Unforgiving World (Tanjiro x OC)

Chapter 8

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Amaya sighed tiredly as they finally started approaching the Demon Slayer Headquarters. They had been walking for almost an entire night and half a day now, the purple-haired girl having carried Nezuko's box on her back all the way. Tanjiro was passed out next to her on someone else's back, seemingly having been knocked out by the same girl that was chasing Amaya earlier. Inosuke and Zenitsu were both in the same boat, carried around on someone's back since they weren't conscious at the moment. Zenitsu had been infected with a weird spider venom which made his body shrink to the size of a spider, but luckily for him, Shinobu had made it in time to give him an antidote. Inosuke had eventually passed out from blood loss after his fight with the large spider demon, probably as soon as Tomioka had found him.

Amaya was the only one of their group who seemed to be doing alright, but in reality, her entire body was aching and her head felt like it would explode on the spot. She hadn't realized how much of a strain her fight would put on her body after hitting that tree so harshly, so she was sure she had a pretty bad concussion, but she could manage. She had a splitting headache though, and her legs felt like they'd break off any second now. Her ribs that were broken had started stinging again the longer she walked, so she needed to get those treated as soon as possible. They entered the Demon Slayer Headquarters and they were immediately swarmed by different kakushi, people who were responsible for the injured demon slayers.

They took Nezuko's box off Amaya's back, bowing to her before running off in a different direction, the same being done for Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke. Amaya watched as they were immediately taken to the butterfly estate, Shinobu's mansion, where most of the injured demon slayers ended up recovering. She sighed as she bit the inside of her cheek, slowly rolling her head around in annoyance before a large shadow suddenly casted itself over her form, making her open one eye to see who it was. Ichiro stood behind her with his arms crossed, an unimpressed eyebrow raised as he slowly assessed her from head to toe. Amaya turned around to mirror his exact position, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, the both of them having a silent stare-off.

Amaya didn't cave, being stuck with Ichiro for so long meant she knew him better than anyone else, so she also knew he absolutely sucked at staring contests. To prove her point, Ichiro eventually sighed and uncrossed his arms, placing them on her shoulders instead as he gave her a disapproving look. "Amaya... What have you been doing for the past few days?" asked Ichiro seriously, though Amaya's bored gaze never wavered even in the slightest. "I was completing my missions", responded Amaya truthfully, something she knew Ichiro wouldn't be able to go up against. He pursed his lips in slight agitation, his grip on her shoulders tightening ever so slightly. "We have a Hashira meeting right now involving the Kamado boy and his sister who's a demon apparently. Why was I requested to take you with me?"

Amaya swallowed and looked off to the side, thinking of a good excuse but not really finding the courage to lie to her mentor right now. "I met Tanjiro when I went to Tokyo and his sister was with him. I told him how it was against Demon Slayer rules to travel with a demon and I was skeptical about it first but..." Amaya hesitated, a frown forming on her face as she thought of the best way to form her sentence, trying not to let her odd emotions show in front of Ichiro. She sighed once more, rubbing her hands over her face and slightly covering them in the blood she had lost before looking up at Ichiro with a softer look that showed her doubt.

"In the time I've gotten to know them, I knew Tanjiro was to be trusted. He has a good heart, and surprisingly, so does his sister. Nezuko's not even once tried to devour a human, yet she has fought alongside us on multiple occasions, going as far as to protect Tanjiro when I tried to threaten him. They're not a threat and you know how I don't say such things without any good reason. I hate demons, despise them even, but if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that Nezuko and Tanjiro are needed in the Demon Slayer Corps." Amaya's face remained unchanged through her entire explanation, Ichiro's red eyes having widened with every word she had spoken.