"Stop it!" Tanjiro was struggling to free Aoi and the girls from being taken by the flamboyant sound pillar. Tengen Uzui.
"Shut up, kid. I need some women for this mission." The shinobi remarked as he evaded the futile efforts of the young demon slayer to recover her friends.
He was atop of the estate entrance, looking down at the others, with pride of his speed and agility, fit for a ninja.
"Hey. Nice moves, Uzui-san." The calm and lazy voice of the newest member of the demon slayer elite force was resting at the sound pillar side. "But you should let the girls go."
The two of them glared at each other, with sparks flying and sharp eyes. They studied each other, they were even when speed was the way of talking.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke were observing the pillars, even them were nervous from just watching.
"There!" Hiiro shouted before both of them began to jump from one place to another, matched evenly, predicting the next move of one another, trying to get the upper hand.
The tenth pillar knew he would win, the extra weight Uzui carried was the decisive factor of the matchup.
"That's enough, Uzui-san."
The night breathing user was grasping tightly the sound breathing user arm, he was urging him to release the girl. She was dizzy at that point.
"I need women for this mission, Kojima-san. Are trying to interfere with Oyakata-sama missions?" A threat was recited by the flamboyant man.
"Aoi and the girls are in charge of the health care of the demon slayer corps. If they go who the hell is going to heal you?" The raven haired boy replied with a cocky grin plastered on his face.
"Tch. Then what is your suggestion?" As he let go the girl who ran behind the golden eyed boy, Tengen Uzui reached for his blades.
"Easy there, I do have a solution." Hiiro pointed at the three idiots. "Take them, they are strong enough to fight some demons on their own."
"Are you even listening? I need women, idiot."
The white haori man turned around while he took out his nichiri blade.
"Hey guys, pull down your pants!"
The three idiots began to run away from the man who pointed the blade to their jewels, Tanjiro tried to speak with his master while Zenitsu cried out yelling he could never marry Nezuko if he got his balls removed, Inosuke just ran away challenging his master.
The flamboyant Uzui couldn't resist this and began to laugh, certainly the three of them were idiots but his master was too. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?
"Fine. I'll take them." He stopped them at the right moment. Zenitsu was crying while his master was pinning him to the ground and his companions tried to save his precious. "I'll make it somehow. We are leaving in ten."
The four of them were confused, but a hit on their heads was enough to pull them back to reality.
"You heard the boss!" Hiiro barked to them "Go fetch your weapons and supplies! Don't embarrass your master."
As the young demon slayers ran to inside the manor, Uzui took a peek to his fellow Hashira, he was a mystery, coming out of nowhere and with an unheard power.
At first he didn't like him, but he proved to be a reliable brother in arms, and not just that he won the heart of the two strongest women of the demon slayer corps. What a strange man.
"They can do it, trust my word, Uzui-san." Hiiro whispered to him, that was more for himself than for his companion.
"You really treasure your apprentices, huh?" With a faint grind he asked this.
"I can't ask for better students."
Hiiro, Aoi and a blushing Kanao waved to the four men who were starting their new quest. Aoi was in a bad mood since Inosuke Hashibira told her to prepare a feast for him when he came back.
'I'll be back woman, I'll bring back you some nuts!'
Was the words he said to her, she didn't get the message, that was his way of saying he will be back to her.
Tanjiro was different and promised Kanao that they will go to a date, the young girl was blushing and fidgeting all the time the boy was around her.
"Yare, yare. Young love is wonderful, don't you think, girls?" Hiiro asked with a sly grin on his face.
"L-l-love!? Hiiro-sama must be c-confused." With burning cheeks and racing heart Aoi tried to persuade the pillar to forget that "There's no way I like that boar."
"Oho, so the boar came to your mind automatically, huh?" The grin grew bigger and bigger "That's pretty interesting."
"N-no! Kanao, help me!" They both looked at the fidgeting, shy girl.
"Umm... A-Aoi, where should I go with Tanjiro when he comes back?" She whispered leaving her fellow butterfly shocked.
"HA! She's honest with herself, you should be the same, Aoi-chan." Kojima laughed as the girl began to argue about not caring about the boar.
The boy perceived a black bird approaching them, another mission and a bad feeling.
"Aoi, Kanao. Bring Shinobu, right now."
