Chapter Five:
Origin: Y/n L/n, The Flower Hashira

Part Five: Hashira

Warning: the first half of this chapter contains manga spoilers

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"My name is Doma! Nice to meet you!" He exclaimed. Her hand jolted to her sword, gripping the tsuka tightly as she prepared to unsheath it. She gritted her teeth, her veins showing because of how tense her whole body was.

She unsheathed her sword, her eyes never leaving the demon before her. Her eyes keenly observed him, taking note of even the tiniest details. The demon had a moderately toned body. His complexion was rather pale, but his stature was tall. His eyes were beautiful, having the blessed color of a rainbow. In his irises, the kanji for "upper moon two" was etched.

"All of you... ALL OF YOU GET OUT OF HERE! EVACUATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" Y/n exclaimed. With panicked expressions, everyone began running. "Aww, you're no fun," he cooed. "I wanted to save them, too!" He exclaimed. "What do you mean by wanted to save?" She asked him, her voice stern and laced with frustration.

"Well—", "shut your trap. That was a theoretical question that you weren't supposed to answer. You must be out of your mind to think that consuming humans is saving them," she spat, her tone now completely different from her usual dull one. "Oh? You seem quite irritated! Is there anything bothering you?" He asked sweetly, smiling at her.

"Anything bothering me? You're damn right there is," she spat. She held up her sword, it's metal glistening in the light of the streets. "Take a look at this blade. Does the color ring any bells?" She asked him, gripping the tsuka tightly. "Eh?" He questioned, looking at the blade intently.

"Oh! It's pink! Just like that flower breath girl from before!" He exclaimed. "Spot on, shithead. You killed someone who I shared meals with, someone who took the time to teach me something new. You took her away. Not only from me but from her other friends and family too. For that, you have to pay with your life!" She exclaimed.

She dashed towards him, drawing her arms back. In no time, she was already in front of him, swinging her sword as she aimed for his neck. "Woah! You're fast!" He exclaimed. He raised his hand, blocking his neck. She squinted her eyes, seeing the world slower.

'His hand is in the way. This is an upper moon. I can't possibly cut through his neck with another limb in the way. The force I gained combined with the density of my sword and arm strength probably won't be enough. I need to change my trajectory or else I'd have a repeat of what happened in the final selection.' She noted. Drawing her arms back just as quickly, she swung once more, cutting off both of Doma's hands.

"Oh? That was a nice slash! I thought you were aiming for my neck!" He exclaimed. He regrew his arms in an instant, preparing to strike. "Blood demon art: freezing clouds," he chanted, swinging his fan to spread cold air. Remaining vigilant, Y/n backed away by doing a backhand whip.

'The air is cold enough to freeze whatever is in range. If I breathe in, my lungs would go under necrosis.' Y/n noted. 'My clothes already have ice on them. Even if I don't breathe it in, I'll get frostbite if I get close.' She noted. 'How the hell am I going to fight this guy without getting frozen?!' She questioned, glaring at the demon who continued to smile at her.

"Woah! You're fast and flexible? That's a nice combination!" He complimented. "Are you a Hashira? You sure do move like one," he commented. 'I have no choice then.' She said to herself. "Blood demon art: wintry icicles," he chanted.

Sharp icicles heeded to the movements of his gunsern fan as he used it to point at her. 'There are gaps in between each icicle. I'm small enough to slip past them, so here goes nothing.' She said to herself. She pulled her arms back, dashing towards Doma as she pivoted her body around to dodge the icicles. The icicles she dodged ended up hitting a house behind her, destroying it completely.

Finally getting close to him, she swung her sword at his neck, only to have her attack blocked by his gunsern fan. She hissed, pivoting herself over Doma. Her feet landed soundlessly on the wall behind Doma. Taking a deep breath, the prepared to strike.

"Total concentration; breath of flower," she chanted. She pushed herself off the wall with excessive force, breaking the said wall. Twirling her body mid-air, she drew her arms back, preparing to swing. "Eighth form: Higanbana Cyclone," she chanted. Getting extremely close to his neck once more, she swung her sword with as much force as possible.

Her eyes widened when his gunsern fan got in the way, causing her to hit it too. The fan snapped in half, her sword proceeding to cut his neck. A loud thunk echoed as her sword stopped midway, landing on a bone. The gunsern fan had drained the force out of her swing. 'The damn fan..! If it messed with my swing by that much, it must be almost as hard as his neck..!' She noted.

