Broken Pieces (Demon Slayer x Male Reader)

Chapter 9: Taboo

"The master has arrived."

Tanjiro blinked once and he was suddenly face first on the gravel, gasping in pain. The wind hashira had slammed him to the ground, but the oldest Kamado sibling soon registered why.

The pillars were all in a straight line, on one knee in a bow.
It wasn't a bow of submission or fear, Tanjiro could feel the unwavering amount of respect they all had for the man who now stood before them .

"Master Oyakata, I hope you are in exceptional health." Sanemi said, keeping one hand on Tanjiro's head to keep him down.

'What's with the attitude change?' Tanjiro thought, before looking to Y/N who was a little ways away from him. He still had Nezuko's box beside him, he had grown since the last time they had seen each other. And for him to be standing with the hashira the way he was, Tanjiro knew he was strong.

"Thank you, Sanemi. It feels like such a beautiful day, I wonder how it looks" Ubuyashiki said with a gentle smile on his face, closing his eyes to let the rays of sun comfort his sickly skin.

"Now, Tanjiro Kamado. I've heard quite a bit about you, my child" the master continued, to which Tanjiro's eyes widened at.
"I must ask of all of you, to please accept Nezuko Kamado as she is. Their presence has struck a nerve with the demons, Tanjiro Kamado was able to lay eyes on Muzan Kibutsuji himself."

The hashira's eyes widened in shock, aside from Y/N's and Giyuu's, who just kept their gazes to the ground.
"What he look like huh?!" Sanemi asked, shaking Tanjiro's head back and forth, the hashira asking their own questions as well, until Ubuyashiki hushed them with a simple finger to his mouth.

"That is why I ask that you leave Nezuko and Tanjiro be."

"Whatever the master says, I'll gladly accept!" Mitsuri squealed.

"Doesn't matter to me, because I'll probably forget about it" Muichiro said in a haze.

"I'm sorry master! But I simply cannot accept your request! Demons are the sole purpose why we've lost so many of our comrades, to accept a demon so quickly is simply not something I can will myself to do!" Rengoku announced with a smile.

"That's very understandable, Kyojuro. However, we received this letter from the former water pillar, Sakonji Urokodaki."

"During the time I have spent with Nezuko Kamado, she has shown no signs of craving human flesh. She replenishes herself in different ways. And in the case she does harm a human, then myself, along with Tanjiro Kamado and Giyuu Tomioka will commit seppuku after severing Nezuko Kamado's head to atone." Kanata read from the note, a smile gracing her features.

"So what if they slit their own bellies? Doesn't make up for the fact that an innocent life was taken from the demon" Obanai interjected.

"Please! My little sister has never eaten a human! I'll make sure she doesn't!" Tanjiro argued desperately.

"Your story is all over the place, we have no way of proving that she's never had the urge to taste flesh" Obanai said, his heterochromia eyes glaring daggers at Tanjiro.

"I swear! She's never once harmed any human!"

Y/N glanced to the side towards Tanjiro, seeing the desperate look in his eyes. He wondered if that's how he looked when his family was killed. He wondered how he looked when Jukai was killed.