My vision was fading in and out but I still continued to glaze at Nezuko hoping that she could resist, praying that something would stop this madness.
"What's the matter, demon? You know you want it" Sanemi said.
"Tanjiro....Nezuko. Protect, protect. I promise I'll protect you, it's okay" I whispered, reaching my hand out as I noticed Tanjiro was standing on the veranda. Letting out a scream like noise Nezuko turned and ran towards me and grabbed me holding me close to her while tears streamed down her face hitting my face.
"It's okay, I'm here, I'll protect you I promise. I won't let anything happen to you ever again, even if, even if" I whispered my vision starting to go black.
"HIKARU!" Tanjiro screamed before turning and grabbing my box and racing towards me and throwing the box open.
"What just happened?" Master asked.
"The demon girl left Sanemi to help the injured boy and it seems the injured boy is dying" The girl answered.
"Dying?" Uzui yelled, jumping up, shocking everyone.
"Come on, come on, one of these will help but which one?" Tanjiro panicked.
"Third bottle, second row" I whispered out and Tanjiro grabbed the bottle and took the cork out and shoved it into my mouth forcing me to swallow the elixir.
"That will...will," I tried but my head was still fuzzy as the elixir got to work. The elixir was to help me regain some of the blood that I had lost but I had lost a lot of blood and only doing the breathing techniques were keeping me alive right now.
"So now, it's been proven that Nezuko won't attack humans," Master said, taking the attention off us which I was grateful for.
"What do you think you're doing, Tomioka?" Oburo asked.
"Tanjiro, Hikaru, nevertheless some may still view Nezuko unfavorably. You must prove it to them starting now that you and Nezuko can fight as demon slayers. That you can be useful" Master said and both of us bowed while Nezuko was still hugging one of my arms so she came down with us.
"Go out and defeat one of the Twelve Kizuki. Do that and you'll be accepted by all and your words will carry more weight" Master said.
"I don't care about the twelve Kizuki. Me, Tanjiro and Nezuko will defeat Kibutsuji Muzan" I declared unknowingly my eyes were once more glowing making everyone stare at them.
"As you're not ready for that yet Hikaru, let's start by defeating one of the Twelve Kizuki all right?" Master asked amused and I blushed bright scarlet red to match my hair as I noticed that the Hashira were all amused, either laughing or trying to stop themselves from laughing.
"It goes without saying that the hashira of the demon slayer corps have phenomenal skills. After training themselves to death, they have defied it and they've also defeated members of the twelve kizuki" Master said.
"Mm a good attitude to have!" Rengoku complimented.
"That is why the Hashira have received respect and are welcomed by others so Tanjiro, Hikaru, mind your manners when you speak" Master said.
"Mm" I said, I didn't respect anyone unless they respected me as well and I could tell half of these people didn't respect me.
"Yes sir" Tanjiro said, shooting me a look but I ignored it.
"One more thing. Sanemi, Obanai, don't torment the younger ones too much" Master smiled.
"As you wish" Obanai said.
"As you wish" Sanemi said while bowing as I helped Nezuko back into her box.
"Tanjiro, Hikaru we have concluded our business with you. You may step back" Master said.
"In that case please allow Kamado and Akatsuki to stay in my mansion" Shinobu offered.
"All right then, take them away please" Shinobu said. A girl in the demon corps uniform from before carefully picked up Nezuko in her box while another headed for Tanjiro who had stepped off the veranda and another headed to me.
"Pardon me for cutting in front of you" said the one getting Tanjiro and then bowed to the Master and the Hashira before taking off with Tanjiro.
"I can walk by myself" I said with a glare to the guy that was heading for me. Carefully I stepped off the veranda with my box on my back hissing in pain but I didn't show it as I continued to walk away.
"Now then, let us begin the hashira meeting" Master started.
"Just a moment Master, you Akatsuki Hikaru" Uzui said, making me pause in my slow leave and turn to him. All the other hashira were looking at him curiously since they wanted to know what he wanted with me, even Sanemi was looking at him with a furious curiosity. After getting a nod from the Master, Uzui turned to me fully.
"You are from the Akatsuki family are you not?" Uzui asked and I looked at the ground clenching my fists.
"No," I said, making him look shocked.
"Not anymore at least, I dishonored my family and have no right to ever call myself Akatsuki anymore. Instead I call myself Akatsuki as that is the name that my Sensei Urokodaki gave me after I completed the test to become a demon slayer" I explained.
"I see, may I ask a question of you?" Uzui asked shocked the hashira and Master since Uzui only normally was polite to the master.
"Who dared to cut your hair? Tell me who it was and I will put their head on a platter for you for daring to commit such a crime and not killing themselves" Uzui snarled, his aura overflowing with anger and fury. The aura though wasn't towards me but instead it was towards the one that had cut my hair making me shocked.
"If you want to know the one that cut it, then that would be me but if you want to know the reason it got cut it was because of Kibutsuji Muzan" I said before I did a half hearted bow and left.
"May I ask why you wished to know about Hikaru?" Master asked.
"Yes sir, I have known members of the Akatsuki family before they were driven to the brink of extinction and I believed that Hikaru was one of the few Akatsuki that have survived and I wished to know if that was true or not," Uzui said.
"What's so important about his hair?" Sanemi demanded.
"An Akatsuki is forbidden from ever cutting their hair unless it is to trim the dead ends off, to cut their hair makes them a disgrace to the family and means they have dishonored their family so they no longer bear the name Akatsuki" Uzui explained.
"What happens to someone that has cut their hair?" Giyu asked.
"Normally the person that cut the Akatsuki's hair is killed by the Akatsuki and then the Akatsuki commits senpuku" Uzui said with a growl making them all go silent at least until the Master started the meeting.
