I fell asleep and woke up multiple times throughout the night. My body was hurting which made it hard for me to get comfortable. I also couldn't stop thinking about Mitsuri. I was thankful for her but saddened that I made her feel that way. By the time the morning came, I felt surprisingly well-rested even though I didn't sleep much.
**Something smells good.**
It smelled like somebody had been cooking. Unless somebody else had arrived, Mitsuri and I were still the only two at this house. She was likely making breakfast. I got out of bed and headed out of the room. Mitsuri was sitting at her table eating and reading a note. There were tons of empty bowls and plates stacked up on the table.
**Did she eat all of that on her own? That's a whole feast.**
Across the table from her were a few bowls and plates that weren't empty. I walked over. I was hesitant to say anything to her after what I said last night, but I wanted to show her decency in her own home.
Y/N: 'Mornin, Mitsuri.
She turned around with her cheeks puffed up full of food. She choked down what was in her mouth before she spoke.
Mitsuri: Good morning. Did you sleep well?
Y/N: I slept just fine. Thank you for letting me stay here.
I didn't actually sleep that well, but I didn't want Mitsuri to think it was the fault of any hospitality she was showing me.
Mitsuri: That's good. I made us breakfast.
She gestured to the other side of the table where there were bowls and plates of food.
Y/N: Is that all for me?
Mitsuri: Mhm.
I walked over and sat down across the table from her. There was so much food there that it could last me through the entire day and into tomorrow.
Mitsuri: I hope it's enough for you.
Y/N: Enough? This is more than enough. Thank you for the meal.
Mitsuri: No problem.
I started to eat as she sat across from me and watched with a smile. It was kind of weird at first, but she had such a warm face that it almost felt normal. My body ached as I ate. Even something as small as eating was painful.
Mitsuri: Does it taste okay?
Y/N: It's great, thank you again. You should've told me sooner you were such a good cook.
She started to blush and smiled.
Mitsuri: I've had some great teachers. But I'm not all that great. I normally have people cook for me.
She stared at me with a concerned look on her face.
Mitsuri: You're not fully recovered. You should take things easy for a little bit.
Y/N: You're probably right.
Mitsuri: You know, I've been summoned for a Hashira meeting, but you're more than welcome to tag along.
Y/N: Oh?
She got flustered.
Mitsuri: Only if you want to, that is! I figure you probably have places to be and things to do, but.
Y/N: I'd love to go with you.
Mitsuri: I'm glad you said that. Then we have to leave soon.
Y/N: Really? You running late or something?
Mitsuri: Mmm... No, not really. But there's somebody I want you to meet. And considering your condition, I think we should take it slow. I think this person could really help you right now. Better than I can.
Y/N: Oh, well then I'm ready to go whenever you are! Let me just grab my stuff.
**By 'stuff', I really just meant my sword. I didn't have many belongings with me.**
I got stopped eating and got up from the table to go grab my items.
Mitsuri: You can finish eating. We're not in that much of a hurry
Y/N: It's fine. I'm pretty full. Thanks again for the food, it was great.
There was still a decent amount of food left, but I was genuinely stuffed. I went over to the room Mitsuri had me staying in and slung my sword over my back. It felt heavy, but that was likely just because of my injured and tired body. I made the bed and made sure the room was as I found it before I headed back out.
Y/N: I'm all set-
I came back and to find that the plates and bowls I couldn't finish were cleared. Mitsuri had swapped sides of the table and sat there staring off into space acting like she didn't know what happened to the food I couldn't finish.
Mitsuri: Finished your food? Me? No way!
**I didn't even say anything.**
Mitsuri: Okay, you got me. I just didn't want to waste it, sorry.
Y/N: I'm not upset at all. It's actually sort of astounding.
Mitsuri: You think so?
Y/N: I think it's impressive. No wonder you're so strong.
Mitsuri smiled as she leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.