She attempted to pull her sword out, only to find it completely stuck. 'Crap. This again. This time, no one's here to save me. I'm all on my own.' She said to herself. Gripping the tsuka of her sword tighter, she furrowed her eyebrows. Taking a deep breath, she prepared for her next move.

'But that's alright, cause I never make the same mistake twice.' She said to herself. "Breath of flower, tenth form..." She whispered. She squinted her eyes as she saw Doma smiling at her, pulling his arm back to swing a fan at her. "Dance of the devil's snare..." She whispered. Twisting her body, she swung around, using her sword as a guide.

With the help of her body weight, she glided behind Doma, dodging his attack. 'I can't stop total concentration breathing now. If I do, my body won't be able to take repeatedly changing my breathing patterns. I have to keep it up until this battle is over.' She said to herself, smoothly pulling her blade from Doma's neck.

'But I can't forget to filter the air using my breathing once I get close to him. If I fail to do that, both my lungs will go under necrosis.' She noted. She charged at Doma from behind, preparing to swing. He turned around, his eyes widening. He parried her attack with a gunsern fan, knocking her back a little.

"Oh? Didn't I just hit you? I'm pretty sure that would've been enough to kill someone," he said. "Look at you! You aren't even injured! What did you do? That was cool!" Doma exclaimed, smiling happily. 'The tenth form creates an illusion where I remain where I was. He must've hit it and thought I was dead.' Y/n noted. She looked around, seeing all the destroyed houses.

'The damage we've caused here is pretty severe. It's best if I take this somewhere else.' Y/n noted. 'My only option would be to thrust from in front of him. If I embed the right amount of force, it should push us to that forest behind the debris.' Y/n noted. Sliding her foot back to get in a stance, she took a deep breath.

'My thrust strength isn't as strong as Shinobu's.' She noted, drawing her arm back. 'But one thing I'm impeccable at is being fast. Now isn't the time to dwell on what I'm not good at, rather, to use what I'm best at. I need to focus most of the air into my legs so I could stab him with force strong enough to knock him back a few kilometers.' She thought to herself.

'In fact, if I'm going at him relying on my speed, might as well forget thrusting and instead shove it in his chest when I get close enough.' She said to herself, holding her sword out in front of her. His eyes widened when she stabbed him through the chest, pushing him back with extreme force.

Both of them were knocked into the forest, Y/n using Doma's body to shield herself from the trees they'd crash into. She pulled away, watching as Doma continued to thrash into trees. Landing gracefully, she panted. "It worked..." She muttered. Her breath hitched as she felt his presence behind her.

She tried dashing away, only to get a huge gash on her back. She hissed, proceeding to dash away to gain some distance. She turned to him, her glare ice-cold, only to receive a smile. "Man, you're really going all out, huh? Ah, now I feel bad for holding back..." He cooed. 'He's lying. He doesn't feel bad. In fact, he isn't feeling anything at all. Is this why Kanae-san pitied him.' She questioned silently.

"You know, Kanae-sama felt bad for you..." She trailed. "That tone. You're trying hard too, no? You're trying so hard to sound sincere. You don't feel bad, do you? You're just trying to cover up that empty space. I used to abhor the fact that she pitied you, but now, I understand..." She trailed. Doma's eyes slightly widened, his heartbeat slightly accelerating. What was happening?

"Why did you become a demon? If you had stayed a human, you probably would have found someone. Someone who could teach you how wonderful human emotions truly are..." She trailed. Dismissing her words, he smiled, seemingly frenzied. "What is this? Why is my heart beating faster?" He questioned excitedly. 'Well, shit...' She thought to herself.

"Hey, what's your name again? It was Y/n, right?" He asked. An irk mark appeared on her forehead. 'How the hell does he even know my name..? Not once did anyone mention my name...' She said to herself. "Yeah..." She muttered. "Alright, Y/n-chan! Please tell me! What is this?" He asked her.

She gritted her teeth. 'Calm down. This is normal for him. He doesn't have any clue what human emotions feel like.' She said to herself. He disappeared from in front of her, causing her to dart her eyes around. "Doma..." She called. Her eyes continued to dart around, looking for the demon. "You should know..." She trailed. Her eye twitched as she inhaled a scent.

