After such a lovely night next to Shinobu you woke up and saw that you were alone in bed so you immediately got up fixed the bed and got dressed in your new uniform and sword which made you very feel proud of yourself for once.
You went all around the estate looking for her, but to no avail. Instead you went around helping Aoi and the girls with their chores. Including tending injured Corps members. This didn't bother you at all, especially since you were in debt to all of them.
When you finished up you went looking for her again before being stopped by te trio of young girls.
"(Y/N)-San you're going to leave tomorrow, right?" Kiyo said while all three of them had a very sad expression on their faces. "Yes but don't you worry for me, your aniki is strong and will come back" You said jokingly as you closed an eye.
"I'm also going to surprise you all today. So be prepared" You said while patting their heads and smiling. They all bolted with joy. "I'm excited for what you'll do" Sumi said "So am i, so am i." Naho added while they walked away.
After walking all over the place you went to Kanae's altar. There you found Shinobu sitting in front of it giving her prayers, meanwhile you were just looking at her from the distance. When she got up you walked towards her only to be greeted by her face full of concern. This actually surprised you by a lot.
She was actually asking Kanae to take care of you as much as she could.
"Are you alright?" You asked as you put your hands on her shoulders to which she embraced you in a hug
"I'm worried about you" She said with a distressed tone of voice. Hearing this made you smile and you hugged her even more.
"There's nothing to worry about, besides I'll be with the Pillars" You said trying to calm her down.
The problem was that you were going to be with Pillars. This means that you were going to be in more danger than other members, after all their missions were more dangerous and difficult to complete.
Of course you didn't really think about it but you were prepared for anything anyway.
"Hey I'm going to take Aoi with me to buy some stuff." You told her while pointing at the door behind you with your thumb. "Actually, ask Kanao to go with you please. She may not talk but I feel like she needs to know you some more" She said while still having a sad expression on her face.
You may be dating now but you still weren't sure what you were sort of allowed to do. So you decided to kiss her on her forehead and left the room. She stayed shocked by this cute gesture.
You walked towards Kanao who was in the garden surrounded by butterflies. "I'm sorry to interrupt you but Shinobu asked for you to come with me to go buy some stuff from main street" You said as gently as you could. She only stared at you without saying a word which made you feel kind of uncomfortable but as you started walking you noticed how she followed closely behind you so you had nothing to worry about.
After walking quite the distance you felt weird about her being so silent. "Say Kanao, what breath are you specializing in?" You asked trying to strike a conversation with her, but she remained silent. After walking some more you then turned to see her, her expression was very stern but she was very cute so it didn't really matter. "Is there anything you like to do? Like a hobby" You asked once again.
While you were walking you noticed that she pulled out a coin which surprised you. She then flipped and caught it. After this she looked at you "I specialize in Flower Breathing and i enjoy blowing bubbles" She calmly told you. You got very excited and happy she talked to you.
"Do you choose what to do with that coin?" you asked while she looked at you giving a small smile. "I only use it for when I'm not told what to do" She calmly replied to you
"I'm glad you chose to speak with me. But anyway I'm going to prepare some food for you and a chocolate dessert seeing how it's being sold to the general public now" You replied happily.
After walking some more you finally made it to the butcher and afterwards to the bakery where you got all ingredients you needed to make your dishes. "I think that's all we need for today. Or is there anything you see that you might want?" You asked since she did come with you after all. She did not say anything but instead walked outside a tailor shop where a beautiful white cloak with no hood was on display, it actually seemed her size.
You could just tell it very much drew her attention. Without hesitating you hurried in and purchased it despite not having much money left on you.
When you came out you put it around her and tied it so it wouldn't fall. Her eyes gave a small shine showing that she was happy even though she didn't say it. You then took out a small piece of chocolate and gave it to her. "Here, eat it. I'm sure you will enjoy it" You said smiling with your eyes closed.
After this you respected the fact that she didn't want to talk unless ordered to do so and you both walked back to the Manor. Though she never said it she was happy for what you did for her, she now appreciated you.
You both arrived and you went directly to the kitchen and started getting everything ready to start cooking.
Meanwhile Kanao was sitting on the porch when Shinobu was passing by.
"Ara ara~ did you buy that when you were shopping with (Y/N)?" Kanao stayed silent for a moment but then pointed to the kitchen to which Shinobu started walking only to notice you cutting up the meat you bought.