Mitsuri: People would always call me weird and make fun of me for eating so much.
Y/N: Not cool.
Mitsuri: But ever since I've joined this organization, people haven't found it weird at all. And you're no exception.
She looked back down and stood up from the table. She examined all of the plates and bowls on the table before she looked over at me.
Mitsuri: Well, we can talk more as we head out. I'll take care of these dishes later.
Y/N: Alright, I'll help you out when we get back.
She didn't take anything but her Nichirin sword as we headed outside and started walking.
Mitsuri: I know you're still in pain, it's not too far from here.
We walked and talked about random things for a couple of hours.
**Mitsuri is so spontaneous and so passionate about everything. She's so easy to talk to.**
Mitsuri was whistling the melody to some song as we walked along. She seemed to be in really high spirits.
Y/N: Hey, Mitsuri, there's something I've been wanting to ask you.
She stopped whistling and looked over at me.
Mitsuri: Yeah? What is it?
Y/N: Your hair.
She nervously played with her hands as we walked and broke her eye contact with me.
Mitsuri: You don't like it, do you?
Y/N: No, it's...
I looked at her hair and examined it. Something about it was hypnotizing to look at. She had 3 long braids with 2 of them dropping to her sides and 1 behind her back. She has a few clumps also hanging down over her forehead. It wasn't the hairstyle itself that was hypnotic, but rather the color. It was pink but faded into lime-green as it got lower.
Y/N: It's a weird, unusual color, but it's pretty. I sorta like how hypnotic it is.
Mitsuri looked at me and covered her mouth.
Mitsuri: That's one of the nicest things anybody has ever said to me! Can I tell you a secret?
Y/N: Mhm?
She covered her mouth and leaned towards me like what she was about to say was a secret.
**Why's she being so secretive? It's literally just me and her.**
Mitsuri: This is my actual hair color.
Y/N: Really?
Mitsuri: People called me a freak because of it. When I was trying to get married, I dyed my hair black to look more normal.
Y/N: People did that? I find the color more 'cool' than anything. Humans can be cruel.
Mitsuri: Sadly, I was never able to get married even still. There were other reasons, but...
Y/N: You don't have to speak on it.
Mitsuri: Right. End of the story, when I became a Slayer, I let it return to its normal color. They told me it's this way because I ate too much sakura mochi
Y/N: Really? Is that even possible?
Mitsuri: That's what I said! Well, I didn't say it, but I thought it! I guess it is possible though.
I thought that Mitsuri was a beautiful girl, so it felt sort of unrealistic or exaggerated to me that people disliked her just because of her hair color. I could tell it was a slightly sensitive topic, so I didn't want to probe. I decided to change the topic so she wouldn't have to keep being reminded of her past.
Y/N: If you don't mind my asking, I saw you reading a note earlier. What was it?
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the note from earlier.
Mitsuri: It's a letter from a good friend of mine. He was telling me that he arrived.
**This must be one of the other Hashira that gave her that note. Mitsuri mentioned before that the Hashira could be summoned sometimes.**
Y/N: I'm assuming that friend you mentioned is a Hashira?
Mitsuri: Yes, you're right. If you'd like, I can introduce you to him when we get there.
Y/N: I'd love to. A friend of a friend is my friend.
She folded the note and smiled at me. I was glad that Mitsuri didn't bring up my breakdown from yesterday. I was afraid it would make things awkward or weird between us. I also didn't bring up what Mitsuri said last night for the same reason.
Y/N: But anyways, did that note say anything else?
Mitsuri: Nothing personal. He's just asking how I've been.
Y/N: Well?
Mitsuri: Hm?
Y/N: How have you been?
**I haven't known her that long, but asking how somebody has been is a great way to start a conversation or keep one going. It also helps get to know them better.**
Mitsuri: Honestly, I'm a bit worried.
Y/N: Worried? Why's that?