Her eyes darted behind her, seeing him running up to her from behind. "I never fall for the same trick twice," she said sternly. She jumped, flipping her body backward. Doma's eyes widened. He looked behind him, seeing her facing him, mid-air, swinging her sword at him. Her body was bent in an unbelievable angle just so she could slash him. 'From what I've seen, humans can't bend that way without feeling immense pain. She really is special!' He said to himself happily.

The sound of metal clashing against a rough surface echoed a little. Y/n's sword only cut less than halfway. 'This was to be expected. I didn't use a form.' She said to herself. Once her feet landed on the ground, she kicked Doma, pulling her sword out. "I wanna be with you forever, Y/n! Become a demon so we can walk this world together!" He exclaimed. She gagged a little, regaining her composure immediately after.

"Not a chance," she said, making Doma's smile drop. "Blood demon art: wintry icicles," he chanted. 'This technique... It's the same one he used earlier... However, comparing this one to the first time he used it, the first one lacked such precision as this one... He was holding back on me... I must've hit something to make him do this...' She trailed. She squinted her eyes, seeing the icicles approaching her closer.

'I can't run. Those icicles will follow me to no end. I can't slip through. The gaps are too small. I might be able to dodge. The chances are slim, but that's all I've got. One's heading straight for my head.' She noted. Jumping to the side, she dodged most of the attack. "Ack!" She exclaimed. An icicle had impaled her left arm. She landed soundlessly, glaring at Doma who was already preparing another attack.

"Blood demon art: cold white princesses," he chanted. Two female humanoid figures made of ice appeared beside him. They began blowing cold air, similar to the air Doma used earlier. Jumping back, she attempted to get away from the fog. 'This attack has a wider range. It's because those two figures are blowing it around more.' She noted.

'The fog behind him isn't as thick as the fog in front. If I could get behind him, I might have a chance.' Y/n noted. Once out of the fog's range, she took a deep breath, then began dashing. Her footsteps were quiet, her clothes made no shuffling noises, her breathing was inaudible, her aura disappeared; she was almost completely invisible.

Reappearing on a branch behind Doma, she adjusted her grip on her sword. 'Breath of flower, eighth form: Higanbana cyclone.' She chanted silently. Jumping off the branch, she dashed towards Doma. Her eyes widened as he turned around, swinging his fan at her. "Blood demon art: frozen lotus," he chanted. Several lotuses made of ice appeared, the vines attempting to snare Y/n.

She hissed as a few of the vines hit her arms and legs. Changing her trajectory, she jumped away. Just as she landed, Doma was already in front of her. "Blood demon art: barren hanging garden," he chanted. Using both fans, he slashed at her. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the slashes, receiving a few shallow cuts on her face.

"Oh, dear... It seems I hit your face on accident..." He trailed. She stumbled as she stuck her landing, panting as she glared at the demon. "I didn't want to hit your pretty face... Oh! How lucky! None of the cuts are deep enough to leave a scar!" He exclaimed, smiling at her.

'His carefree demeanor is back...' She noted. 'Maybe... Just maybe I—' she was cut out of her thought as Doma's fan slashed at her abdomen. She stumbled back, her eyes were wide, looking at the ground as she clutched the area that he slashed. 'The cut's deep... If it had been any deeper, my organs would've spilled out and I would've died.' She noted.

"You're losing blood, Y/n. Keeping this up will cause your death. If you'd stop being so stubborn, I could turn you into a demon and save you!" He exclaimed. She looked up, staring him right in the eyes. "So you planned to injure me until near death so you can offer me a chance to escape death at the cost of my humanity... Even at the cost of my life, I will never become a demon," she said.

"For accepting your offer would be going against everything I believed in. I wanna die as a human!" she continued. Doma smiled. "I see. Well, if you want to keep your humanity so badly, then let me absorb you! That way, you'll remain human, and we'll be together for as long as I live!" Doma exclaimed.

"Push me around... Stab me... Cut me... Torture me... Gouge my eyes out... Hit me as much as you want! I won't stop fighting until I can't anymore!" She exclaimed. 'I'm getting dizzy already... I've lost way too much blood by just standing idly... I should at least make the last remaining minutes of my life count...' She thought to herself.