"Did you get Kanao that white cloak?" She asked surprised. "Yeah, she seemed very interested in it when she saw it, so i bought it as a gift" You said while cooking the meat and started marinating the salmon. When you turned to see her she had taken off her haori and rolled back her sleeves.
"What can i help you with?" She asked while putting her head on your back and hugging you from the waist, after all you were way taller than her.
"Well you can help me cutting the fish" You said happily as she went over to that. Shinobu is actually a very good chef and cooks very delicious stuff. Even though this was supposed to be a surprise for everyone the help you got from her actually lifted a lot of weight off your shoulders.
"Do you think you can make some teriyaki salmon with Sriracha cream while i finish up this?" You asked meanwhile you were mixing the flour with the chocolate so the cake would turn out perfect so everyone could enjoy.
You put some pure white flour on your hands and decided to draw whiskers on your face to joke around while cooking. You then turned to see Shinobu so she could see what you did. When she turned to see you she had a light grin on her face.
"I don't stand anything with fur, but you're the exception" She said teasing you.
You inspected all your body and turned back to see her "I'm furry!?" You asked actually wondering if it was true. This made her laugh aloud, a laughter that you've never heard before. This made your eyes gleamed with happiness with this sight you could feel true happiness emitting from her, no more faking it for the sake of others.
When you finished cooking you called everyone over and fixed the table for everyone one to eat. "Please enjoy. And Kiyo, Naho, Sumi, if you all everything I'll give you the surprise i was talking about earlier" You told the 3 young girls as if you were there brotherly figure. They all looked worried as if it was a matter of life or death, this was just too cute.
You started walking out of the kitchen. "Huh? Are you not going to eat with us?" Shinobu asked covering her mouth with one hand. "I'll go check on the injured first" You said as you left the room.
When you made it to the injured room you noticed a guy probably some 4 years older than you crying and sobbing so you approached him as fast as you could.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong man?" You asked while sitting next to him "LOOK AT ME" He stared yelling showing you that his hand had been cut off. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO AVENGE MY NOW DECEASED WIFE LIKE THIS!!" He started to throw things from the nightstand next to him.
This commotion alerted Aoi and Shinobu who hurried over to see what was going on, the girls followed quickly after. When they entered the room they saw you and the other man arguing.
"Hey, Calm down man!" as you were saying you were cut off by him. "EASY FOR YOU TO SAY.."
"Okay now listen man, crying it out won't fix shit! You still have your left hand, dont ya!? And if that's cut off you still have your mouth you can hold your blade with, right!?" You yelled back at him.
Your words got to him, you were right after all. "...I'm sorry" He whispered as he calmed down. You picked up all the stuff he had dropped "We've all lost things precious to us, but crying won't ever bring'em back" You calmly said handing him a glass of water. "Just keep on restin' man" You said as you left the room.
To your surprise everyone was outside listening to what happened in the room. They were surprised how you handled the situation and even more surprised how your vocabulary changed when you're angry.
You looked at all of them very awkward realizing that they knew what just happened. "W-why don't we just go for the dessert i made.. Huh?" You said now embarrassed.
They all fled into the kitchen except for Shinobu who stayed there by your side. "I didn't know you could speak like that" She smiled covering her mouth, "Well i guess his comment did get on my nerves" You said scratching the back of your head.
"Still, I'm surprised how you handled that. I'm very proud, (Y/N)" She said putting a hand on your cheek.
You put your arm around her shoulder and she put hers around your waist and walked back to the kitchen. But right before entering you both let go of each other and went in.
"I hope you're ready for the best dessert of your life" You said as you brought out the cake and everyone was surprised by what you made. After cutting it and handing it over you noticed there were no more slices, but you didn't mind so you sat doen with everyone.
"Where's your slice?" Sumi said with such a sad face it even made you sad. "No, it's fine. I made this for you after all, eat up now" You said shut-eye smiling at her. You then saw a plate in front of your face, it was Shinobu handing out her plate.
"Here, get some" She said smiling as usual. "No really, I'm fine. You eat it"
"I said get some" She said once again smiling with her eyes closed and a visible vein on her forehead. Every one there noticed this and wondered why she was like that around you.
You knew that this could mean death and you feared it more than any demon, so you quickly got a bite out of it. It's really not to show off but the cake you made surely was delicious so you got another one and passed it back.
"Did you like it, Kanao?" You asked her, she was only smiling giving a hint that she did.