Mitsuri: We Hashira usually don't speak on what's said during our meetings, but whenever a meeting is called it's usually for something important. I'm just a bit worried that this meeting was called for something bad.
**How oblivious of me to not realize that Mitsuri was one of the highest-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps. If they were all called together, it had to be for something serious. That's like calling all of the World's leaders together.**
Y/N: It's definitely not my area of expertise, I only joined the Slayers a few weeks ago, but I'm sure it'll be fine.
Mitsuri: I hope so too. Hard not to be a little bit worried, though. Regardless, I'll do whatever I have to for the Demon Slayer Corps.
Y/N: Me too.
We walked and talked for a while longer. We moved at a slower pace because Mitsuri knew my body still wasn't healed. After a few hours, we arrived at a gated area surrounded by forest and mountains. From over the gate, I could see a house, but I couldn't see anything other than that since the gate was so tall and wide.
Mitsuri: We're here!
She seemed to be getting a little excited. Earlier she said she was nervous, but how she looked now didn't feel like nervousness.
Y/N: We're where exactly?
Mitsuri: Ubuyashiki Estate. Also known as Demon Slayer HQ. This is where the master of the Demon Slayers lives.
Y/N: The master?! Is it really okay if I'm here? I mean...
Mitsuri: Don't worry, the Master's really kind. Besides, the blame's on me if anybody's against you being bere.
We kept walking towards the gate.
**So this is where the master of all Slayers lives? Even higher than the Hashira? No wonder this place is in the middle of nowhere. Somebody so important lives here.**
Mitsuri: The Master won't mind if you're a little disrespectful to.him, but the other Hashira won't tolerate it. Try to just be respectful if he comes out.
Y/N: I'll do my best.
We got to the gate and Mitsuri opened it. We walked in and she closed it behind us. The inside was actually bigger than it seemed. There wasn't much to see aside from a pond surrounded by trees. The garden was beautiful and the floor was covered in white rocks. It was almost like I was staring at a painting how beautiful it was. We walked along the path towards the house before somebody called out to us.
???: Yoo-Hoo!
We turned and looked across the pond we were walking past. A short girl with black-purple hair stood waving across the water. Her demon Slayer outfit was tinted purple and she wore a white haori with a butterfly pattern on it. A black-haired man with a mismatched haori stood near her leaning against a tree. At a passing glance, I confused him for the boy I saw at the Final Selection, but this man seemed much more mature.
???: Mitsuri, yoo-hoo!
Mitsuri: Shinobu!
The black-haired man looked over, but he didn't seem all too interested in what was happening. Mitsuri started to say something under her breath.
Mitsuri: She's as pretty as ever.
Y/N: Huh?
Mitsuri: And Tomioka, standing with his back to that tree... How mysterious.
Y/N: What was that?
Mitsuri didn't even realize she was saying those things out loud. She was visibly startled by my calling out to her.
Mitsuri: Oh, sorry! Y/N, come with me let's go greet them!
We walked around the pond to where they were at. The short girl walked over to meet us as the other boy stayed by the tree. Mitsuri and the other girl bowed to each other.
**Mitsuri called her Shinobu, right?**
Mitsuri: Shinobu! How have you been?
Shinobu: I've been quite alright. I see you're as in good condition as ever.
Mitsuri fought back a smile as Shinobu complimented her. Shinobu turned her attention towards me.
Shinobu: Yoo-hoo!
She waved to me.
Shinobu: Who's this you brought with you, Mitsuri? Wait...
Shinobu covered her mouth and hid a smile as she looked back at Mitsuri.
Shinobu: Did you find yourself a Tsuguko?
**Tsuguko..?**
Mitsuri: No, no, that's not it. Unless!
Mitsuri looked at me excitedly for a second.
Mitsuri: Nevermind. This is Y/N.
We bowed to each other.
Mitsuri: I met them when I was deployed on a mission a couple of days ago. After that, I took Y/N to my place and we've been traveling together since.