Her eyes darted upwards, looking at the sky. 'It's getting brighter. Maybe around ten minutes before sunrise. If I could keep this up until then, I'll be fine.' She thought to herself. Drawing her arms back, she dashed at him. 'Breath of flower, fourth form: crimson Hanagoromo.' She chanted silently. She quickly closed in on Doma, keenly observing his movements.

'He's about to slash. If I wanna survive until sunrise, I have to move faster than him.' She said to herself. 'Come on... Push your limits... Multiply the speed of the technique...' She said to herself. She slashed at him, successfully cutting his arms off. 'Use what you can do to your advantage. You're devious. Use your surroundings.' She said to herself.

She landed quickly, running behind the trees. Doma "frowned", regenerating his hands. "Y/n? Are you hiding from me now? Aww, that's not very—" his eyes widened as his jaw fell off, forcefully shutting him up. '... Nice... Did she just slash me? I couldn't see—' he was again cut off when he felt a breeze from behind him. His hand caressed his back, feeling the slash.

'She knows she can't cut off my head since she lacks strength, so she's using her speed to gain force. Clever.' He noted. His jaw grew back, making him raise an eyebrow. 'How come my regeneration is slower?' He questioned. He stumbled back a little as a slash was delivered to his chest. 'That attack was stronger than the previous one.' He noted. His eyes widened when he suddenly lost his balance, falling to his knees.

Looking at his legs, his eyes widened as he saw that both his ankles and houghs had been slashed. 'She slashed two places in one go..?' He questioned. His hand caressed his back again, checking on the still healing slash. 'My regeneration is getting slower.' He noted.

'My left arm is impaled... My lungs are going through necrosis... My guts are close to spilling out... My vision blurry due to blood loss... Cuts spread across my body... I'm dying for sure...' She said to herself. 'I'm taking a gamble here. Once he catches on, I have to switch my technique and just fight him head-on and hope to survive until sunrise.' She said to herself.

His eyes– eye, widened when his left eye had been gouged out. 'It's impossible to gouge an eye out with a single slash... She's slashing faster than she's running..!' He noted, one of his hands clutching his empty eye socket. 'How come I can't see her? I can't detect her at all... Maybe if Akaza-dono were in my shoes, he'd be able to find her in no time.' He said to himself.

'My ankle and hough just finished regenerating. At this rate, she might cut off my neck with all that force she's gaining.' He noted. He narrowed his eye(s) as another slash was delivered to him. It was in his abdomen, causing his intestines to spill out. "Blood demon art: crystalline divine child," he chanted. On his command, about five miniature ice replicas of himself appeared, surveying the area in an attempt to stop Y/n.

His eyes widened as one of the replicas head fell off, the rest of the body falling apart immediately after. 'Is she really going that fast?' He questioned silently. He looked up, seeing the sun slowly rising from its slumber. In a panicked frenzy, he created seven more ice replicas.

Y/n dashed towards another replica, her sword aiming for its neck. Her eyes widened when she felt and icicle pierced her calf, causing her to trip. She groaned, cursing at her now vulnerable state in front of Doma. 'My speculations were right. Those replicas are basically him. They can use the same blood demon art and can be killed when the head is cut off.' She said to herself.

Her eyes widened, watching in confusion as Doma began running away. 'Right! The sun's rising! Come on! Just a little longer!' She urged, forcing her aching body back up. Dashing around once more, she began cutting off the heads of the remaining replicas. The fog was everywhere, causing her limbs to slowly freeze. Vines were snaring at her, adding more cuts onto her body. Icicles were shot at her, only one ever hitting her.

As she finally cleared the wave of replicas, she jumped, aiming her descent at Doma. 'Breath of flower, eighth form: Higanbana cyclone.' She chanted silently. Drawing her arms back, she drew closer and closer to his neck. She shot him a glare as he turned around. Their eyes met once more, both of them knew one would win and one would lose; Doma knew he couldn't lose to her, but Y/n wasn't intending on dying until he did.

Her eyes widened as a large statue got in her way, knocking her back. "Blood demon art: water lily bodhisattva!" He exclaimed. 'Crap! Is this his final technique?!' Y/n questioned. 'Stay calm. Look. If he released his best attack, that means he's getting desperate. Now's the time to show him how much of a threat you really are! Come on! Combine your best techniques!' She urged.

