Play with Fire

He was off

I haven't been paying as much attention to this story as I have been for Unexpected, but thank you all for baring with me. Unexpected takes priority since it's more popular and will probably be a lot longer than this story. However, I still plan on keeping this going, so don't fret. A casual update reminder is always appreciated! Enjoy the chapter!

It was dark. Pitch black even.

And the cold was setting in.

The moon hung low in the sky, only a small sliver of it showing.

Rengoku and the other Hashira were once again in the grey pebbled garden outside of the master's residence. They had just assembled for another meeting, rather abruptly actually. The last one was only about 3 days ago.

The subject of today's meeting: Rengoku's status report

Or to put it bluntly: Rengoku's utter failure.

Rengoku knelt closer to the master than the other Hashira, who had formed a neat horizontal line behind the Flame Pillar. Kyojuro's head hung low - most definitely in shame. He was supposed to be the Flame Hashira, one of the nine strongest demon slayers in the Corps. And yet he was bested by, not a ruthless demon, but a snowstorm.

The master seemed to sense Rengoku's shame before the pillar even had a chance to raise his head and let the emotion overwhelm his features for all to see. Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled that comforting smile of his, and even though Rengoku hadn't looked up and seen it, he felt a wave of calm hit him at full force. His shoulders relaxed involuntarily and his face shifted from it's previously guilt-ridden frown to a small yet serene smile.

"Rengoku. Do not hang you're head. It isn't befitting of such an inspiring and noble man like yourself. There is nothing to be ashamed about. If anything, you helped us realise the severity of the threat."

The master's voice was as smooth as silk as he spoke those words. It didn't sound like some overly rehearsed pity speech, it sounded sincere. It sounded heartfelt and full of meaning.

He addressed everyone, then.

"However...because Rengoku was unable to reel the storm in for long, we are still in grave danger."

People's faces seemed to drop at that. They already knew what the master had just pointed out was the undeniable truth but, coming from Kagaya's mouth, it just made it seem so much more real.

The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, stood up suddenly.

"I will complete the mission that Rengoku failed!" he shouted, completely ignoring how the comment might have made Rengoku feel.

Giyu Tomioka scoffed at the overconfident jerk of a Demon Slayer, hands balled at his sides.

"What makes you think that you can defeat a snow storm with your wind when Rengoku couldn't do it with his overwhelming firepower? And last time I check, you were headbutted by an angry Mizunoto and passed out for a good 10 seconds, so I suggest you hold your tongue."

Giyu and Rengoku were polar opposites. Giyu was the calm and stoic Water Hashira whereas Rengoku was the excitable, happy Flame Pillar. They were opposites but that didn't mean that they weren't friends...no matter how much Shinobu tried to say that Giyu had none.

Mitsuri Kanroji couldn't completely hold in her giggle at Giyu's outburst and so, a small "pfft-" rang out in the shocked silence.

Tengen Uzui smiled to himself. "It was rather flamboyant, wasn't it?"

Muichiro, to everyone's surprise, did not make an off handed comment about the clouds and instead said, "Wasn't Obanai running surveillance as well? And he broke those rope restraints..."

"Shut up, Muichiro!" the snake Hashira said.

Sanemi was quietly fuming in the corner and was about to blow up at Giyu, but stopped when the master held up a hand to bring the conversation back on track.

"I would attend to this myself but...I have been feeling quite unwell recently."

Worry was written over everyone's faces. Kagaya only sighed at their obvious concern.

"I'll be fine. But we still don't have a solution for this..."

Giyu raised a hand and the master motioned for him to speak.

"When we had the whole Corp meeting a few days ago...the Mizunoto who embarrassed Sanemi, Tanjiro Kamado, seemed quite tense. Even when you reassured everyone. He had this tense, kind of foreboding (?) aura about him. It isn't a solution, per say, but I thought that it's something you should know about.."

Giyu's voice sounded unsure and hesitant as he spoke, as if he thought it was all his imagination.

The master looked confused and rubbed his chin before saying that he had no idea why Tanjiro would be so anxious.

"Little is known about Tanjiro and his demon sister. We know nothing about his family apart from the fact that they were killed by demons. Maybe something happens to his sister in the cold...?"

"I don't think that's the case."

Giyu gasped and everyone turned to him.

"When Tanjiro was fighting that Lower Moon demon, he used a very powerful attack. I only saw the end of it, but he was almost able to cut the demon's head with a broken sword! He would have killed it if the demon hadn't been smart enough to cut off it's own head before the attack was over."

"That may be impressive, but what does that have to do with anything, Tomioka-san?"

"The attack wasn't Water Breathing...but that's the only breathing style he's been taught. The attack was a mixture of bright pink, red, orange and a little yellow."

"That sounds an awful lot like fire!" Rengoku announced.

"Don't be silly. I'm sure Tomioka-san was just seeing things. No one has ever learnt more than one breathing style, and Tanjiro's only a Mizunoto. Maybe he made a new form to counter the dire situation he found himself in. You did that once Tomioka-san."

Giyu scowled at the girl but didn't say anything.

For what she said was true.

Though he didn't make his form when he was only a Mizunoto...

"I think we should resume this meeting later on, it's getting late." Kagaya said, already turning around to leave.

The Hashira dipped their head lower, bowing in respect to their master, before they also turned to leave.

~~~

A figure pressed his back against the wooden roof, careful as to make sure it didn't creak under his weight. He'd heard everything. And to be honest, he was surprised Giyu noticed anything. Was he really paying that much attention?

And Shinobu, even though the help was completely unintentional, he couldn't help but be grateful to the Insect Hashira.

He released a breath that he didn't know he was holding and watched the condensed air dance around him.

He threw the blue cloth over his head, the same one he wore during his encounter with Muzan, and pulled it down so it almost covered his eyes. The tips of his earrings barely peeked out from the fabric. He sniffed the air before leaping into the air and over the gate.

And he was off.

~~~

A single snowflake fell from the sky