Aspiration For Tranquility (kny x M!reader)

Ch. 27 - Eyes of a Demon

"(L/n) (y/n)? The Master would like to see you now."

The kakushi called for him politely, urging the demon to follow them.
(Y/n) sighed in relief and put the moss away.
He stood up and brushed himself off, casually walking out of the room.
He left the screaming blond with the poor girl, only feeling a little bad about throwing a cup at him.

As he followed the kakushi, (y/n) started to feel... anxious.
He wasn't used to feeling nervous like this, so it threw him off.
His stomach felt like it was twisting into knots, making him nauseous.
This leader of the demon slayers, from what (y/n) had heard, was very persuasive.
He wasn't cruel or harsh like the leaders of powerful organizations often were, but (y/n) was still nervous.

If he gave the word, every slayer and their grandmother would be after (y/n)s throat in seconds.
Everything could be at risk in a heartbeat, though (y/n) highly doubted that this leader would do such a thing.
He's been civil so far, so what would be the point?

He pushed aside all of his anxious thinking for now when he noticed a familiar face down the hall.
It was that Tanjiro boy again, but... on the back of a kakushi?
And a second kakushi walked with them, carrying the box he put Nezuko in.

"Hey, you're that person from the mountain!"

Tanjiro called out and waved (y/n) over, urging him to take a detour.
The kakushi tried to get him to stay on course, but the demon was already set on talking to the boy.
When he reached the little group, Tanjiro smiled so brightly that (y/n) had to squint his eyes behind the mask.

"Thank you so much for saving Nezuko!"

Was the first thing he said when (y/n) was close enough to hold a proper conversation.
The amount of genuine gratitude in his voice made (y/n) think that the boy would have bowed with his head to the ground if he could have.

"It wasn't really anything to thank me for, but I appreciate it. I was just doing what I was told."

(Y/n) hummed, but there was a tinge of happiness in his voice that was hard to miss.
He didn't think it was worth thanks, but (y/n) was glad the boy still thought to.
Tanjiro was going to insist on thanking him based on how his brows furrowed in protest, but the kakushi escorting (y/n) spoke up.

"(L/n)-san, we really should get going. The Master is expecting you."

They reminded him with worried eyes.
That's when (y/n) remembered where they were supposed to be going, and he nodded swiftly.
He hastily started following the kakushi again, only to hear Tanjiro call after him.

"Hey, watch out for that man with the scars! He stabbed Nezuko, and he was going to skewer me for protecting her!"

He warned (y/n), which made the demon groan with slight worry.

Oh, great.

(Y/n) was sure that the wind breathing user would loathe demons just as much as any other demon slayer, but enough to stab a kid?
That felt like a little too much, but who was (y/n) to critique his... methods...
He waved back to Tanjiro as a thanks for the warning and continued following the kakushi.

They soon got to a shoji door, and (y/n) could immediately sense... 12 people beyond it?
He could recognize four of them right away, but aren't there supposed to only be 9 hashira?
One of the extra three was definitely the leader, but who were the other two?

(Y/n) didn't have time to think about who else could be there because the moment he stood in front of the doors, he was pushed in by the kakushi.
Right away, he noticed 9 vastly different figures, two twin girls, and... him.
One of the young girls beckoned (y/n) to come stand by the Master, and he wasn't really in a position to argue.
(Y/n) could see most of the hashira grow tense as he approached their leader, but that was to be expected.