"Please go rest Aoi-chan, Kiyo-chan, Sumi-chan and Naho-chan. I'll clean up everything here" you were saying as you got up. The girls looked visibly tired so they went off. "Thank you, (Y/N)-kun" Aoi said as she left as well, still a little bit jealous of her superior.
Kanao silently left as well, so it was only you and Shinobu once again.
You started by grabbing all the dishes and washing them. "So you leave tomorrow morning.. Right?" She asked sad knowing that this could well be the last time she might see you alive. "Yes, I've been requested after all. But I'm kind of nervous of what Flame Pillar-sama might be like" You said worried and wondering what kind of hellish training he might put you through.
"Rengoku-san.. Well he's very optimistic and high spirited as well, which means that he might train you to the bones. If he gets a liking if you, you can be assured that he'll do anything he can for you. In my personal opinion I'm sure you two will get a long very well" She explained to you so you could calm down.
"And what about Love Pillar-sama?" You wanted to know as well
"Mitsuri-Chan and i are good friends. So before anything else let me explain you her situation. She eats more than 3 sumo wrestlers because she has the muscular density of eight times that of a regular person, so do not be surprised by seeing her eat.
Anyway, she has a unique sword as well so she will probably teach you how to use your flexibility as an advantage in battle as well as feeding you a lot." She explained thinking about her friend. "Oh and a fair warning, be careful with Obanai, if he grows to jealous of you he'll hate you forever" she said smiling so naturally it made you shiver
"I see.. Then I'm sure I will be alright with both of them" You said as you were drying up your hands since you had already finished.
"Want some tea?" You asked her and she nodded.
"I know you've been making a lot of time for me during these days and that soon you'll be so busy that you won't be able to answer anyone. But I'll still send in letters to you" You were saying as you poured the tea in both cups.
"I still haven't done anything to repay you, you know?" You said calmly taking a drink out of your cup. "I've told you before, the only thing you can do for me is staying alive" she replied calmly drinking as well.
"Do you think that I'll have it rough from now on?" You asked wondering what to expect from being under direct Pillar orders.
"You've been with Uzui-san before, so you can get an idea of what's to come"
You gave a shocked look while you grabbed your left leg tightly, she noticed this strange behavior. "Are you alright?" She asked worried.
"I just remembered what happened in the mission with Uzui-san. Actually, i wrote about it in the notebook you gave me" you said excitedly. "Why don't you check it out?" You asked while standing up and going for it.
You hurried back with notebook in hand, you quickly sat next to her as you handed her your journal.
She started reading in silence for some good 30 minutes in which you kept on serving the tea in both cups.
She closed the notebook and turned to look at you, then proceeded to put her head on your shoulder. "I imagine all that was harsh for you" She said as she then put her hand on your leg.
"I actually got frightened when i noticed I couldn't move my leg" You said now laughing at what happened that day. You felt a light slap in the back of your head "You shouldn't be laughing about that, (Y/n)!" She said with a menacing smile. "Moreover i noticed all the small butterfly drawings that you made on the back pages" she said now teasing you.
You lit up in embarrassment. "Why is that (Y/n)? Were you thinking of me? Or is it cause you missed me?" She started teasing you even more. You were just silent, blushing very hard.
"You know what?" You exclaimed, "That's it!" You grabbed the notebook and put it on the table. Then you stood up and for her surprise, you bridal carried Shinobu and went to her bedroom, she was very flustered. You laid her down but then tripped and almost fell on her.
You were so close that your noses were practically touching, you could feel your heart beat going faster by the second, when you noticed this you tried to get up as soon as possible but noticed that you couldn't. Her hand was pulling on your uniform towards her. You really couldn't resist any longer and straight up kissed her to which she quickly reciprocated the kiss. You both shared a moment which you could only describe as magical. Her soft lips were lightly pressing against yours as she put her arms around your neck. You then laid down next to her as well, looking at her beautiful purple pearls as you held on to her hand.
"Don't you ever worry, as long as you want me alive nothing will ever happen to me. I promise" You said as you kissed her forehead and you both slept tightly together.
___________________________________
When morning came you were ready and prepared to give it your all in the field as an actual part of the Corps.
Everyone was at the main gate waiting for you in the gate. But before you went you decided to go to Kanae's Altar and give your respects befor leaving.
When you arrived at the entrance you were sure you were ready to set off. "(Y/n)-san, (Y/n)-san!" Kiyo, Naho and Sumi wanted to start crying while handing you out some mashed ohagi for you to eat on the journey. Aoi was busy tending the injured so she couldn't see you off. Kanao was by the side of Shinobu which gave you your mask which you completely forgot but made you incredibly happy to wear again.
