A crow's body lay deceased on the forest floor, flies swarmed it as the body's last pieces of flesh decomposed, all that was left was red-stained bones. It had been a few weeks since its death. As the sun shone harshly on the bare skeleton, the mountain range stayed active with a constant movement of trees as the wind weaved inside the forest.
The Butterfly Mansion was still full of the injured from the latest Mount Natagumo mission, but the good news was that half of those who were admitted were already dismissed. It was still bustling with activity, some trained, some rested and some left. Shinobu walked around the active residence, many people greeted her as she passed along the hallways. She walked into a particular room where Asumi rested, Shinobu had developed a liking towards Asumi, being one of the Corps Members she was closer to, Shinobu personally gave advice to Asumi on a multitude of topics, she advised on how to handle the loss of loved ones, gave tips in Flower Breathing and much more. It made the two develop a closer relationship, even if they didn't see each other often, whenever they did meet they held great respect for each other. Asumi sat up on her bed, her face lit up with a smile as Shinobu walked in, Asumi was doing better than a few weeks ago, she had recovered mostly, however, it would still be dangerous to send her on a mission so she had not been dismissed yet, she had been training regularly for the past week, however.
"How are you doing?" Shinobu asked with a soft tone, Asumi looked up at her. In Asumi's hands she held the Amare Flos flower that usually rested in her hair, its petals vibrant with the the iconic light blue pigment.
"Great, I feel ready to go now." Asumi smiled at Shinobu, Shinobu had a hint of guilt on her face as she looked at Asumi.
"That's great, sorry that we couldn't send you on the same mission as Eira and Kaze. The Corps deemed it too risky with you still recovering." Shinobu smiled. Asumi nodded with understanding. She turned her head towards the window that sunlight beamed through, the warm wind circulated in the room as Asumi took a deep breath. She wondered how Eira and Kaze were doing.
The bustling city was active, the mornings were full of people travelling to work, crowded trains, loud banter, and a never-ending movement of crowds. The dim train station was full of people in formal attire, however, in the middle of the crowd of black and tan suits, two young Demon Slayers stood on the platform wearing their Corps uniform. Eira and Kaze had been set on a mission together, Kaze was immediately promoted to the same rank as Eira after the ability he showcased at the Mount Natagumo mission, alongside the assumption that he was previously experienced in demon slaying. Eira and Kaze were both Tsuchinoe, a relatively high level, for Eira especially who had only passed Final Selection a year or so ago. Eira's mind was overstimulated as she was confronted by the multitude of different auras and different emotions she felt in the hyperactive area; she had never experienced this many people in one area at once. Eira zoned out as her head pounded with the different auras, all surrounding her, she couldn't help but feel severely overwhelmed, she didn't know what to focus on, there was too much to focus on. The happiness of the kids who walked with candy, the anger of people who argued after getting off the train, and the sorrow of couples who farewelled each other. Eira's mind faced a flurry of different emotions as her mind moved from one aura to another. All of a sudden she was pulled back into reality by Kaze who nudged her shoulder.
"You remember when the two Hashira pulled you out of Asumi's room?" Kaze's smile somewhat comforted her as she turned to face him, "They offered you Hashira? How did that play out? You never told us the whole story."
Eira's eyes widened a bit as her mind remembered the intense meeting with Shinobu and Giyuu, the day that they first awoke in the Butterfly Mansion. As Eira talked to Kaze, her mind only focused on Kaze's calm purple aura, and ignored all the other auras in the area. It was as if Kaze passed on his calm and collected nature to Eira's brain just by nudging her. As Eira recounted the meeting, she herself was pulled into the vivid memory of a few weeks before.
Shinobu and Giyuu stood at the door, although Shinobu's eyes were full of kindness, that angry undertone of her aura remained, Giyuu on the other hand looked more intimidating but his calm deep blue aura spoke differently. Eira looked back at Asumi and Kaze and walked towards Shinobu and Giyuu. They took her to somewhere much more quiet and private. Both of them faced Eira.
"Eira, I'm not sure how familiar you are with how Hashira's are selected in the Corps, but one of the ways that a person is promoted to the rank of Hashira is through killing one of the Twelve Moons as a Kinoe rank." Shinobu spoke softly, "We've spoken to the Master of the Corps, and even though you're a Kanoe rank, we'd be delighted to have you as a Hashira."
