Here is the outfit and sword you will be wearing when the timeskip happens:
You still have the leg bags with stars and kunai btw.
Enjoy
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The final selection went easier than expected. Was it because you were still heated from the fight with Sanemi that happened days prior? Or were you trying to get stronger? Either way, you slayed more demons than you were supposed to to be able to win final selection.
When you got your new sword, Kanata Ubuyashiki had asked what will you do once you get your sword, and what made you become a demon slayer, to which you answered for both questions: "for personal gain."
Once final selection was over, you left. You had no idea where you were heading, no motive, no desires, you just walked.
~~⚔️timeskip⚔️~~
It has been a year since final selection, you had made a name of yourself as the mysterious fox. No one knew what you looked like under that mask, were you hiding big scars? Were you hiding eye bags? No one knew.
You went from village to village, hearing the villagers complaints, slaying demons that terrorized villages, and helping out around the local shops.
What? You have to get money somehow.
You resided in the countryside of Japan, the reasoning you told the person when you bought your house was you fell in love with the views, and it's in the middle of other villages you frequently visit, but the honest truth was your favorite ramen place was in this village, and since it is in the middle of the 3 villages you frequently have to slay demons at, it quickly became a comfort food to get after missions. Was it ideal? No. You wanted so desperately to become a hashira, or train with one. Hell, you'd even settle with doing their missions. Only slaying these weak no rank demons are getting boring and you aren't getting any stronger by defeating them.
A loud scream filled your house. At the speed of lightning, you grabbed your sword and bolted out of your house and towards the origin of the scream.
Normally you can't smell demons, but this demon reeked. It was easy to follow where the demon is with the smell of rotting flesh. Once you reached thr area the demon was at, you saw it. A grey skin, odd face paint, hair black with red tips demon, staring right at you with his eyes wide. His fingers digging into a small child's face, drawing blood.
"Unhand them, demon." You spat.
"Or what? What will a oversized fox like you do?" He laughed. "You're all talk huh, there is no way someone like you will get near me without getting out of breath!"
"You're lucky to even be in the presence of me for this long. Also, try throwing out some good insults. I've heard these before, I'm bored."
The demon went to speak, but before it could do anything, you practically teleported behind them, and cut their head off.
When the demons head was just laying there, his eyes wide, he couldn't help but to ask what the hell just happened.
To that, you got down close to him, smiled softly, and said "my number one tactic is to try to get you to forget about your target. Once you seen I was "not a threat", you were more focused on the fight at hand, rather than your victim. A mistake all of you lower demons do. Goodbye now." Once the demon started to fade away, you walked over to the child he had, crouched down, and spoke softly.
"Are you ok? Did he hurt anywhere other than your cheek?"
The child shook its head, and you offered to take the child back to your place to help clean the wounds before returning them back to their home.
The child obliged, and you did exactly what you were supposed to. The parents were so happy to see their child again.
"I'm so glad you're ok!" The mom cried out before looking at you. "Thank you! We were outside, and I was finishing out in the garden when the demon came. I screamed for them to get inside, but they weren't quick enough, and since they were the closest thing to the demon, they got captured. I thought I'd never see them again!"
"I must be off. I'm glad you guys are reunited." With a quick bow, you walked back towards your house.
You loved seeing parents happy with their kids, but you couldn't help but to feel envious when seeing that type of scenario as well.
~~⚔️~~
The next day you decided to head over to the neighboring villages to make sure things are still going smoothly.
By the time you had left the second to last village, it was dark.
Just on the outskirts of town, you heard a voice yelling "wait wait!!" Behind you.
You stopped and turned to see a old man running after you. He pleaded that you stay the night in the village. Since living on the outskirts of town, he has heard a lot of weird noises, and he feared it was a demon. You assured him that if it truly was a demon, you would slay it, and he would be able to sleep soundly without hearing those weird noises. After 2 minutes of constant bickering between the two, eventually you just bided a fair well, and walked off.
~~
The old man was right. Indeed there was a demon that was causing all kinds of weird noises.
Upon walking up on the demon, you noticed he had to be a one of the lower demons.
When he looked at you, you seen a number engraved in his eye that had been marked out. His skin gray, hair black, golden eyes, and scars on his forehead and cheeks.
You could feel yourself shake with excitement. Finally, someone you hope could be of some sort of worthy fight.