"Girls, turn around a second while i put on my mask" You told the Kiyo, Naho and Sumi so they did just that.
You took the opportunity to give Shinobu a light peck on her lips and quickly putting on the mask before they turned back.
This made their superior blush, when they noticed this they didn't know why but didn't question it.
You hugged Shinobu and pat Kanao's head. "I promise I'll come back alive, I'll send a message when i gets to the Rengoku-San's house. And I'll kill many Demons for you girls" You said as you started going on your way. They all went inside except for Shinobu and Kanao who watched you walk away in the distance slowly fading from their sight.
"What do you think of him, Kanao?" Shinobu asked looking at her adoptive younger sister. Kanao only smiled with visible happiness.
__________________________________
You knew exactly where to go so it wasn't much of a problem. His area was a distance away from the Butterfly Estate so if you kept walking as fast as you were you would probably take at least 3-4 hours to arrive to his house. And this time you have a Kasugai crow now so it's impossible for you to get lost now.
After two hours of being on the road you could feel how the mask was heavier than the other one so you decided to take it off so you could eat some of the Ohagi the girls made for you which was very delicious, especially since you were hungry at the moment. "I will have to thank them for this when i return" You thought yourself while finishing. You then grabbed a tube of bamboo that you bought when you were dying of thirst and filled it with water from a well that was nearby.
After enjoying your food you put your mask back on and started doing small head exercises so you could get used to the weight of it. After all it counted as a shield for you, also this was the way you were winning reputation by being the "Masked Slayer" in the Corps or at least Hiroji-san told you so. Either way it was your shield and only relic from your now deceased family you had left.
After an hour more you finally made it to Kyojuro Rengoku's house. You lightly knocked on the door and he opened almost immediately. There he was, he has bright yellow hair with red streaks, black forked eyebrows, and golden eyes.
He looked about your age and was already a very powerful swordsman.
He immediately recognized who you were by seeing the mask. It was now almost dusk so he let you in.
"Thank you very much, I'm now in your care" You said as you bowed. "It's all fine! I wanted to meet you for a time now" He said with such emotion and passion you immediately felt happy and inspired.
You took off your mask. "What is your name?" He said with such a contagious smile. "Mitsuki, (Y/n), sir"
"(Y/n) my boy, I will make you a great swordsman starting from today!" He said putting his hand on your shoulder. "What Breath do you master?" he asked. "Water.. But--"
"I see, a good choice but I don't know how to teach that, so I'll help you hone your skills!" He interrupted.
"Please teach me to make my own breath, Rengoku-sama?" you pleaded while bowing. "I can't!" He said as cheerful as ever. "That's something you must do on your own, branch out and make your own use of a breathing technique!" He added.
"As of now" He said handing you a wooden sword. "Let's teach you more ways to master the blade and it's grip"
So for hours, you were in his garden repeating the same actions with your wooden sword while he watched you and corrected your stances when you messed up. It was almost the same way Hiroji-san taught you, only this way of swinging and gripping was more precise, mor strong since this was a different manner of doing do since he mastered the Flame Breathing.
After the fisrt surprising day of training you decided to sit next to a light so you could write down a letter as you promised Shinobu you would.
In the letter you simply told her that you have arrived and Rengoku accepted you pretty well.
After all, she would probably only have time to read but not to reply at all.
Early morning you were woken up to Rengoku calling for you so you could eat something to stay strong and with energy throughout the morning training.
During this time you saw a young kid approach to the table as well to eat.
"(Y/n) my lad, this is Senjuro Rengoku, my younger brother. He will train with us as well" Rengoku excitedly said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Senjuro" You said bowing to the young boy who was in front of you. "Mm-mm the pleasure is all mine" He replied gently.
After you finished eating you could feel Kyojuro's determination and excitement running through your body as well, so much that you wanted to start immediately and after 5 minutes or so of stretching he finally put you to do the same movements until you felt like your arms were going to fall off. He told you that when you felt this to tell him immediately.
So after 4000 repetitions you finally reached your limit. "Rengoku-San, i can no longer do this" You said immediately. "Okay! This is where the other part of your training will start!" He said cheerful as ever. "You dominate your Total Concentration Breathing technique now, yes?" he asked. "Yes, i do" You replied tired but prepared for anything that he would say.
