"(L/n) (y/n)? The Master would like to see you now."
The kakushi called for him politely, urging the demon to follow them.
(Y/n) sighed in relief and put the moss away.
He stood up and brushed himself off, casually walking out of the room.
He left the screaming blond with the poor girl, only feeling a little bad about throwing a cup at him.
As he followed the kakushi, (y/n) started to feel... anxious.
He wasn't used to feeling nervous like this, so it threw him off.
His stomach felt like it was twisting into knots, making him nauseous.
This leader of the demon slayers, from what (y/n) had heard, was very persuasive.
He wasn't cruel or harsh like the leaders of powerful organizations often were, but (y/n) was still nervous.
If he gave the word, every slayer and their grandmother would be after (y/n)s throat in seconds.
Everything could be at risk in a heartbeat, though (y/n) highly doubted that this leader would do such a thing.
He's been civil so far, so what would be the point?
He pushed aside all of his anxious thinking for now when he noticed a familiar face down the hall.
It was that Tanjiro boy again, but... on the back of a kakushi?
And a second kakushi walked with them, carrying the box he put Nezuko in.
"Hey, you're that person from the mountain!"
Tanjiro called out and waved (y/n) over, urging him to take a detour.
The kakushi tried to get him to stay on course, but the demon was already set on talking to the boy.
When he reached the little group, Tanjiro smiled so brightly that (y/n) had to squint his eyes behind the mask.
"Thank you so much for saving Nezuko!"
Was the first thing he said when (y/n) was close enough to hold a proper conversation.
The amount of genuine gratitude in his voice made (y/n) think that the boy would have bowed with his head to the ground if he could have.
"It wasn't really anything to thank me for, but I appreciate it. I was just doing what I was told."
(Y/n) hummed, but there was a tinge of happiness in his voice that was hard to miss.
He didn't think it was worth thanks, but (y/n) was glad the boy still thought to.
Tanjiro was going to insist on thanking him based on how his brows furrowed in protest, but the kakushi escorting (y/n) spoke up.
"(L/n)-san, we really should get going. The Master is expecting you."
They reminded him with worried eyes.
That's when (y/n) remembered where they were supposed to be going, and he nodded swiftly.
He hastily started following the kakushi again, only to hear Tanjiro call after him.
"Hey, watch out for that man with the scars! He stabbed Nezuko, and he was going to skewer me for protecting her!"
He warned (y/n), which made the demon groan with slight worry.
Oh, great.
(Y/n) was sure that the wind breathing user would loathe demons just as much as any other demon slayer, but enough to stab a kid?
That felt like a little too much, but who was (y/n) to critique his... methods...
He waved back to Tanjiro as a thanks for the warning and continued following the kakushi.
They soon got to a shoji door, and (y/n) could immediately sense... 12 people beyond it?
He could recognize four of them right away, but aren't there supposed to only be 9 hashira?
One of the extra three was definitely the leader, but who were the other two?
(Y/n) didn't have time to think about who else could be there because the moment he stood in front of the doors, he was pushed in by the kakushi.
Right away, he noticed 9 vastly different figures, two twin girls, and... him.
One of the young girls beckoned (y/n) to come stand by the Master, and he wasn't really in a position to argue.
(Y/n) could see most of the hashira grow tense as he approached their leader, but that was to be expected.
"Our mysterious man of the hour has finally arrived. I take it your magpie delivered my message, then?"
The man asked, looking ahead of himself as he addressed (y/n).
His voice was so calming that it was hard for (y/n) not to listen.
It was like hearing the gentle crashing of waves on a beach at dawn or a symphony of cricket chirping at midnight.
"I did receive your message from her, yes."
He replied calmly with a respectful bow of his head to the leader.
That's when he noticed the man was plagued with a sickness that not even the demon had seen before.
It seemed to blind him and gradually cover his skin with purple marks, making it look like he was rotting away.
This made (y/n) really consider why this leader had been persistently trying to contact him over the years.
Was it in hopes that (y/n) could cure his ailment or something else entirely?
"You're probably wondering why I've been trying to reach out to you for the last 14 years, correct?"
The leader asked as if it was just a lucky guess, but (y/n) felt like he had read his mind.
The mention of how long their leader had been trying to reach (y/n), only to be ignored, seemed to irk most of the hashira bowing before them.
(Y/n) was glad they stayed quiet, though, even if it was only out of respect for their leader.
"I was wondering that, yes."
(Y/n) responded, curiosity edging his words.
That's when the Master's soft smile grew ever so slightly, and he motioned to the child to his right with his hand.
The girl took out an extremely aged paper and started to read aloud.
"Please forgive me for my transgressions. Weeks ago, I met someone I believe can help us with our battle against Kibutsuji Muzan. He is wise for the age he appears to be and has bested even me in a friendly spar without breaking a sweat. I will keep an eye on him, but my crow will be sent to you if anything goes wrong. I am aware that this man is... not human, but I will be sure to watch him. If he is to kill a human, I will atone by killing him and then myself. No one will be to blame but myself."
When the girl finished reading, (y/n) tilted his head to the sky.
The writer of that note came to mind in an instant, but he understood why he would have written it when he did.
"Now, the next one, please.."
The Master requested softly, waving to the girl again.
