Redemption

8.

Tanjiro sat on the roof, trying to concentrate on his breathing.

"Yoo-hoo!"

He failed to notice someone else being there.

Until someone poked the side of his face, and he turned to come face to face with Shinobu, the Insect hashira.

"You seen to be quite focused on something or other." She said.

He couldn't help but blush in embarrassment at how close she was.

Until she backed away a bit and sat beside him.

"Don't you get lonely sitting up here by yourself?" She asked with a smile, though he felt something off about it.

"Not really, besides I'll have to concentrate really hard if I want to cure Nezuko and defeat Kibutsuji." He replied with determination.

"Hm, your enthusiasm gives me hope." She said before things fell silent.

"Tanjiro, I was wondering if I could trust you with something?" She inquired.

He nodded.

"Of course lady Shinobu."

"Well, I'd like to entrust a dream of mine to you."

He was curious about this.

"A dream that we can befriend the demons. I mean we know not all are bad, Nezuko and Kokushibo being prime examples, but perhaps we could show them the wrong they are doing, and convince them to change their ways."

Tanjiro then smelt it with his sense of smell, her smile, it wasn't genuine at all.

He turned to her, while she did the same, all while maintaining the smile.

"Are you...angry?"

Then the smile faltered completely.

"I've noticed it anytime I'm around you, I get a scent of anger from you." He said.

After a moment, she turned away and sighed.

"You are correct, perhaps that's because I am always angry."

Tanjiro only slowly nodded to that.

"Four years ago, my other beloved sister was killed by a demon, upper rank two." She began.

"I always held a deep hatred for demons, but, even before she died, she did not share that hatred. She was convinced that we could get through to them, change their ways of thinking, redeem them, and May thinks the same way. I did not share such sentiment, to me demons were creatures who had to be exterminated. However, after Kanae's death, I decided I'd give it a chance, try and see where it goes. After your sister and Kokushibo..."

She smiled, though it was more genuine.

"I have hope that perhaps Kanae was right. Not all demons are the same, and it is more clear to me now more than ever."

She rose to her feet.

"Please, succeed in your goals Tanjiro, cure your sister and kill Muzan Kibutsuji. I have all my faith in you, and I know that you can do it."

Then she was gone, as if she teleported.

Tanjiro sighed, all these recent events were happening so fast, he didn't know what else to anticipate.

"Okay, concentrate, if I lose focus now, then it could derail everything."

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Mayumi just sat in her bed reading a book, one about theories of how different poisons could affect demons.

Though she lost interest and put it away.

Then she turned to see Koku, not surprised by how fast he moved.

"What happened?" She inquired.

"Had a conversation with Tamayo and her assistant, and Akaza." He said.

"Upper Moon three? How'd that go?"

"Well he is no longer under Muzan's control and so he is on our side, but like me he's going to just play along until the right moment."

"Okay."

She didn't know how to feel about that truthfully. She knew Koku had a plan of some sort, but she didn't know how this would end.

"He'll likely be sent to the Infinity Train with Enmu next week."

Mayumi was concerned now.

"Is he..."

"No, he will not harm any of them, we told him not to, and just to stall until sunrise."

She nodded slowly, trusting his judgement on this.

She decided to just relax into his hold, the past few days had been pretty stressful all around.

Sanemi had sent a letter yesterday which mostly just ticked her off, mainly because he urged her to just kill Koku while she had the chance.

Honestly the man could be very ridiculous sometimes, and not open to reason, even if from the master.

So she'd sent back a letter that held a few choice words and stern sentences, so that should keep him away for a while at least.

Otherwise May would let Shinobu deal with him, given he was more afraid of her younger sister than May, so that was a plus.

Which Shinobu probably would anyway, she knew her little sister wanted to get back at Sanemi since his high disrespect of her at the recent meeting.

In any case that didn't matter, for now, she'd try to help Koku in his goal of becoming human again.

She wasn't as well versed in medicine as Shinobu, but if her help could speed things along, then she'd do her best.

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Shinobu was looking at the many vials in her lab.

Tamayo had sent her several samples the day of the hashira meeting which she'd been unable to test out.

Though now she required a test subject.

'perhaps I could get Kokushibo to get me one, but I'll wait until tomorrow before I ask.' she thought.

She hoped perhaps that it was a step closer to a cure, but again there was no certainty.

Well tomorrow was another day, but for now, sleep!

*So developments...what do you think will happen next? Also, what will happen with the mission to the Infinity Train? Will Akaza keep his word and harm no one? Or will the beloved flame pillar still perish? Well, time shall reveal all.

Time: sorry, when did I get brought into this?

Me: um...cause you're an entity that can be anywhere?

Time: oh that.

Fate: that's okay, I'm stuck here too.

Destiny: ooh, another one?

Time: damn, where's Death when you need him?

Death: (casually floats into the room), I have been summoned?

Fate: 😐

Destiny: 🙂

Time: 😃

Me: ...um..child...anyways, back to the story...cause this is starting to get creepy...