"Okay, so try breathing in. But try to concentrate it on your limbs, try to make strength in your arms specifically, my lad!" He was explaining. You tried to but couldn't do it, it was pretty hard after all.
"Try to concentrate on how your blood travels with more heat throughout your body. Do you see it now?" He asked trying to explain the best way he can. "I see it now!" You said excited being able to feel and sense it now. "Now do as i said, concentrate on your arms now, make sure that the best proportion of strength will be sent there" Once he said this you could start to feel your arms lighter than before.
You felt as if you were barely starting all over again. He pat your back with strength "You see, my lad! It's all about breathing and being able to deconstruct in more specific ways of use" he said as you felt excited and happy by learning this. "Your previous trainer's probably didn't tell you that being able to dominate your Total Concentration Breathing was only the beginning. Therefore there are so many things that you can do if you learn how to manipulate it in the best way possible for the situation you're in"
You were listening to all of this while you kept on training non stop.
Meanwhile Senjuro who was next to you was training as well but in something more calm since he still couldn't dominate most of the basics.
After finishing up you sat down next to Senjuro to strike a conversation. "Your brother sure is very cool, you know?" You said to start things off
"He surely is, he became a Pillar by only reading books on flame breathing." The younger sibling said excited about his older brother. "Though I'm sure I'll never be as great as him" He now seemed sad all of a sudden.
"You know, that might be true. But that's why you're your own person and you'll be great in your own way, and I'm sure he'll be happy to see you grow into that. And I'll want to see that myself. So never falter, after all that's what he likes to teach the most" You told Senjuro while smiling gently at him.
Senjuro took what you said in heart, he knew that you were right. Kyojuro would always be proud of him no matter what he did, so this made him feel great and pumped to keep on going for more.
"By the way, how did he master flame breathing techniques?" You asked. "Well our dad is the former Flame Pillar before my brother. So he trained us for a while until he suddenly stopped doing it. But my brother read 3 volumes about flame breathing and is teaching me what he learned" young Senjuro replied.
You heard about these books, and even though you probably couldn't master Flame Breathing you could at least learn from it. So you decided to ask Rengoku-San about it when he came back from a small errand he went to.
Meanwhile you got up and started walking towards your backpack to get your journal and right what you learned down. But before you even gave a step you fel to the ground very exhausted and decided to take a quick nap there before he came back. After a while you heard the door slide and immediately got up even though you were very tired and decided to write like you said you were going to do.
When you did this even holding your pencil was very painful due to the fact that your hands were full of popped blisters and very tired as well. But you didn't want to ever forget what he taught you that day so you wrote it down anyway. Afterwards you went to the second half of the journal and wrote down a letter to Shinobu.
___________________________
"To Shinobu
I'm sorry for being abrupt but i wanted to write down a little about how I feel about you and how you make me feel aa well. When i first met you in my home village i really didn't care about anything at first, all i wanted was to die immediately. But after seeing what you are.. Who you are i now have two main reasons to live on. So as of now, i have two precious things to protect while I'm alive.
I know you don't want us to be discovered and i understand that, but i really can't help but imagine all the things we could do if not for our dangerous job. So once we get a small break, even if it's the time during I'm injured I wish to take you somewhere you'll enjoy.
Yours truly,
Mitsuki, (Y/n)"
____________________________________
After you wrote this you fell quick asleep for the next day.
This process repeated itself for nearly a month until one night you heard knocking on your door so you opened it. "(Y/n) my lad, follow me with equipment ready!" This is all Rengoku said before leaving downstairs. Truth be told you wished to sleep and get energy but you did as you were instructed to by your trainer.
When you went down stairs you found him with his haori ready and waiting for you. "You may be surprised by the suddenness of the situation, but we're going to patrol the area tonight" He said excitedly.
"Patrolling?" You asked confused. "Yes! Make sure there's no demon around as well as gathering information in case there is" He replied. "Are you ready? Let us go"
He added as he left the house, you put on your heavy mask and quickly followed.
"Alright (Y/n) I usually follow the same route but now that you're with me we'll divide the job. So starting today you travel in a square starting by going East, North, West, and South back here. I'm going to do the opposite, starting West and coming back here. You need to cover 15 km for each direction, do you understand?" He explained in detail what to do while drawing it on the ground for you to understand better. "Yes, sir!" You firmly said. "Disperse!" He yelled as he disappeared into thin air.
You were surprised seeing how fast he was, and so energetic as well. But like you've mentioned before, this only makes you feel more inspired to keep on going.