Shinobu: I see. Well, Y/N, it's nice to meet you. My name is Shinobu Kocho.
Y/N: Y/N. Glad to meet you. Miss Kocho, might you be one of the Hashira?
Shinobu: Please, no need to be so formal. You can just call me Shinobu. And yes, I am the Insect Pillar of the Hashira.
**Wow... How lucky could I be? I just became a Slayer and learned what the Hashira was, and now I was getting to meet so many of them.**
Shinobu: And that loner over there.
She pointed over to where the other man was standing under a tree.
Shinobu: His name's Tomioka. Don't worry about him, he's just upset because nobody likes him.
Y/N: Huh-
Tomioka: People do like me.
Shinobu: Oh my.
I couldn't tell if they were joking with each other or not, but Tomioka didn't seem like the type of person who knew how to play around. He had such a stoic look on his face and spoke in a monotone voice.
Mitsuri: Is anybody else here yet?
Shinobu: Muichiro arrived not too long ago. I'm not sure where he's at right now.
Mitsuri: Muichiro, such a curious boy! Nobody else, hm?
Shinobu: Sanemi's around too-
Shinobu's sentence was cut off at the sound of the gate opening. A man with long yellow and red hair walked in next to a very large man with a white wrap around their head and two swords chained behind their back. They were talking about something, but it was difficult to hear them.
Shinobu: Well isn't that timing something?
The two stopped their conversation and looked over. They started to walk over.
Y/N: Who're they?
Mitsuri: They're-
The one with the fiery hair spoke up.
???: Who's this?
He had a proud smile on his face and his eyes were wide open. He spoke loudly, but he wasn't yelling... his voice was just that loud.
Mitsuri: Hello, Rengoku! This is Y/N.
The fiery-haired man looked me up and down with the same proud look on his face.
**I don't know what it is, but there's something about this guy that's just... honorable.**
Rengoku: Does the master know they're here?
Shinobu: Well, no, but I'm sure he won't mind.
The taller man started to speak.
???: So long as they don't interfere with the meeting.
He was even bigger up close than he was from afar. He looked to be even taller than Tetsuo. He had a dead look in his eyes, but the smirk on his face told a different story.
Mitsuri: Oh, Tengen, you needn't worry.
The tall man, Tengen, started to examine me before pointing to my sword.
Tengen: That's a flamboyant-looking sword. Show me it.
Y/N: Uhm.
I reached for my sword and prepared to unsheathe it before another voice started talking from above us. It was so out of the blue that it even caught Tomioka's attention.
???: Mizunoto..? If you've got time to be messing around here, you should put it towards something more worthwhile.
We all looked up and saw a boy lying down on a tree branch. His face was mostly covered and he had different colored eyes. He also had a snake around his neck.
Rengoku: Iguro Obanai! How are you!
Before the boy could respond, the gate opened once more. This time, a gargantuan man entered by himself. He had his hands together while holding prayer beads. He was even bigger than Tengen.
Shinobu: Hey, Himejima!
The man stopped walking and faced our direction. He bowed before walking over. His eyes were pure white and he had a scar running across his forehead.
Gyomei: Two of you are missing.
He held his hands together tighter as tears fell from his eyes.
Gyomei: Did the master call this meeting to report the fallen? Namu Amida Butsu.
**He said two are missing. How does he know? Is he not blind?**
Shinobu: Nobody's passed away. I'm not too sure what this meeting is about.
Gyomei: That is good news. Excuse me.
Rengoku completely changed the subject as Gyomei Himejima headed off.
Rengoku: Tomioka, have you met Y/N?
Tomioka: Yes.
Rengoku: Is this your successor, Mitsuri?
Tengen: You were looking for a Tsuguko? You sure picked a flamboyant-looking one.
**What is a Tsuguko? Shinobu mentioned that earlier too.**
Y/N: No, no- we're just friends-
Rengoku quickly turned to me and held out his fist.
