Chapter Text
Fate isn't often met with a junction. Tears and pleas do not influence destiny. Death is an absolute, and life is stained with blood. But sometimes, the slightest push on a lever may derail the course of fate.
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Bam!
Splintered wood falls to the ground as two bokkens continue to clash.
Whap!
"Tanjiko grits her teeth in pain as Sabito's bokken whacks her side.
"Don't leave your guard open!" Sabito shouts before going on the attack again. "Demons won't hesitate to kill you if you show any weakness!"
"Hai!" Tanjiko yells, repositioning her body before charging forward with a shout.
They had been training since early that morning. Giyuu was out of commission and resting at the Butterfly Prison ('Estate') after getting hit with a blood demon art that left him unable to walk in a straight line, which was funny when he walked face-first into a wall, but not so amusing when he almost stabbed Sabito because he couldn't tell where his sword sheath was.
But as he watched the younger slayer push herself up from another brutal collision with the ground, Sabito didn't feel as guilty leaving Giyuu alone in the Insect's lair. Shinobu wouldn't actually kill Giyuu... maybe. However, it's worth the gamble, as he gets to spend one-on-one time training Tanjiko before she's assigned her next round of missions.
Oyakata-sama often put lower-ranked slayers into teams, occasionally assigning missions individually until they were able to work independently at the rank of Tsuchinoto. Tanjiko is a special case since her team only has two other slayers working with her, three if you consider Nezuro. But the Master needed to be sure that whoever worked with the sister-brother pair would be able to trust Nezuro and Tanjiko's abilities.
According to Tanjiko, her teammates are expected to arrive at the Butterfly Mansion soon to receive treatment for minor injuries. This means that Tanjiko could be sent on a mission at any time, so Sabito needs to push her as hard as possible. With her luck, they'll run into another lower moon, and Sabito will be damned if he doesn't prepare her as best he can.
"CAW!"
Above them, Matsuemon swooped over the training grounds. He circled high above the pair, cawing once again.
Tanjiko's eyes flicked upward, following the crow. The momentary distraction was all Sabito needed; with a swift movement, he swept her feet out from under her. Tanjiko hit the ground with a thud and an embarrassed yelp.
Sabito let out a snort, already sliding his bokken back into his belt. "Don't take your eyes off the threat in front of you."
"Hai, Sabito-nii!" Tanjiko chirped, pushing herself up on sore arms and brushing dust from her knees. After sliding her own boken into her belt, Tanjiko held her arm out in front of her where her crow soon decided to perch upon.
"Mission! The casualties on the Mugen Train are increasing! More than 40 are now missing! Join the Flame Hashira with Hashibira Inosuke and Agatsuma Zenitsu! Caw!" The crow puffed his chest as he finished his message before flying off his master's arm and toward one of the many perches around the training grounds.
Tanjiko watched her crow fly off before turning to look at Sabito, who was watching the crow deliver its message.
"The flame hashira?"
"Rengoku Kyoujuro. The oldest son of the previous Flame Hashira. The Rengoku's have been serving as Flame Hashiras for generations."
"So cool!! Is he strong like you and Giyuu-nii?"
Sabito's shoulders raised at the thought that his younger sister could possibly think he was weaker than another Hashira. (Besides Giyuu, of course). "Of course not! Yuu and I are the manliest and strongest among the Hashira! We've been Hashira longer than Rengoku." He tapped his finger to his chin as he remembered something. "Well, actually, Gyoemi might actually be the strongest. And he was a Hashira long before any of the current pillars were promoted."
"But!" Sabito interrupted himself, "Yuu and I are powerful!"
"Of course! Yuu-nii and Sabito-nii are the best! But the others must be powerful too if they're Hashira."
"You're not wrong," Sabito said, voice taking on a more serious tone. "Oyakata-sama has stated that this generation of Hashira is one of the strongest to exist in the Demon Slayer Corps' existence. Many Hashira have died in battle, and not many retire."
"Oh," Tanjiko said, eyes dimming at the reminder of the many that have died due to the existence of demons in their world.
Seeing his sister's usually vibrant eyes dim, Sabito is quick to add, "But Kyojuro is one of the strongest, too! He is a man among men! Very honorable. Never runs or leaves his comrades behind. Yuu and I like him more than Shinazugawa or Iguro." Under his breath, he whispers, "The bastards, both of them."
"What?"
"Just stay away from the Wind and Snake Hashiras!"
"Hai!"