Before Shinobu even finished, Eira's brain immediately jumped to a million conclusions, Eira was fully aware that she had defeated Lower Moon 5, did this mean she would be a Hashira now?! Was she even ready?!
"In saying that, the Corps doesn't want to force the highest rank on a fresh slayer, there's a reason why normal slayers have to be Kinoe first. We've had prodigies become Hashira at young ages, but we'd like to reinforce that you need to be both physically capable and mentally capable for the rank. You have a choice in whether you want to take upon the role or not." Giyuu stepped forward and looked at Eira, Giyuu believed that Eira was physically ready, he had seen her abilities first-hand, but forcing the role of Hashira on someone who wasn't ready would only have negative consequences. Eira looked down at the ground, silent, her mind rampant with what she wanted to do. It was an intense decision, the whole building was loud with activity but none reached the silent area where the two Hashira and Eira stood. The silence was deafening, Eira's heart thumped and her knees weak.
"If you do reject the offer. You're welcome to take it at any time in the future." Shinobu added to the conversation, this sentence seemed to ease Eira's mind, it was a clear choice for her now. Eira looked up and her light blue eyes shone with determination.
"I… I reject the offer. I don't think I'm ready to be a Hashira." Eira bowed with respect towards the two Hashira, both of them with different expressions, Shinobu was a little shocked while Giyuu remained calm. Eira could feel the awkwardness of the room, she was sure that none of the two Hashira would've thought the offer would be rejected.
"It takes maturity to realise you aren't ready," Giyuu spoke softly and slowly moved backwards, he had places to be and he was ready to leave. "I look forward to seeing you as a Hashira whenever you do think you are ready." He turned and left swiftly. Eira looked up at Shinobu who now softly smiled.
"Jeez… You rejected to be a Hashira? Even after they made a special exception for you?" Kaze laughed as Eira finished recounting her meeting. Kaze's purple aura lit up slightly as he expressed joy. Eira felt chills down her spine and goosebumps climb across her entire body as a blood-curdling screech echoed, their train had arrived. The huge black metal body quickly halted at the platform. Eira didn't get a good feeling from the train, it made her stomach turn. She had seen a train before on her mountain, however, this steam train was much bigger. It wasn't that train that scared her, it was the aura that came off it. The train almost felt… alive. Eira reluctantly stepped forward as the conductor whistled. Kaze walked quickly onto the train, he was much more experienced, he had grown up in a city after all. Kaze looked back as Eira cautiously approached the train. He then remembered of her more sheltered upbringing, he assumed it was probably her first time seeing such an intimidating locomotive, any country bumpkin would be scared if a hundred-ton metal machine that went at high speeds halted right in front of them. Kaze smiled at Eira, they locked eyes.
"Don't worry, it's not going to hurt you." Kaze held out his hand to help Eira. Eira felt a little annoyed at Kaze's comment, it felt as if he was making fun of her, but his genuine smile disproved all of Eira's speculations.
"I'm not scared of a train. It's just this train feels… different." Eira's hand grasped Kaze's as he helped her onto the train.
Eira quickly let go of Kaze's hand as they entered the carriage.
"We're supposed to find a Hashira right? What was his name?" Kaze asked as he turned back to Eira while continuing to walk.
"Rengoku, the Flame Hashira. My crow said we'd know him when we see him." Eira replied, she didn't know how a person could just be known at first sight, surely no one is that obvious for people to think, 'Yeah that's the Flame Hashira, no doubt about it'. Eira looked left and right as they moved across carriages. Anyone could be the Flame Hashira, she resented that sentence that echoed in her head, "You'll know him when you see him". She didn't remember how the Flame Hashira looked from the meeting after Ali's incident, but surely he wasn't that distinct.
"That doesn't even make sense." Eira thought to herself, she wasn't sure why she was getting so worked up about it. The next carriage they came into was a loud one, someone was continually screaming 'Delicious!'. Eira and Kaze's eyes locked on a figure who sat at the very back of the carriage, with a handful of Bento next to him, he had orange hair and striking eyes. Eira was overwhelmed by his presence, his bright orange aura lively with energy and strength. His haori was coated with a flame pattern.
"Yeah that's the Flame Hashira, no doubt about it" Eira sighed, Kaze looked back and laughed. Eira couldn't help but laugh alongside him, she had been proven wrong big time.
The sun hung high in the sky, Kaze and Eira had little idea of what they would face tonight.