As Things Should Be

-35- Tengen

(TW: child marriage, forced marriage, just general distasteful stuff thanks to the Uzui clan. Hinatsuru, Tengen, Suma, and Makio have been through some shit. But they're okay now. They're much better now.)

Let it be known loud and clear that Tengen Uzui loved being alive. Say whatever you want about him: his impeccable good looks, his incredible demeanor, his flamboyant presence, his perfect wives, his mysterious origins. All of it paled in the absolute jubilation he had towards life itself.

Harder times only reminded him of that. The death of those around him only ever solidified that. He was used to looking around him and seeing empty spaces - places left vacant by those who hadn't survived.

His Mother. His brothers. Eventually his father. Older friends.

And now Kagaya Ubyashiki. 

"I know, very well, that you all pledged yourself to my father." Kiriya was such a little guy. He sat in his father's place, a small thing in size and stature. An echo of a once great symphony. He was simple, and quiet: a tune hardly noticeable in a room surrounded by those who far exceeded him.

He was a kid. A good kid, probably. Not flamboyant or anything, but quiet and polite - composed. He held his chin high and kept his voice level: it was all an act, obviously. Tengen knew it well. The boy held his own hands to keep them from trembling. He knelt so he wouldn't stumble. He looked to the ground so his eyes wouldn't water.

He'd been doing so for the past hour. It was a fight to keep his voice even, but that was a fight Tengen would never envy. He'd take a demon any day over this.

Taking charge. Being responsible. Having people look at you with that expectation.

The meeting was... grimmer than Tengen's preferred repertoire. It left an overall hum in the room. A small harmony of steady breaths drowned out by silent thoughts that clashed in the air but screamed to an unheard void. The hashira knelt in their usual positions, as they had for Kagaya. They listened, as they had for Kagaya.

Crucial difference: Kiriya was not Kagaya. 

Also. Minor detail: Doma was present.

The demon lingered in the back like the bass in an orchestra. His presence hummed with anxieties with every sliver of bad news, and something more... a shrill screech of fear. Fitting, in a room full of demon slayers, but honestly, Tengen had figured they'd gotten past that point. It had been at least a month since some dumbass threatened the ex-upper two. Okay, actually, he hadn't kept tabs on Sanemi or Obanai so maybe that was a lie.

The other demon in the room seemed far more at ease, her presence whistling like a deep oboe (a new instrumental discovery of his which was quickly becoming one of Suma's favorite instruments but ANYWAY). This demon disguised herself as a simple woman, with soft eyes and a plain expression. Her kimono was boring. Her hair was boring. She looked absolutely boring, except for the lingering harmony of her demonic nature which made her extremely more glamorous. Her name was Tamayo, and she was the reason Kiriya still lived. An old friend of Kagaya apparently (which HA! The master had been working with good demons before Nezuko and Doma had even been discovered. That was Kagaya, always two steps ahead of his time, even in death it seemed).

He heard no malice in her voice, nor did the symphony of her organs lend him to believe that she was waiting to strike. There were no tensing muscles, nor was there an eager tongue. In fact, her stomach sounded far more at ease than any of the other demons. She was fed but she was not tempted by human flesh... interesting.  That did not mean she was safe, but it did mean he'd believe what truth he heard in her words. Her calm, composed, soft words. She grieved, but she was not anxious - just disheartened. Her voice was a nice melody in the room - even... well-tuned. Poor Doma sounded like he was thinking far too hard about the many non-flamboyant issues. A biwa string pulled too taut and three seconds from snapping.