You looked at his posture, and how his body was built. Upon further investigation, you noticed holes in his body. Demons can regenerate, so why aren't they closed up already? No..could he have somehow been brought back to life?!
No time for thinking, once the demon saw you, you had to spring into action.
This guy wasn't as strong as you had hoped, but he put up more of a fight than any other demon you have fought has.
The battle took about an hour and a half, and you were finally able to behead him. As you thought, this guy had been reincarnated, who or whatever reincarnated him made his neck tougher than it probably once was, which made it harder for you to behead him, especially since you don't have a breathing technique.
You stood, and watched the demon dissolve. You took slow deep breaths to try to regain your normal breathing rhythm.
"Wow! Such technique!" You heard someone shout from behind you. You quickly drew your sword and faced whatever was yelling from behind you.
"Fear not! I am not your enemy! I'm actually the one who was supposed to kill the demon! It is our first case of reincarnation so it was up to me to see if I could study it before I killed it but you beat me too it!"
You put your sword back into its sheath, before you spoke. "I'm sorry. But he was in the way of my path so I had to kill him."
"Are you the ones who keep the villages around here safe?!"
"Uhh, yeah."
"Ah! Such a honor to meet you! You have made a name of yourself, I'm not sure if you know that, but you have! It's quite honorable! I'm Kyojuro Rengoku, The Flame Hashira!"
Your eyes grew wide before you got down on your knees and bowed. "It's an honor to meet a hashira! I'm-"
"Please, stand up! There is no need to bow before me!"
You quickly stood up, and bowed as an apology. "I sadly cannot give out my real name, so just call me fox."
"Right! Well, I will let you go, but be careful! One of these villages had a massive village attack by the leader of the demons not too long ago. Massacred a family. Only 2 survivors from that attack!"
"I am aware, I am currently residing in that village as we speak. That is one of the reasons why I decided to stay in that village. They've already suffered enough, I will protect them!"
"Amazing! I see such potential in you! Don't ever stop doing what you do! Set your heart ablaze! I need to go! Good luck on all of your journeys!"
"You too, thank you Mr. Rengoku."
And with that, the two of you went your separate ways
~~⚔️~~
It has been a few weeks since you met the flame hashira, and you couldn't help but feel so warm when you thought about him. That isn't a joke since he is the flame hashira, but it was more of how his aura felt. It was warm, kind, and welcoming. You haven't felt that feeling in a really long time.
Being a demon slayer was great and all, but you couldn't help but feel lonely at times. No friends, no familiar faces, no one ever asks how you're doing, it's just you asking them if they're ok and if their village is ok. You had no family to return to, your grandparents lived a lovely long life, your mother died at child birth, and your father died of cardiac arrest when you were only 13, so you grew up alone, and by the time you hit 14, you started training with (teachers name) for final selection, and taking up small jobs in the village to pay bills and have food.
It was rather refreshing to feel that warmth again.
~~~~
It was a Tuesday night, you were doing your nightly patrol in the village you currently live in, when as you were walking, you heard a soft voice behind you.
"Are you y/n l/n?"
You turned around to see what looked to be one of the short girls that were at final selection that helped everyone pick their swords.
You quickly took a look around before you quietly, and cautiously spoke. "...I am"
"I am here to take you to the butterfly mansion. Master Ubuyashiki would like to have a word with you."
Your blood ran cold. 'Master Ubuyashiki as in, the head of the demon slayer corps hashira?!'
"Oh, of course. I will start my journey at once."
"If you do not need anything from your home, simply follow me."
~~⚔️~~
It was a rather fast journey. Probably because most of it you were lost in thought about why THE master Ubuyashiki would want you.
When you arrived at the butterfly mansion, an old lady came out to greet you.
"She will be your caregiver until the morning. Once you wake up, I will be collecting you for your meeting with the master." The little woman spoke.
"Yes, of course, good night." You said with a soft bow as you 3 went your separate ways.
~~⚔️~~
It was relaxing inside the butterfly mansion. The old lady was kind enough to fix you food, warm you up a bath, and give you a nice silk kimono to sleep in as she washed yours.
You thanked her once she handed your clothes back to you.
"Say, why don't you remove your mask? I had a rather odd fellow not too long ago wear a boar head and he removed it while in the mansion, why don't you?"
"Oh, I do it so no one sees my face. It's kinda my thing" you said with a soft laugh before you continued. "I must be extra careful around this mansion though, the one I must hide my face from the most might be here."