"Breath of flower, seventh form: Equinotical vermillion eye!" She exclaimed. She dashed back in, watching carefully to look for gaps. "Breath of flower, twelfth form: dance of the water lily!" She exclaimed, slipping through all the statues attacks, her movements acting as the dance. She narrowed her eyes as a hand began moving in her way. Pivoting her body around, she kicked the hand, shattering the ice.

As the ice shattered, her feet landed on Doma's back, causing him to look at her over his shoulder with widened eyes. In sync, they swung their weapons at each other: Doma's fan aiming for Y/n's chest, Y/n's sword aiming for his neck. As her sword began cutting through Doma's neck, his fan had already reached her chest.

She groaned as a large slash had been dealt to her chest. Her eyes widened as her sword stopped, landing with a hollow click. 'The sound was hollow. I almost cut it off. My arms feel numb. The fog from earlier got its justice now. It's over, I'm gonna lose.' She said to herself. Her eyes lit up with hope as Doma's skin slowly began burning.

'No. Keep going. Just a little more and this asshat would be burnt to a crisp.' She said to herself. Her eyes widened as she felt Immense force against her right arm, pushing her aside. The statue had pushed her away. After holding in several screams, she finally screamed out in pain as her left arm cushioned her crash with the tree.

The sound of a bone-cracking echoed as the tree snapped in half, Y/n leaning against the trunk. She watched in disappointment as Doma successfully ran away, using the trees for shade from the sunlight. She sighed in relief as the ice statue he created began melting, saving her the trouble of having to get up and get rid of it.

She started off into the distance, her breathing slowing down. 'My body feels numb. I can't move a single limb. I can't tell if it's because of my injuries or because of the fact that I continuously used total concentration breathing while filtering the air. Maybe both. Who am I kidding? My lungs are going under necrosis. I didn't filter the air properly. I just made things a whole lot harder, only to fail in the end.' She said to herself.

Her eyelids felt heavy as they slowly dropped, tears slipping out of her tired eyes. 'My vision is blurry, but I'm not blind yet. I probably got lucky. Either way, I can barely see through both of my eyes.' She noted. 'Kanae-sama... I'm sorry... I didn't kill him... I couldn't kill him... I was too weak... I couldn't avenge you...' She thought to herself, sobbing quietly.

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(Manga spoilers end here?)

"It's alright, Y/n..." A familiar, soft voice called out. Her eyes snapped open. She looked up, seeing a smiling Kanae. They were in some sort of white void. "It's alright... You did your best... You survived..." She trailed. "I didn't survive... I'm dying as we speak..." Y/n trailed. A scoff echoed around the premises.

"Man, you're starting to sound like a real pessimist, Y/n," her brother chimed as he walked up to her, stopping beside Kanae. "Onii-sama..." She called out. "What happened to that little girl that said she could do everything she put her heart into?" He asked her.

She let out a bitter, breathless chuckle. "The child in us dies, once we become an adult, onii-sama," she said. "Don't go all philosophical on me. You know damn well that you're still a child. You just think, speak, and act like an adult. This is why I liked Tanjiro so much," he said, making Y/n's eyes widen.

"He brought out the child in you. Something I thought was never real. He helped you enjoy life the way a child should," he said. "You've come a long way, Y/n. You've become a Kinoe in just five months. Hell, you're about to become a Hashira if you stop being so damn pessimistic about your state," he said, receiving a light punch to the shoulder from their father, who had just walked up to them, followed by the rest of her family.

"Look, my point is, you've surpassed me. You've surpassed mom and dad. You became a kinoe in five months while it took the three of us two years to become a tsuchinoe," Takeshi said. "You've surpassed me. You dealt severe damage to the same upper moon that killed me. The damage you inflicted on him was far more severe than the damage I inflicted," Kanae said.

"You've surpassed all of our ancestors, for you are the only L/n to kill a lower moon and survive a fight against an upper moon," her father said, smiling proudly. "Y/n, you are the first-ever L/n to become a Hashira," her mother said proudly. "Oto-sama... Okaa-sama... Onii-sama... Kanae-sama..." She trailed. "You're doing great, onee-sama!" Hana exclaimed. "Yeah! Y/n-nee-sama fought with all her heart!" Goro and Haruka exclaimed in unison.

