.