You quickly ran East as you were told investigating any strange behavior you could, after small rural houses and plantations you luckily didn't find anything that could disturb the people around.
When you were around the 7th kilometer East you noticed how you weren't tired at all, how all the bars training you've been doing has actually paid off. After completing the first 15 km with ease you ran off North as instructed. Only this terrain was kind of uneven and full of trees, so to make it easier to travel this part you jumped from tree to tree. Besides, the height of the trees helped you overlook the fields as well as the other side which was full of trees as well.
You noticed a small demon with no notion of itself, as if it were in it's primal instinct so you decided that this was the best way to practice on your Flame Breathing Forms to see if you're able master it so you jumped off the tree near the Demon where it noticed you almost immediately.
You stayed still changing your breathing form.
"Flame Breathing. First Form: Unknowing Fire" You charged towards the Demon in high speed and decapitated it with one slash. It didn't even have time to react despite it noticing you beforehand.
You ended up almost exhausted afterwards, the change of breath was so quick it affected you.
You then controlled your breathing and kept on going, you still had to complete the Northern trajectory and Western as well so there really wasn't time to rest. Though noticing how you were able to do it quickly and with much force showed Rengoku's training giving results in such a short period of time. He was very good as a teacher after all so you were very grateful.
Also you remembered that you were doing Pillar work at the moment, and he trusted you with it so it made you feel very special and capable as well. So you didn't want to let him down especially noticing how he had such high hopes for you.
After about two hours of running non stop and only finding one Demon in the way you arrived at the meeting spot. So you decided to tell him about the non smart Demon you killed on the way. "I see, it was in it's primal instincts then? Which means it was barely transformed or it was too hungry for human flesh it lost all capabilities" He smartly deducted.
"We'll have to investigate this right away, so take me please" He said giving you a direct order which you did as you were told and ran there as fast as you possibly could.
When you arrived to the spot you noticed Rengoku trying to conclude where it could've come from. You pointed out that there were plantations nearby so that was a spot it maybe could have come from. When he heard this he went there as fast as he could, you followed closely.
When you arrived you could listen to what seemed wood getting slammed very loudly and pinpointed the house in which the sound was coming from.
You both noticed another Demon breaking into a house, this time though it didn't even notice you at first so Rengoku beheaded it with no problem, meanwhile you entered the house to calm the family which was rudely awaken to the Demon's attempt to get in.
"Don't worry folks, we're here to help you. But for now while we work I'm going to need you to all go into a room and lock it very well for the night until sunrise. Alright?" You instructed the father which looked terrified and confused as well. "After tonight everything will be fine, but for now do as i say!" You yelled, they all ran into a room as told.
You ran back out to where Rengoku was. "(Y/n), my lad. I believe that He could have been here. Please be on extreme alert. If not, then he sure sent these here."
You could notice Rengoku's seriousness after he said this, so you knew that it meant bad news. But what made you get even confused was this 'he'.
"He?" you simply asked. "We don't have time to talk about it right now. For now stay on guard as we patrol once again together around this specific area until sunrise"
After a very tense and nerve-racking night of patrolling it was finally sunrise and Rengoku gave the order to go back home.
Once you arrived Senjuro had food ready for everyone. You quickly took off your mask which you were slowly getting used to the new weight.
You both sat in the table and very silently started eating which made Senjuro a little awkward and tense.
But quickly Rengoku started talking.
"He.. Kibutsuji Muzan. The original Demon. It is said that he can turn anyone he wants into a demon as well, and control them at will"
He calmly explained.
"He has a following which you've encountered already, the 12 kizuki. These are the strongest combatants Demons have, second only to him."
"Our war with Demon-kind is due to him. He is the reason Oyakata-sama's cursed as well. And none of this will end until he is dead" Rengoku's words were thos of seriousness. You could feel it in your bones your hate for Kibutsuji Muzan growing, knowing that he well could've sent the Demons that killed your family and village.
"But it's all done for that night! For now get some test my lad!" His cheerfulness came back after a plate of sweet potatoes was put in front of him by his sibling.
You excused yourself so you could sleep some hours. But you soon heard something from downstairs. "DELICIOUS! DELICIOUS! DELICIOUS!" It was Rengoku yelling this as he was eating. You sighed and fell asleep anyway.
