KIMETSU NO YAIBA: The Blossom Pillar🌹 | Tomioka Giyū x OC

一

01 - the hidden pillar arc: the existence of the tenth pillar

the first part is based on kimetsu no yaiba: chapter 53

"Yup, there is no problem with your jaw."

The boy, upon hearing this statement, brightened up.

The woman in front of him smiled -even though no one know how genuine it is- looking satisfied with the now almost fully healed young man. His fight with one of the Twelve Demon Moons, Rui, or Lower Moon Five, had resulted on many wounds.

"I'm sorry, I can't see you all off. But, please do all your best from now on." Kochō Shinobu, the Insect Pillar of the Demon Hunter Corps instructed.

With a bright smile on his face accompanied with a pair of sparkling eyes, he, Kamado Tanjirō, responded to his superior. "Yes! Thank you very much!"

Without wasting any moment, Tanjirō raised his left hand, like a student wanting to ask his teacher.

"Oh, Shinobu-san?"

"Yes?"

"There's one more thing I want to ask, is it okay?"

The Pillar looked at him. "What is it?"

With a determined look, he ask the thing he has always want to ask since the fight at Natagumo Mountain.

"Have you ever heard about the 'Dance of the Fire God' before?"

"I haven't." She answered without any delay.

"Eh!? ..Th- Then, what about.. Breath of Fire..?"

"I haven't." Once again, with a smile on her face, she answered the boy.

Tanjirō proceed by telling her about what happened during his fight with the Spider Demon, to make his story clearer.

"Hmm.. I see.. So you used your father's Breath of Fire for some reason. And, if you ask a Breath of Fire user, you may find something.. Hmm.." The mistress of the Butterfly Estate tried to process what she just heard.

The young Demon Hunter in front of her looked at her, eyes filled with hope.

"I don't know about 'Breath of Fire (Hono no Kokyū)', but, there is 'Breath of Flames (Hi no Kokyū)'."

"Huh? Aren't they the same?" Tanjirō frowned, confusion evidence on his voices.

Shinobu tilted her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know about the details either. It's just.. There's a strict rule about the phrasing." She explained.

She gave him a closed-eyes smile, before continuing. "You just don't call the Breath of Flames, in this case, the Breath of Fire. For the details, it might be a good idea to visit Rengoku-san, the Flame Pillar." She suggested him.

"I shall ask the crow. But it might take some time."

Tanjirō, delighted by his superior's kindness, gave her a big smile. Light emanating from him.

Suddenly, the Insect Pillar widened her eyes, as if remembering something.

Tanjirō, realizing this, looked at her curiously. "Shinobu-san?"

The woman brought her finger to her chin, clearly thinking about something. The smile on her face turned to thin lines. A frown can be seen on her forehead.

Tanjirō started to fidget a little, curiously and patiently.

Shinobu closed her eyes for awhile, before opening them slowly and turning her attention to the younger Demon Hunter in front of her.

Suddenly, she grabbed both of his shoulder.

"Eek-!"

"Kamado-kun."

"Y- Yes?"

Shinobu looked at him with a strict eyes and frowned eyebrows, -to his eyes- as if staring straight to his soul.

"You.. Can I trust you?"

Shinobu looked at her kouhai. The one who she shared some of her thoughts with at that one night. The one who could smell her anger.

If it's him it should be okay.

"..Eh..?" Tanjirō looked at her, completely confused, sweats slowly forming on his face.

I can smell the secrets on her.

Looking at her, who still looked at him with strict looks, once again, he answered with determination, albeit the little hesitation on his words.

"Y- Yes!"

Looking at his eyes once again, Shinobu sighed and released her hands, putting it on her sides. The boy can finally released his breath that he didn't realize was held up.

"Before I tell you this, you must know, that this is a big secret of the Demon Hunter Corps."

The smell of secrets keep getting stronger.

"Only oyakata-sama and the Pillars know about this."

Tanjirō gulped his saliva, hard. Eyes not leaving his superior for even a moment.

"How many Pillars do you know are there?

"Umm.. N- Nine..?"

Shinobu smiled knowingly. "Yeah, that is what the other Demon Hunters know."

Tanjirō, still can't grasp what Shinobu intended, frowned. He was sure that there're only nine pillars. He saw them all too.

Water, Insect, Flame, Rock, Sound, Wind, Snake, Love, Mist. Yeah, it's nine!

"Actually, there is one more pillar."

His superior's voice break him from his thoughts. He looked at her, completely dumbfounded.

With wide eyes, Tanjirō said the first thing that came to his mind. "Huh? H- How?"

Shinobu looked at him, looking as if she expected this reaction from him.

"There is.. A reason why her existence is hidden from the other Demon Hunters. But she's the tenth pillar of Demon Hunter Corps. The Blossom Pillar (Konohana no Hashira)."

"Konohana? As if, flower?"

"She uses a breath unique to her, and it's similar to the Breath of Flower, yet not. She uses the Breath of Blossom."

Tanjirō, processing what she just said, nodded. "T- Then, what is a user of the Breath of Blossom have anything to do with the Dance of the Fire God?"

Understanding why Tanjirō looked so confused, Shinobu explained her reason. "So, your father's Dance of the Fire God (Hi-no-kami Kagura) is one of the kagura dances, right?"

He nodded.

"Then, asking her is a choice too."

Tanjirō can't stop getting confused by these informations, it's like his hearing is deceiving him.

"I- I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Shinobu looked at the confused boy, before taking his hands on her.

"Then, how about before you all depart, you come and see her for yourself?"

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Kagura (神楽 (かぐら), "god-entertainment") is a Japanese word referring to a specific type of Shinto theatrical dance-with roots arguably predating those of Noh. Once strictly a ceremonial art derived from kami'gakari (神懸 (かみがかり), "oracular divinaification"), Kagura has evolved in many directions over the span of more than a millennium. Today it is very much a living tradition, with rituals tied to the rhythms of the agricultural calendar, as well as vibrant Kabuki-esque theatre, thriving primarily in parts of Shimane prefecture, and urban centers such as Hiroshima.

There're many kinds of Kagura Dances; like folk dances, amd dances for sacred rituals.