*Asura's POV*

"Well, what did he say?" I asked as Horus returned to my shoulder.

"He has decided to abide by your wishes. Now I would need 3 times the normal pay and some kind of improvised reward for my task."

"Hmm, I don't know about 3 times the pay but for improvised rewards..." I moved my hands toward Horus and started to scratch him around his neck.

"Motherfucker this isn't payment!! Wait don't stop now. Right there yeah just behind that feather." Horus seemed quite happy. He had one of his claws raised in the air and seemed to be doing the bird equivalent of purring.

"Hey, Inosuke are you okay?" I asked as Inosuke put his mask back on.

"No, I'm not. This mask isn't going away from my face for the rest of my life." Inosuke answered.

"So what are you gonna name it?" I asked while nodding at the crow sitting on his shoulder.

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe I should just eat it?" Cerberus seemed to agree with the idea and Fenris was looking at my shoulder as if a meatstick was just there. Waiting to be Bitten into.

"Hey, motherfuckers don't try to even touch me. I'll peck the shit out of you and the 7 generations of apes you produce!!" Horus angrily cawed with his feathers puffed up.

Fenris and Cerberus seemed to understand him and visibly stopped drooling but Inosuke just saw him as a bigger target after that.

"Hey, Horus the wolves can understand you?" I asked with surprise.

"Only if I direct my voice at them. If I don't want the furry little pups in on my talks then they won't understand shit." Horus seemed pleases with his reply and started to look around at others from my crow.

"Hey, Inosuke do you have a name yet?" I asked while looking around. Everyone was focused on talking with their crows and giving them names and then there was Zenitsu crying about getting a sparrow.

"Hmm, I don't know." Inosuke eyed the crow on his shoulder with suspicion.

"Well, we can wait till afterwards," I said as I looked around and everyone was already beginning to go and choose the metal for their blades.

Inosuke seemed compelled to find a name faster than ever. He didn't want to lose to anyone.

"How about Munin?" Inosuke asked while looking at the crow who seemed happy with the new name and rubbed his head against Inosuke's shoulder.

'Eh none of us have ever gone with conventional names anyway.'

"Okay, Inosuke and Munin let's go and look at shiny rocks," I said and moved towards the table with the Iron ore.

"You will choose the Iron from which your blade will be forged yourself. The same blade that you will use to cut down Demons." The Ubuyashiki children stated and stepped back.

This was a gamble. Only the first time when making your blades could you make any requests. The only people that had custom blades in canon were the Hashiras so I'll have to be careful here. I had a design for a blade in my mind but I was wondering if the Blacksmiths would reject it.

'Eh Fuck it. No need to be shy now.' I thought and went forward to submit my designs to the children. They didn't even look at it and simply accepted it.

I wasn't a master at designing weapons but I had a rough idea of the designs and the things I needed from the blade. Inosuke tossed his blade over to me and I in turn brought both blades in front of the children.

"I request that our current blades should be melted and used for our new ones," I said and the children simply nodded so I left the blades with them.

It didn't feel good to be disarmed but what can I do. Those Blacksmiths were very particular with their craft. All I could do was to hope that those masked guys accepted my designs for Inosuke's blade and mine.

'Well let's try to choose an ore for the blade.'

No one except me had any special designs so Genya and Kanao had already chosen.

Tanjiro and the rest were waiting for me and Inosuke to choose the blades.

"You know you don't have to wait for us every time," I said while approaching the others.

"That's exactly what friends would do," Tanjiro answered with a smile.

I simply chuckled and went ahead. All of us were looking at the ores and were trying to choose one for their blades. I let Inosuke pick his own. My brother needed his freedom and I trusted him enough to choose such a thing for himself.

"I choose this one," Inosuke said after a few seconds.

"What's your reason?" Zenitsu asked and everyone except me tried to listen closer. I already knew the answer.

"I just went with my gut," Inosuke said proudly and everyone almost fell off their own feet.

My smell directed me to the iron of my choosing. It smelled like blood but at the same time, I could feel something more. It was a feeling but I trusted my sense of smell It had proven to be quite useful.

From what I knew every blade changed color but maybe it was the thickness or flexibility that differed.

After some time everyone had chosen their Ores.

"You'll receive your blades within 15 to 20 Days." The Ubuyashiki children announced and started to leave.

Were they Going to walk their way home? Wait where were Mahito and his minions?

Whatever. We were ready to move out. Now, this was the real problem. Where do I go? I couldn't simply go back to the mountains and living in a town would suck me dry of my remaining money.

"Hey, you both want to go with me?" Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Haku asked at the same time.

"Well, this is awkward."

I had a lot of options. I didn't know a lot about Haku but Zenitsu and Tanjiro had Hashiras as their masters. Quite a pickle indeed.

"Which one of you has the best food?" Inosuke asked no almost shouted.

"Well, we have a lot of peaches." Zenitsu offered.

"I can show you around the cities with the best food possible." Haku offered.

"My master makes excellent food. He would be more than happy to have guests like you." Tanjiro said with another sunshine smile.

"Ahh, this is even more confusing!" Inosuke said while clutching his mask.

Kanao, Genya, and the Ubuyashiki children had already left and I had already given the stuff Haku, Zenitsu and Tanjiro had given me back to them.

'What to do, what to do?' I thought while tapping my foot on the ground.

Suddenly the voice in my head answered it for me. I knew what I had to do.

"Tanjiro let's go meet your master," I said with a smile of my own.

"No!!! You're leaving me. You have to keep me safe. You are strong." Zenitsu cried.

"You are strong enough yourself Zenitsu and here." I tossed one of the bows and half the arrows to him. "If someone bothers you then skewer the shit out of them."

"Hmmph I trust my brother's judgment 'Wrinkle brows' but you'll never be as strong as me. Now let's go to the old man's house." Inosuke said and started to move.

But I could see my brother's mask as easily as breathing. He made it seem like he was only in it for the food and I had made the choice for him but I knew how much happy he was in the last few days. Despite the life-threatening situation, he was happy with others our age.

"Let's go," I said and all of us started to descend down the mountain.

"Race you to the bottom!" Inosuke shouted and sprinted off. Just like that all of us were running down the mountain.

As I started to run Horus flew off my shoulder into the blue sky. Fenris and Cerberus were howling with happiness and all of us were laughing like madmen trying to reach the bottom.

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A/N: So I'm sorry for the late chapter. I wasn't procrastinating or anything but my phone deleted four of the chapters that I wrote because it's just destroying my work. I can't write properly because of it. No music and no writing if this isn't he'll then I don't know what is. The only song I remember by heart is Itachi's theme and that's what my life feels like and I haven't even started on shippuden. Damm. I will still try my best to release chapters frequently but with this phone that'll be hard as hell so I'm sorry about that.

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