After a couple of hours you were woken up by Rengoku knocking on your door once again so you opened up quickly. "I need you to come with me to a Mission not that far away from here tonight. I'll put what you've learned this month into perspective and decide on whether or not you can" He told you very excited to see you in action
"Yes, Sir" You said bowing. He went off to his way, so you decided to write a letter to Shinobu detailing about what Rengoku told you yesterday and about the mission tonight.
When night came you were ready and prepared to depart and went downstairs where Rengoku was waiting for you patiently. "I'm ready but first let me send this message" You requested. "Of course my precious student. Who is it for?" He asked without trying to be nosy, it was pure innocent curiosity. You got flustered remembering Shinobu wanted to keep this a secret as long as possible. But both letters you had were specifically for her and you felt bad lying to him.
"...For Shinobu" You said embarrassed. Luckily he was oblivious to your behavior and to the way you addressed her so you sent it without any more pressure from him.
Afterwards you were both on your way to a supposed haunted forrest where people would go missing once they went near. The only problem is that no one with a right mind would get close to it. So that's why you were going to investigate with him to the village nearby.
It took you at least a few hours to get there, it was midnight by then so the whole village was asleep. "How about i go as bait and once i get pulled into the woods i throw you a piece of rope" you suggested. "It's too dangerous, my lad" he denied what you said. "Believe in me, I'm betting my life on it. You'll see how much I've improved" You said sharing the determination you got from him.
You could only see him thinking for half a second "Alright, my lad! Let's get some rope and you'll have to throw it immediately, got it?" His usual determination came back to the point of finding a rope in the matter of seconds. Of course you were nervous about it but you had to show that you've actually learned and improved your skills as well.
While you were slowly approaching the Forrest you noticed a silhouette quickly approaching you got on guard but Rengoku seemed very calm, so you relaxed as well.
Right before it approached you heard Rengoku speak "Kanroji! Were you dispatched here as well?" He said, you quickly noticed that it was Mitsuri Kanroji, The Love Pillar. You quickly bowed giving the respect needed.
"...Actually i wanted to see who was making such a commotion between the pillars before he came to my place.." She said very shyly, she was very cute and small. But you remembered what Shinobu told you, so she was probably two times stronger than you.
"Anyway we're going into the forest to see what all the commotion is coming from. So be on guard as well, Kanroji" He gave the order. Of course she was a Pillar so this was normal for her, so she actually took her time seeing the heavy mask that covered all your head trying to figure out what your face looked like. Also, you were completely silent slowly going into the forest which was completely dark, one hand on gripping your sword, the other hiding the rest of the rope which was tied around your waist.
You hid everything so you would look like a normal passerby and attract what ever was in the supposed haunted forest. After walking aimlessly and both Pillars following closely hidden in the trees you entered a weird section of the forest, as if there was a huge invisible mirror. It's as if a whole section was hidden behind what seemed invisible curtains and behind this laid an old shack in the middle
There was a horrible smell emitting from inside so you decided to give a small hand gesture to your superiors meaning to watch closely so they could see how you get in and out of the hidden part of forest. The most obvious reason for this is that the Demon used a Blood Art Technique to hide away from the Slayers. But after many incidents coming from this forest as well as some swordsman disappearing it had been a place of interest to both locals and the Corps alike.
You started slowly walking in and saw way too many corpses on the floor as well as too much blood splattered everywhere. The worst part was the smell.
It was a mix of rotten flesh as well as the iron of the blood. Right after this both Rengoku and Mitsuri were going in as well only to see the horrors whatever this Demon did.
After going in some more you could hear the sound of something chewing loudly, it was clearly here and feasting as if there was no tomorrow.
When you all broke the door down with sword in hand it was nowhere to be seen. In fact the sound had moved to another location of the rundown shack. It came from the entrance this time. So you all hurried confused as to why this was happening, but the biggest surprise came from going to the entrance.
Right in front of the shack there was an exact replica of the shack you were in. And as thought the sound came from over there so you hurried over alone. "Be careful (Y/n)" Rengoku yelled. When you entered it you noticed it was exactly the same, everything, every corpse, every blood stain.
Since it wasn't that apart you ran back to report it to both of them. This is when it struck you. "Rengoku-San, Mitsuri-San, Please hold your breath as much as you can!". You quickly did the same and after some 40 seconds you could see the other shack vanishing into thin air. It Blood Art Technique came from smell. It probably mixed it up with the blood of the bodies scattered around. And this same Technique could be what attracted people here to the first place.
You quickly gave your report of the situation to Rengoku who was testing you in his own way and was proud by seeing how quickly witted you were.