She took out yet another paper, but this one was less aged.
Judging by the tint of the paper, the bends on the page, and the opacity of the fading ink, (y/n) concluded that it would be around 7 years old..
"Report from Rengoku Shinjuro on the village of my last expedition - nothing was off. When I arrived, it was protected by a swordsman who had obtained a demon killing sword by means I am unaware of. In the end, he was nothing more than an unregistered demon hunter of sorts. End of report."
The note read, which made most of the hashira look at the Rengoku son, save for Giyu, Himejima, and... a child?
(Y/n) would have to come back to that thought later, though, because the Master started speaking again.
"That letter was from our last flame hashira when he returned from a village I sent him to specifically. You stayed at that village, yes? So, tell me why he would lie for an ordinary civilian who happened to obtain a nichirin sword? In any case, he should have taken the sword at a moment's notice. Why would he lie for a man who just sold him flowers?"
He asked, his voice as calm as ever
From the way he spoke, (y/n) could tell he already knew everything that was necessary.
So, why bring up the second letter?
"I'm not sure why he cared to lie for me, sir."
(Y/n) hummed, which definitely turned a few heads.
Just who was this man who waltzed into the HQ without any resistance?
The hashira who were still unaware didn't have time to ask any questions.
"Why don't you take off your mask for us, (y/n)-san? I'm sure everyone would feel much more at ease if they could see who I've been talking to."
He strongly suggested with a smirk.
(Y/n) could tell from that smirk alone that this was the man's plan all along, but he couldn't go against his wishes because it would only make him more suspicious.
With a silent sigh, (y/n) reached behind his head and untied the strings holding up his mask.
He slowly lowered the fabric from his face and held it in one hand while his eyes blinked to adjust to the sun's unfiltered rays flooding his vision.
The warmth kissing his skin was one that was very welcomed, almost making him forget where he was for a few moments.
Before he could get a word out, he could sense a dramatic shift in most of the hashiras' bodies and emotions.
Tension and hostility spiked sharply in the air around them.
The defensive and hostile hashira didn't have time to lift a finger before a soft chime of a bell sang into the wind.
In (y/n)s free hand, the demon held a brilliant white canterbury bell plant, the sunlight giving it a gorgeous glow.
The Master gave a gentle chuckle when he heard the bell, turning his head towards (y/n).
"Who didn't get frozen, (y/n)-san? The outcome may surprise their fellow hashira if they're aware that your flower there only affects those with negative intent towards you, hm?"
He asked softly, but his words only made (y/n) tilt his head like he was confused.
Did Urokodaki tell the leader more than the clever man let on?
Or perhaps Giyu said something?
How would the man he had been actively avoiding know his powers just by a single sound?
Such a confusing question...
"Rengoku-san, Himejima-san, and Giyu-kun are the only ones who remain mobile and free from my magic, sir."
(Y/n) answered and immediately wanted to smack himself in the face for the slip of words.
"(Y/n)-san, why did you call him that? Were you and Giyu-san close once?"
The Master asked innocently, but (y/n) could tell he had fallen for a trap set by the clever man.
(Y/n) reluctantly went on to explain that he had helped raise and train Giyu with Urokodaki years ago and called him that out of habit.
Throughout the explanation, Giyu would notice that (y/n) didn't even hint at Sabito's existence throughout those years they trained.
But the water hashira didn't fail to notice the flash of sadness in the demon's marked eyes when he spoke about Giyu's final selection.
At the same time, Himejima could sense waves of grief coming from (y/n), and he could tell there was more to the story than (y/n) was sharing.
The Master, meanwhile, knew exactly who (y/n) was leaving out of his tale.
He knew that there was another apprentice training under Urokodaki, but he didn't want to pressure (y/n) into talking about him.
(Y/n)'s story eventually ended when he last met with Shinjuro, which was the last time he had any contact with any notable Demon Slayers.
Up until that night, anyway.
That's when the leader raised one of his hands slightly, urging (y/n) to lower the flower.
"Now that we've got this out of the way, I'm sure the rest of you can come to some agreement with yourselves not to kill him?"
He wondered aloud, smiling softly when he heard (y/n) lower the flower with another chime of the bell.
The tension in the air lightened when the hashira were released from the spell, but five of them were still somewhat hostile and distrustful of the demon.
(Y/n) couldn't blame them, though.
He was an upper moon once.
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《~Fin.~》
2,082 words not including these!
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Hello again, my dears! I'm so, so sorry that this took so long for me to finish! I got stuck about halfway through this part, and I just could not get around that little hurdle. But I'm back again! Hopefully, it will be for longer than before! This will be one of two parts because I didn't want to make this chapter like 3.5k words long! But that's all for now, my dear readers! I hope you all have wonderful days/nights!
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《{Secrets unlocked: x4!}》
《{The kakushi walking with (y/n) really wanted to scold him for delaying their walk!}》
《{Whenever Urokodaki spoke to Ubuyashiki about (y/n), it was like a proud father talking about his kid!}》
《{Shinjuro had told Kyojuro and Shenjiro about (y/n) anytime he would come home with flowers, but he never mentioned him by name!}》
《{Giyu really wanted to jump to defend (y/n) the second he untied the mask, but he didn't think it'd be the best thing to do!}》