The woman just nodded and left you to sit outside your room on the engawa. You looked up at the sky as you felt your chest full with anxiety. Why were you brought here? Have you done anything out of line? Is this over you slaying the demon Mr. Rengoku was supposed to kill? Is Sanemi here? Is Sanemi the reason why you were called here?
A million questions swirled around your brain. You knew you must get some sleep for tomorrow, but there's no way you could..
~~⚔️~~
The sounds of birds woke you. You had fallen asleep somehow. You sighed as you stood up to get dressed.
A faint knock was heard at the door before 3 little girls came into the room.
"Hi! Good morning, we brought breakfast!" One chirped as they handed you a bowl and sat a glass of water on the beside table. You thanked them as they asked why you're here.
"Are you hurt?" One asked
"Are you sick?" Another asked
"Girls, leave this poor lady alone. It's none of our business why she's here, what matters is she is, and we need to take care of her."
"Hello Aoi." The last little girl finally spoke.
"Care for seconds?" Aoi asked you.
"Oh no, this is fine, thank you. I also do not need taken care of, once my duty here is done, I hope to be taking my leave."
The girl laughed softly before quickly saying "yeah ok". The girls quickly left your room, giving you a moment of silence to eat and drink.
Once finished, another knock was heard on the door. You yelled "come in", as the girl from final selection came walking in, asking if you were ready to meet the master. You nodded, then the girl walked you out to the courtyard to meet the master.
Little did you know the whole group of hashira would be there.
Once you turned the corner, all eyes were on you.
"Ah! She's so pretty!" A girl with pink and green hair exclaimed, which made a little boy with black hair, and blue tips look at you.
You couldn't help but smile at him, there definitely wasn't a thought that was going on behind those pretty eyes of his.
"One moment the master will be right with you." The girl said as she excused herself.
"Good morning everyone!" A familiar voice shouted from behind you.
You turned around to see Rengoku.
"Ah! Fox is here! Amazing! How was your journey here?! How was your stay?!"
"Oh..both were good, thank you-"
You were cut off by one of the other hashira shhh-ing the two of you, making both of you look at the sliding doors as they began to open.
"Make sure you bow, fox." Rengoku said softly which made you look at him. You had only known for him to yell, you didn't know he could speak quietly.
You did as you were told once you seen Rengoku start to go down.
You couldn't help but wonder your gaze quickly to the other hashira. Some of them where scary, but others looked like normal people. It's crazy to think these people have the power to take down a god if they wanted.
"Morning, master Ubuyashiki." A guy with raven hair and a snake around his neck spoke.
"Good morning my children. I hope you all are well. Onto maters of business. You guys must be wondering why this young lady has been brought to the mansion-"
"In all respect master, she doesn't look very strong. She's fat. Nothing but fat on that body, there isn't any muscle in sight. I don't know why she was brought here." A familiar voice spoke before a smack was heard.
"Don't cut off the master, that's un-flashy!" Another tall man spoke.
Your heart felt like it fell to the pit of your stomach. 'No, it can't be' you thought before a familiar tch was heard, followed by a "sorry."
'It's him..he really is a hashira' you thought as you stared at the gravel below you.
"It's quite alright. Why don't I let Kyojuro explain."
Rengoku stood up. "Right! Ok! Well! As everyone knows, I was send out to kill our very first reincarnated demon! What no one knows is, I never killed it! This young lady right here did! I had the honor of watching her fight it, and was lucky enough to have a conversation with her afterward. Her quick moves, skilled swordsmanship, and kind heart has made me realize something. I had heard about the fox masked person who took care of 4 neighboring villages through the night, I never thought I would see the person in action. I did, and it had made me realize I want to train her to become stronger than she already is! So I brought her to the mansion, got the masters approval, and if she approves, she will be my Tsuguko!"
"Oh that's wonderful! Another lady as a hashira! Isn't that amazing shinobu?!" The pink and green haired lady spoke again, slightly shaking the butterfly girl.
"Oh my, mitsuri if you don't stop shaking me, I might have to hurt you." She says innocently, which makes the pink haired girl stop. Little does the butterfly lady know, the man with the snake had stared a hole into her back once she said she would have to hurt her.
"It would be nice to have more powerful women in here. It's getting to smell..musty in here." Shinobu said with a laugh before saying it all was a man named Giyuu's fault the place smelled so musty.
