Secret of the Spider Lily

Chapter 31 - Searching for Secrets

Yuki and Kyojuro had been spending a lot of time together since their engagement. Many of the other Hashira congratulated the two of them. Even Tanjiro and his friends came to wish their well wishes and eventually invitations to the future wedding.

Yuki had been continuing her rehabilitation training with the help of Shinobu, Kanao, and Aoi. They helped her regain a lot of her physical strength, as well as her stamina.

Over the course of her rehabilitation, things had been relatively calm. Kyojuro had taken some more time off to be with Yuki, resulting in the rest of the Hashira having to go on more missions. Yuki had heard about Tengen and Tanjiro's battle in the Entertainment District, and heard that the two of them had defeated an Upper Moon. Tengen ended up losing a hand and an eye during the battle, and Tanjoro had been comatose for 2 months as a result of using his demon slayer mark.

Once Tanjiro had woken up, he had also begun rehabilitation training. Yuki had just finished hers up when Tanjiro was starting his, which was very good timing for Aoi and Kanao. Yuki had gone out on some lower level missions to get back into the swing of fighting, and was also trying to not rely on her demon powers as much.

A lot of her body had started to look frostbitten as a result of using her powers so much. It had spread to her hands and feet, as was beginning to creep across to the right side of her face. She always wore her hair in a way that would cover her left side, but the markings now were able to creep to the other side. With time not using her powers, she saw that it would slowly return to how it was before, making her more at ease. With a bit more time out in the field, Yuki was back to herself in both strength and stamina.

Yuki had just arrived at the Demon Slayer Headquarters, seeing that Tanjiro was leaving. She gave him a wave as he headed out for the Swordsmith Village to find Hanganezuka so he could make a new sword for Tanjiro. Normally Yuki would return to the Butterfly Mansion, but she had been summoned by Master Ubuyashiki. As she walked into the Master's room, she saw that Giyu was sitting across from the Master already.

Ubuyashiki gave her a warm smile as she walked in, gesturing for her to sit down, "Come inside Yuki. It's nice to finally see you after all this time."

Yuki gave him a quick bow before sitting down next to Giyu, "It's nice to see you as well, Master. I do hope that you are in better health than the last time I saw you."

"My health has declined slightly, but it cannot be helped with the curse my family and I have to endure. I am glad to see that you are in good health however. You had been off the field for a few months due to your injuries. Now that you've been back on the field for a while, we think you can take on some higher level missions with assistance from Giyu."

Yuki nodded at Giyu, before looking back at the Master, "I understand your need for caution, and greatly appreciate your concern. Now, I'm guessing you want the both of us to check out a location with strong demon activity?"

"Indeed. We got word of a powerful demon lurking around somewhere in the nearby forest. I'd like for both you and Giyu to investigate the matter and kill the demon."

"Do we have an exact location on where this demon is?" Giyu questioned.

"I do not have an exact location as of right now, but a crow will lead the both of you to where the demon was last seen."

The two of them nod at the Master's answers. Yuki stood up and prepared herself for the mission, looking back at Giyu, "Are you ready to head out then?"

"Yes. Let's head out quickly to go find this demon. We can't let it cause any more trouble."

The two of them were about to leave the Master's room, before they heard him call out to them, "Be careful out there you two... also Giyu, may I have a moment alone with Yuki before the two of you leave?"