"Y/n-nee-sama disagreed to save herself from death just to stay a human. Y/n-nee-sama's strong. Physically, mentally, and emotionally!" Masahiko exclaimed. "There are people waiting for you, Y/n. There are people you've yet to meet, demons you've yet to have slain, missions you've yet to complete; you still have a purpose in this cruel world, Y/n. Keep living on for us," her mother said, smiling sweetly at her.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up, gasping for air. Her eyes scanned around, eventually landing on the bandages wrapped all around her body. 'I'm alive? Where..? I smell medicine... Is this the butterfly estate?' She questioned. After looking around a bit more, she finally recognized the familiar interior of the room.

'Yes, I'm alive. Yes, I'm in the butterfly estate.' She said to herself, answering her own questions. The door slowly creaked open, causing her eyes to dart towards its direction. There, she saw Shinobu's head peeking in. Shinobu's eyes widened as she saw Y/n, finally awake. "Ohayo, Shinobu... How long was I out for?" She asked. Regaining her composure, she entered the room, sitting on a chair placed beside the bed.

"You've been out for a week. Based on the damage inflicted on you, you aren't even supposed to be awake yet," Shinobu said. Y/n chuckled. "What can I say? I'm fast in all physical aspects," she gloated, making Shinobu smile, rolling her eyes playfully. "Anyway, how's my condition?" She asked.

Shinobu sighed. "Your left arm's bones are all shattered. Your left arm was also impaled, so you can't use your left arm for about five months. Your lungs were going through necrosis, but luckily, we were able to fix that. With the help of a few stitches, we patched up the huge slash you had on your chest, stomach, and back. Unfortunately, those would leave a scar. Your calf was punctured, so you might not be able to walk properly for a while. Lastly, you had numerous minor cuts, none of them are deep enough to leave a scar," Shinobu said.

Y/n nodded. "I see..." She trailed. "Speaking of... Your eyes... They seemed to be extremely tired when I checked on them the moment you got here. It looked like you forced extreme pressure onto them, which could only mean one thing. You used it, didn't you?" She asked her. "The seventh form? Yeah..." She trailed. "Can you still see?" Shinobu asked.

Y/n nodded. "I guess that supports my theory. Your eyes are extremely resilient. Their blood vessels are thicker than most other eyes, which is why you got off unscathed. Your eyes seem to have healed already, but I'm pretty sure using that form more than twice in the span of twelve hours would make you go permanently blind," she said. Y/n only hummed in response.

Shinobu pressed her lips into a thin line, furrowing her eyebrows as she watched Y/n stare out a nearby window. "When the kakushi found you, they panicked. They've never seen someone alive in that sort of state. They asked the nearby village what they knew. All they said was that you fought a lower moon and defeated them. Apparently, another demon appeared, who seemed much stronger than the lower moon. You led them out of the village, so they didn't have any more information," Shinobu said sternly.

"Y/n, tell me, what happened? Who did you fight? What did they look like?" Shinobu asked sternly. Taking a deep breath, Y/n turned to her with a sad look. "I fought him. The demon that killed Kanae-sama," Y/n said, making Shinobu flinch. "Please tell me! Tell me what he looks like! Tell me how strong he is! Tell me what his blood demon art is!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"He's a tall guy, fairly toned body. His hair was silver. His eyes were rainbow-colored. His techniques are all based on ice. The fans he uses as weapons could be cut, but he just regenerates them just like any other limb. His body was resistant to my poison for a while. Eventually, the poison barely had any effect, as he was able to regenerate a little quicker. His techniques get sloppy when he's desperate. His strongest technique is this statue that can deal strong blows," Y/n said.

"Kanae-sama... She pitied him... I hated that... But now... Now I understand..." She trailed. "He never felt even an ounce of human emotion... Quite pitiful, no?" She asked. "W-what?" Shinobu questioned. "Human emotions are a wonderful thing, but he wasn't granted the pleasure of feeling them. It's unfortunate, really. He never got to experience the fleeting pleasure of emotions," Y/n said. "Now that's just preposterous..." Shinobi trailed, handing her a cup filled with medicine.

"You're right... How asinine of me to think such thoughts..."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Five years had passed since she became a Hashira. She was sitting on the engawa of the butterfly estate, waiting for Shinobu and Kanao. In those five years, many things had happened in her time as a Hashira. She learned all the perks and downfalls, she mastered total concentration constant, she listened to many reports about their tasks, she heard of the deaths of her fellow Hashira, and she experienced what it was like to have a tsuguko.

