Demon Slayer: The Nature Hashira

Chapter 6

The one thing I ask for from the gods. I only wanted to avoid getting caught or running into the other Hashira. For some reason, the Gods figured I was okay and could handle it independently. In truth, I was terrified.

How many friends have I lost? How many people trust me? People trust the Hashira, respect them, and believe in them. How can I move forward knowing I am not trusted or believed in?

All of these negative thoughts...

"You must let the negative energy leave your body," Shinobu says, sighing. She straightens her back, her fingers in a meditating pose on her knees. Her eyes closed as she focused on the soft wind blowing by.

I follow suit, trying to meditate. "O-Okay...I think I did it." I hesitate, unsure if I am doing it right.

She giggles lightly. "No, you're not. I can hear the anger in your voice. You are still angry about something."

I never thought I was angry at that moment. What could she mean by that? The anger in my voice? I was happy where I was. I was adopted into a lovely family, training to protect them. What could I be angry about?

"Maybe...your past?" She questions.

That's right—my past. I was angry about my friend dying for me when I told him to run.

"Let it go. You must let it all go to find peace and concentrate on a fight."

I breathe, taking air in and letting it out. I'm surprised Sanemi hasn't yelled at me yet, or at least done something. He must be thinking hard about what to say. Instead of being brave and looking up at his expression, I turn and bolt out of the hallway.

Running away didn't do much for me as I bumped into a broad figure after turning a corner. I tense up as my backside connects with the wooden floors. I gasped lightly at the unfortunate fall, but looking up at the Hashira before me did nothing to compare. I was expecting a small, harmless insult from the man as he helped me up. But that expectation quickly changed once his eyebrows knit together, a frown forming on his face. He glares at me, anger taking over. "What the hell?!" he bursts out.

I didn't notice how close Sanemi had gotten until he grabbed a fistful of the collar of my uniform, yanking me upward off the floor aggressively. "You don't deserve to be in the rank of Hashira, let alone in the Demon Core!" I could practically hear his teeth crack under the pressure of them clenching so hard, my breath hitching at the amount of anger radiating off of him. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

It's as if my heart sank into my stomach. The sudden urge to throw up at the pressure that's been building ever since the trial was so strong I almost couldn't hold it back. All those years of building relationships and keeping them safe....has it all gone to waste? Have I lost what I've worked so hard to get back? A family...friends...

All because I believe there are good demons in this world. Was it worth it? After taking care of not saying a word about my past for eight long years...was it really worth it? I could feel my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands from how tight I was clenching them into a fist. My eyebrows knit together; my teeth clenched as my blood boiled.

Yes! I saved a boy, for crying out loud! Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who was all but kind and cared about his sister who was a demon. All he wanted to do was save her and make her human again.

With as much strength as I could muster during this stressful situation, I pushed Sanemi back, feeling his hand release my shirt. The action pushed me back a bit, but not as much as Sanemi, although he was still rather close.

My eyes burned with the urge to cry. I tried to hold them back so I wouldn't look so weak in front of Sanemi, of all Hashira, but they managed to slip past the dam. I didn't realize I was biting my lip so hard until I glanced up at him, his deep glare causing me to flinch.