"So! Fox, will you be my Tsuguko?!" Rengoku finally said, trying to get the meeting back on track.
"Yes!" You exclaim which made Rengoku turn and look at the master.
"Then everything is settled. This young lady will stay at the mansion with all of you. Treat her with respect, all of you. Welcome young lad, may you have a great time. This meeting is over."
With that, the door closed, and everyone got off the ground and started to walk over to you.
"Oooo how exciting! Time for introductions! I'll go first my name is Mitsuri!" The girl with pink hair said, followed by the man with the snake.
"It's Obanai, and my snakes name is Kaburamaru."
"I'm shinobu, and this ugly anti-social person is Giyuu."
The guy just sighed, as someone cleared his throat, making sure all of the attention was on him.
"I am Tengen! I'm the flashiest man you'll ever meet! I'm the god of festivals! I am the best!" The man said with a smirk.
'You're definitely the tallest and self absorbed man I've ever met' you thought before mitsuri spoke to the little black haired blue tipped man.
"Why don't you introduce yourself next?"
"....me?" There was a long pause as the little guy stared at you. "I forgot my name.."
"Excuse him. He's very forgetful, his name is Muichiro, and I am Gyomei. This man right here"
He pointed to a guy with a face scar, and shaved sides of his head. "This is genya, I am training him, but he is not my Tsuguko. Of course you already know Rengoku, so the only person left to introduce is-"
"Me." The man you already knew said as he walked up to you angrily.
"Who are you, and why are you wearing such a stupid mask? You don't look strong, you look pathetic with this mask on, so just take it off-" he practically growls as he speaks, before he quickly tries to rip the mask your wearing right off your face. You quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from your face. You locked gaze with him, before you spoke.
"This is no way to treat a lady. Do not touch me."
Sanemi's eyes grew wide as he ripped his hand from yours. "Who the fuck are you? I know you-"
"You wish you did." You spat at him before turning to Rengoku.
"I did not expect to be moving into a new place, and left some valuables back at my old place. Can I go fetch them?"
"Do whatever you want! You do not have to stay at the mansion all hours of the day, it is recommended unless you're on a mission."
"Of course. But I do need to fetch my things, would you like to help me? I'm not sure I can find my way back since I'm new to the are-"
A scoff was heard. "Yeah, blame it on you being new to the area. Maybe you're just too scared you'll run into a demon and you can't protect yourself."
"I would love to go, do not listen to him, I know how strong you are, and I want to make you stronger! I know you're not even half as strong as I know you can be!"
Sanemi couldn't understand why, but him being so nice to you pissed him off. It also didn't help he knew that gaze and he couldn't put a finger on it to where he knew that gaze from.
"Listen, little boy. Are you being sexist in this day and age? How sad." You said with a giggle as you watched Sanemi start to shake with anger.
"I'm not being sexist, I'm saying what I am because you're fat! How can you be so quick on your feet when you look like-" you watched as Sanemi looked at the ground, his eyes grew wide as he seemed to have became lost in thought.
"Looks like you shut up fast. Did you realize that you're looking at a body that's sculpted just like a Greek goddess? You're lucky to be looking at a woman like me."
You heard a squeal which made you turn to where the squeal was heard. Mitsuri might as well of had hearts in her eyes as she looked at you.
"I love people that's confident in themselves! It's so sexy!" She squealed as she danced around. You looked at Obanai that was standing behind her, that shifted uncomfortably behind her.
You heart felt like it started to crack. Could he be anymore obvious that he was in love with her?
"Indeed, confidence can be sexy, but being unsure in your looks can be adorable, can't it?"
Mitsuri nodded her head repeatedly. "Most definitely! It's adorable being able to show someone insecure or unsure of themselves the redeeming qualities in them, and make them feel confident. It's so amazing to be able to do that too, but it's also amazing to be comfortable in the body you have too!"
"Exactly." You met gaze with Obanai, and you gave him a wink. It was at that moment he knew you had figured him out.
"Now then, Mr. Rengoku we are burning daylight. Shall we go retrieve my stuff?"
With a nod, Rengoku and you were off.
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Word count: 3768
Thank you all for reading this chapter I hope you all liked it, if you did plz hit that vote button and comment below
I hope to see y'all in the next chapter, I'm sorry if this one was a little boring I hope it'll become better for y'all!
I also hope y'all are staying safe awesome and beautiful
I love y'all so much
See y'all in the next chapter
Bye bye
~Megan