In the year she became a Hashira, about two Hashira died, and all five of her tsuguko also met their end. Her experience with her tsuguko was surely something, for the start was quite awkward, considering all of them were older than her. In the end, they came to care deeply for each other, only for Y/n to lose all five of them in the end. Of course, as it would to anyone, their deaths deeply affected her. She ended up second-guessing whether it was a good choice for her to get a tsuguko in the first place.

She had met a lot of interesting people, and a lot of them had asked her to train them personally. An example would be Ichiro, a boy whom she had met during a mission.

~

It was a night like any other. She strolled through a forest, looking for the demon that was rumored to inhabit it. "If it was such a low-rank demon, why send me..." She muttered. Her eye twitched as she inhaled a scent. "Hmm... Forty to fifty people... Nothing I can't handle..." She muttered. She slid her foot back, dashing in the direction of the scent. "Hmm... Four heartbeats... One demon, three humans... I smell blood, but it isn't a big spill, so I'm right on time..." She muttered. She arrived in front of a rather large house. The door was open, so she assumed that the demon broke in from there.

Entering the house, she spared no time on looking around as she immediately followed the scent. She arrived at the house's living room, seeing three people curled up in a corner, the demon staring down at them. She watched as his raised hand came down, attempting to slash at them.

The demon's eyes widened as both of his arms had been cut off. "I'd recommend you to keep your hands off," she said, staring at him stoically from the side. His eyes widened and his body began to shake as their eyes met. 'This- this presence...' He thought to himself. He looked at her sword, seeing the engravings. 'Evil demon? What kind of engraving is that?' He questioned. Sighing, she drew her arm back, exposing the right side of her sword. "Let's get this over with..." She muttered. 'Destroy, no mercy... Evil demon, destroy, no mercy... Wait..! That means—' his eyes widened as his head slipped off his neck, cutting him off from his thoughts.

'That girl?! That little girl is a Hashira?!' He questioned. He watched as she swung her sword, flicking the blood off. 'I never thought I'd see the day I'd die by a Hashira's hands. Let alone, a Hashira like her..! She doesn't even look like she deserves such title..!' He thought to himself. Turning to the people she saved, she observed them. Two little girls that look alike, seemingly younger than her, and a boy that's about her age. "Which one of you is injured?" She asked. The boy raised his hand, the sleeve of the haori he was wearing falling to his elbow, exposing the wound on his forearm.

Pulling out some bandages, Y/n approached the boy, grabbing his wrist. "Your blood. It smells different," she said. "That thing said the same thing..." He trailed. She looked up from his arm, looking him in the eyes. "There's no need to worry. Rest assured, I'm not one of them. I just have a good nose," she said, getting back to wrapping his arm. "Anyway, you're just like me," she said, confusing the boy. "What... What do you mean..?" He asked. "Both of us have rare blood. Both of us have marechi blood," she said.

"What's marechi blood?" He asked. "Marechi blood is a rare kind of blood that demons prefer over the rest. Marechi blood contains the nutrients of around fifty to one hundred people, which is why demons prefer them," Y/n said. "All finished. I'll get going now—" "What are you doing with our children..?" A voice asked. Turning around, she was met with two adults. One man, one woman. "Oto-chan! Okaa-chan!" The two little girls exclaimed. "What are you doing with them..? And why do you have a sword..?" The woman asked cautiously.

"Oto-chan, Okaa-chan, it's okay! She-" "It's quite alright. Your concern is quite understandable. My apologies for the intrusion," Y/n said, cutting the boy off. "My only purpose here was to slay the demon that so happened to cause a commotion here. Your children seem to be fine, so I'll take my leave," she said. Slipping past the two adults who were absorbing the information, she began walking away, only to stop when she was grabbed by the wrist.

"Wait! My name is Yuki Ichiro, but feel free to call me by my first name... What's yours?" The boy asked. She stood still, eyeing the taller boy. 'Relax. It's just your name. There's no harm in telling him...' She said to herself. "L/n Y/n..." She muttered. "Right... L/n-san... If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" He asked. "I'm... I'm the Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer corps..." She trailed, making the two adults flinch.

"How... How old are you..?" The man asked. "Nine years old, sir," she said, shocking the two adults. "And your parents allowed you to become a slayer?" The woman asked. "No... I was always to become a slayer, but not at this age. However, fate had other plans. My entire family was killed by demons..." She trailed.