Rengoku: Then become my Tsuguko! I will train you well!
Y/N: Uhh-
I felt so small and they all felt so large. They all gave off an aura of great power and confidence. I thought Mitsuri was amazing on her own, but standing next to these other Hashira made her seem even more impressive. I could hardly even collect my thoughts enough to get in a full sentence. It felt as if I was way out of my league being here.
**Is it really okay if I'm here with these people? I feel so out of place next to these titans.**
Shinobu: You two can chat longer about it later. I'm glad everybody is still doing well.
Tomioka finally stepped away from the tree he was standing under.
Tomioka: Now that everyone is here, we should go-
Shinobu cut him off and finished the sentence.
Shinobu: We should go wait for the master's arrival!
A frustrated vein popped out of Tomioka's forehead. Shinobu smiled at him.
**What's up with those two? I don't feel any dissension between them, so are they joking? These Hashira are hard to read.**
Mitsuri: Uhm, Shinobu, Y/N, can we talk for a moment first?
Y/N: Sure?
All of the other Hashira headed off towards the house in the distance. Obanai jumped down from the trees as he followed them.
Shinobu: Yes, what did you want to talk about?
Mitsuri looked a bit hesitant to say what she wanted to say.
Y/N: Is everything alright?
I felt much more capable of speaking when it was just me, Mitsuri, and Shinobu there. I was already comfortable with Mitsuri, and Shinobu just seemed like a kind person. The other Hashira were much too animated and it was a bit intimidating to be in their presence all at once.
Mitsuri: Yeah everything's okay. I just wanted to make a request of you, Shinobu.
Shinobu: A request? What is it?
Mitsuri: Y/N may not seem like it, but they're actually really injured right now.
Shinobu: I could tell.
**She has a keen eye for injuries? What is she, some type of doctor?**
Mitsuri: I don't want to overstep my boundaries or intrude, but... If you had space...
Shinobu: You want me to take Y/N with me back to my house, right?
Mitsuri: Yes! I don't know how to treat people that well, so I thought it'd be best if they went with you.
Shinobu: We have plenty of space. I'll gladly take Y/N back with me. Would you like to, Y/N?
They both looked at me waiting for my answer.
**Why would I say no? I thought the question was pretty rhetorical.**
Y/N: Yes definitely. Wherever will get me back to peak shape is more than fine with me.
Mitsuri: Great! We'll figure this out after the meeting! I'm so glad, thank you so much, Shinobu!
She wrapped her arms around Shinobu and hugged her.
Shinobu: Don't worry about it-
Both Shinobu and Mitsuri opened their eyes widely as Shinobu stopped her sentence. Both of their moods seemed to quickly shift.
Mitsuri: Wait here, Y/N.
Y/N: What-
Just as quickly as I started my sentence, they were both gone. I looked over at the house in the distance and both of them had made their way over there. All of the Hashira were lined up in front of the house kneeling down. There were 2 more people there that I hadn't seen before. A man with white hair and a boy with long black hair that turned turquoise.
**They're so fast! I couldn't even follow their movements.**
A black-haired man came walking out of the house with a white-haired woman at his side. I couldn't make out anything past their hair colors from where I was standing, but all of the Hashira bowed to them as they came out.
**Either that man or woman must be the master. They're above even the Hashira.**
I couldn't hear them and I couldn't really see much of what was happening, but eventually, the man and woman turned around as the Hashira all followed them into the house.
**Mitsuri said to just wait outside, so I'll do just that... These people are such characters. They all just feel so far away. Could I ever truly become as amazing as any of these people.**
I started to daydream about what I would be like if I ever became as strong as a Hashira. I'd never even seen them fight except a single slash from Mitsuri, but I knew how big the gap between me and them was. I had work to do as soon as my body healed...
Y/N: These people would all stand out in a crowd off of their sheer aura and pressure alone. So these are
The Hashira