Westward of the red light district an Upper Moon was spotted. This was an unique opportunity to fight and slay the demon.
For this Ubuyashaki Kagay entrusted the mission to the three reliable pillars: Kocho Shinobu, Tomioka Giyuu and Hiiro Kojima.
"Ara Ara~ Hiro-kun is pissed off." The insect pillar remarked as they walked through the plains.
"I'm not pissed, I'm concerned."
In fact he was, the red light district was near and he could tell that another Upper Moon was there, the Reiatsu was enormous and evil, he wanted to go there and help the three idiots and his flamboyant friend, but he has his own problems to take care of.
"What do you think, Tomioka-san?" The amethyst eyed woman asked again at the mismatched haori swordsman, he was silent as ever, he enjoyed working with the night pillar, he was quiet, strong and always aware of the mission and Shinobu was well... not like that at all.
"Tomioka, you and I are going to attack the demon, we will try to caught it off guard. Shinobu, you stay back and try to find an opening, when you do, inject your poison." He explained the plan as the Reiatsu of his foe was closer and closer.
This enemy was no joke, in fact, he was stronger than any other demon Huiro faced before.
'Shit, this is some Reiatsu, he's at captain-level.'
As they came closer, they spotted him, with a haori and a sword at his waist, he was facing them, scanning the three pillar with his six horrible eyes, his long hair tied in a ponytail moved around by the wind. In his middle eyes they could see the number, all of them were surprised.
"You have to be kidding me." Hiiro bit his lips.
"Demon slayers, I presume." The demon spoke to them with calm voice. "I was expecting you. Shall I know your names?"
"No need to know the names of your rivals." Tomioka Giyu growled at the man.
"Rivals? You're mistaken, I want to know the names of my victims."
With shocking speed the Upper Moon threw himself at the water pillar, his blade was already unsheathed when he reached him. No chance for a reaction, Shinobu and Tomioka were frozen.
The clash of steel against steel was loud enough to bring the two pillars back, sparks flying out from the blades as they pushed each others for control.
"Interesting, you blocked the sword. Who might you be?" The demons asked again as he broke the lock and took a couple steps back.
Patting and trembling, the night pillar was in shock. This was the first time he was pushed back like that, it was some monstrous strength, like Zaraki Kenpachi trying to kill him.
"Well, young lad. Who might you be?" The black haired demon asked again, they realized that he had a scar no, a mark on his forehead, like the old swordsmen of the demon slayer corps.
"Hiiro Kojima the night pillar." With an inhuman speed he began a barrage of attacks, he limited himself and didn't used a single breath, with normal demons his raw strength was more than enough to kill them, but this demon didn't flinch when he attacked.
He was on a level of his own.
"Night pillar. I see..." the demon swordsman took his fighting stance and let out a small breath. "Kokushibo, Upper Moon one and former demon slayer"
They launched at each other again, there was no time for rest nor to think, the fight was pure muscle memory and skills from the two swordsmen.
"Breath of the night, third style: La Luna" he did the wheel-like attack with his usual power and precision, but he was parried with ease by the former demon slayer.
"You're weak, Kojima." He grabbed the boy by his haori and lifted his sword. "You'll never defeat me."
'Crap! He got me.'
"Breath of water, third style: Flowing Dance!" Woth swift moves the jet black haired boy attacked the demon and caught him off guard, the slash was clean and the arm of the demon was cut, Hiiro fell to the ground while a second attack was being made by the female pillar.
"Dance of the Butterfly: Caprice!" She jumped and tried to sting the Upper Moon but the attacks didn't found their target.
"Are you ok, Hiiro-kun?" Shinobu asked while she jumped back to him.
"Yeah, I'm sorry..." he apologized to them, he felt weak again, weak and useless.
"Kojima-san." Now the water pillar was talking to him without losing sight of their foe. "We are following your plan, we can do it together."
Pathetic idiot. Again and again, he tried to carry all by himself, he tried to do it all by himself. He remembered the words of Shinobu, he needed to trust them, they were his companions, his friends and more than that.
"Yeah, I lost my focus." He peeked at the girl and promised himself that he would take her and Mitsuri to a date when they finish the quest.
He felt the Reiatsu of his opponent, scary but he will overcome this, he will fight alongside his fellow Hashiras and achieve a victory "Let's go!"