The two adults turned to each other, then turned back to Y/n. They held out a small pouch filled with money. "Please take this as compensation for our hostility and as our thanks. It isn't much, but it should help you," The woman said.

"There's no need, ma'am. I'll be fine," she said, turning around to walk away. "Wait!" Ichiro called. She looked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. The three siblings glanced at each other, nodding. They turned back to her with a determined look. "Oto-chan and Okaa-chan told us that Hashira(s) have the right to take in slayers and make them their tsuguko..." Ichiro trailed.

"So, please... Please take us as your tsuguko!" The three exclaimed. Y/n's eyes widened. Their parents began sweating as they anxiously awaited her answer. "I'm sorry..." Y/n trailed. "I've had my fair share of pain when it came to tsuguko. I believe its best for you three to train together instead..." She trailed, turning to walk away.

As for the loss of her fellow Hashira, she never felt any despair, but instead, disappointment. She was never close to any of them, for, at that time, only Himejima talked to her. He was the one to teach her about total concentration constant. In those five years, she was introduced to the new batch of Hashira, including Giyu, much to her joy.

At first glance, Y/n knew they wouldn't meet their end as quickly as the previous ones did. Something was telling her that they were the ones who will participate in the final war. They were definitely different, for unlike the previous Hashira, they talked to her.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Trivia/Tidbits:

34) Doma was very intrigued upon meeting you. He hasn't encountered a lot of female demon slayers, but since demon slayers usually contain more muscle mass, Doma really wanted to eat you.

35) Doma is genuinely impressed that a petite girl can hold off on her own against a lower moon.

36) Thinking back on it, he was flabbergasted that you could hold off against an upper moon

37) Doma could barely recognize your techniques. He noted that you weren't the same as Kanae. Some of your techniques were different, while the other techniques were sped up.

38) Doma genuinely likes you.

39) Muzan had yelled at Doma after his fight with you.

40) Muzan is now wary of you. He wants to take you down as quickly as possible.

41) He wanted to do it himself but offered one of the upper moons the job.

42) Takeshi hates how pessimistic you are.

43) You hadn't realized it until Takeshi said it, but Tanjiro really did bring out the child in you.

44) You and Muichiro are actually pretty good friends. Shinobu usually assigns you to take care of him whenever he lands himself a spot in the estate. He prefers your cooking over Aoi's. Muichiro once woke up to origami butterflies and cranes hung around his room. There was a bouquet of origami flowers beside his bed. They were all from you. You knew he liked origami and thought it would be a nice surprise.

45) You and Kanroji are close friends. When you first told her your name, you only told her your last name. Because you call Giyu "Nii-chan", she thought you two were actually siblings, and that your last name was Tomioka. You then debunked her statement when you told her about your past.

46) The only reason Iguro talks to you is that you and Kanroji are close friends.

47) Shinazugawa dislikes you. He doesn't like the fact that you look out for him, and insists that he can do things by himself. He appreciates the gesture though, so that's definitely something.

48) You and Shinazugawa get into a lot of fights. You end up leaving a plate of ohagi out for him in compensation for yelling at him.

49) Because of a mission, Uzui is the only person to find your weakness.

50) You admire Rengoku wholeheartedly. You somehow find him similar to Tanjiro. You admire how he can smile through a lot of situations.

Glossary/Calvis:

Abhor means hate

Necrosis is a state of an organ where the cells slowly die

Hough is the back of the knee

Descriptions:

So, the part where Y/n showed off her flexibility while fighting Doma was a little hard to explain. I'd demonstrate itself, but lately, quarantine has taken a toll on my fitness lol.

So instead, I'll show you all a picture of Mitsuri, who is the best example:

This is a screenshot from Wikipedia. Because I wanted to avoid further spoilers, I took a screenshot of the original, which not everyone could read.

This is the closest demonstration I could get, but to make Y/n's move possible, look at Kanroji's stance and imagine her bending her upper body forward a little more.

Behind the scenes from the author:
Ohayo/Konnichiwa/Konbanwa!

This chapter was actually supposed to be longer since I was gonna include nine scenarios of Y/n with the Hashira(s).

However, I ran out of ideas, so I decided against it.

By the way, since "Hashira" is in Japanese, I really shouldn't be putting an "s" to make it plural. However, for the sake of grammar, I instead add "(s)" to the end of the word.

That's all for now!

Hope you enjoyed!