"The smell could also tampered with our other senses so we can't trust our ears nor eyes for a while" you quickly stated. You took a minute to think where it could be and after thinking thoroughly about it you came up with a solution as to where.
You quickly started moving the bodies on the floor very quickly and seeing their faces. There was still fresh blood despite the most recent body looking at least some days old. So when you came to the conclusion of which was the Demon you slowly lifted your head and then threw it against the only body's head you haven't checked.
"aaugh!!" It exclaimed in pain as did you since the mask was pretty heavy.
It quickly got up and jumped out of the shack. Mitsuri was ready to charge at it but was held back by Rengoku who was still watching you.
5 minutes had passed and you really needed to breath but if you did it's technique would activate again and you'd lose it from site.
Rengoku instructed Mitsuri to look for any survivor there could be while you and him took care of it.
You couldn't last and took a deep breath rendering the Demon to go invisible right in front of you and Rengoku who was more inside the house than you. Since it took time to wear off it's technique you relied on your hearing since it was the first sense to come back.
You closed your eyes and relied on your hearing instead.
You heard very strong steps approaching quickly to you. Without thinking you took another breath and took stance as well. "Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun" you said as you did un upward slash very similar to the second form of water. When you opened your eyes you noticed how it had a spike coming out from it's elbow which was aiming towards your neck and would have gotten you had you not cut off with your Second Form.
After this it jumped back again trying to recover from the damage you did to it but you once again took stance.
"Flame Breathing. First Form: Unknowing Fire" you charged at it with all your might and decapitated it with multiple slashes since it jumped back trying to avoid your incoming attack but didn't make it in time. Mitsuri came back and noticed you doing this which surprised her.
After it's head went rolling you put your sword back in it's sheath but you started to hyperventilate a bit since you were not used to changing your breathing form. In fact, your Flame Breathing was very weak as well but worked perfectly, despite only learning those two.
Rengoku was surprised with this as well, noticing you giving it your all. You were unscathed, obly trying to catch your breath.
Mitsuri on the other hand didn't manage to find any survivor sadly.
So when you recovered you asked them both if it was okay to bury the dead so they could rest easy. Not only did they agree, they helped you as well.
When you finished it was almost sunrise.
"(Y/n), my lad. You're splendid, full of passion and determination any Corps needs. I'd like for you to become my Tsuguko!" He said happily yelling.
This comment shocked you. You really didn't know what to say. "...I'm not sure if I could fit the role, Rengoku-san. Besides my flame breathing is very weak.." You sadly said.
"Any swordsman who can master more than one breath is more than capable. But if you need more time to think about it I do not mind!" He whole heartedly said.
"Umm.. I think it's my turn to train him, isn't it Rengoku!" Mitsuri said in a nervous tone. Rengoku only put his hand on his chin reflecting on the short training he gave you. "He's all yours, but I'll send him to you tomorrow. There are a few things I would like to talk about with him beforehand".
After a brief chat between the two Mitsuri went back to her house and you two returned to his.
He sat down with you and handed you a book. "(Y/n) my boy, i will give you a special copy of this volume. The first of flame breathing, in case you wish to learn it and become my Tsuguko as well" you accepted it and put it in your small backpack. "I'm very honored, Rengoku-san" You bowed since you sincerely respected him and saw him as an older brother figure.
"Your heart and soul are full of love and passion, (Y/n). Don't let anyone or anything change that. I see myself that you're expected to reach greatness and i want to be there to help you reach it!. So the honor is all mine" He was saying such emotional words, this you will never forget at all. You finished grabbing your things and after a month and two weeks of staying and training with Rengoku you learned how to manipulate your Total Concentration Breathing in different ways as well as better swordsmanship. And you learned the basics of flame breathing as well.
You then went to say goodbye to Senjuro before you left as well.
When you were in the door Rengoku stopped you once again. "(Y/n), when you come back i shall invite you to come see the best Sumo wrestling ever" He happily said. "Yes, Sir!" You excitedly said as well with a gentle smile that made him feel proud of you.
You then turned around and walk towards Mitsuri Kanroji's residence to start your third Pillar Training.
Nothing could stop you now, unles...
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Sinja: Damn i wrote more than the other chapters in this one. I can't deny i think I rushed it a bit but i promise the next chapter will be even better ヾ(´ ▽ ' )
Please don't be angry.
Also something interesting will happen to you in the next chapter. Please stay tuned o(TヘTo)