Children of Fuchsia Light and Demon Fire - Chapter 20 - LadyNightLark - 鬼滅の刃 (2024)

Chapter Text

Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!

The barrage of blood sickles exploded into glowing red fireworks as Nezuko attempted to deliver the final strike at Gyutaro’s neck. But like the last few times, the ugly demon blocked her blow and sent her flying back. She immediately shot to her feet and bolted across the courtyard to avoid the new swarm of blood being sent her way.

This was how the entire fight had continued; Nezuko destroying the razor attacks, nearly getting in close, and running once she was pushed back. And she had made no progress whatsoever in defeating the demon.

While Nezuko kept being cut by a few stray slashes and running circles around the area to avoid them, Gyutaro didn’t even seem fazed by the amount of blood and attacks he was using. He only got angrier and more violent in his strikes, making it harder for her to dodge them and try instigating her own attacks.

Nezuko knew she could keep going; those hours spent running circles in the orchard prepared her just for this scenario. But eventually, she would run out of steam. A process she knew would speed up given how much blood she was losing along with her other injuries and growing exhaustion.

The fight couldn’t last forever, and at this point, Nezuko would tire before Gyutaro.

I have to finish this soon, or else I’m going to lose a limb at this rate.

As Nezuko ran from the flying blood sickles, she cast a glance at the smoky white wall still standing. She still couldn’t tell what was going on from the other side; the best she got were a few muffled noises that vaguely sounded like yells and crow screeches.

Are they still fighting the obi demon? Do they need help?

She was still holding out hope that Senjuro, Ubuyashiki, and the others were still fighting and would hopefully finish soon. Because if they were waiting on her to finish first to help them, then everyone was going to be in deep trouble.

I still have to try! I just need to figure out how to—

Several red sickles sliced up the back of Nezuko’s legs. She cried out at the burning pain and lost her footing, falling to the ground. More red rained down from above, and the girl barely managed to roll out of the way.

As she did so, her leg brushed over something sharp and curved. A quick glance back found nothing except more dirt and fallen feathers from the crow that intercepted the kama thrown at Nezuko.

Wait, this is the spot where it had disappeared, the girl realized.

Or maybe, it didn’t vanish into thin air like they thought…

“Hey! Ready to give up yet, brat?” Gyutaro called out. The ugly demon was covered in dripping lacerations, but didn’t care for the sticky blood staining his twisted torso or his kimono. “I can do this all night, and make this as long as you’d like it to be. Either way, I’m ending this fight with your head in my hands. I wonder how the rest of your little group will react when they see you were bested by none other than me, huh?”

Nezuko’s free hand snapped into a tight fist. She wasn’t about to let that happen.

It was a gamble, and her theory might not be correct. But what other choice did she have to tip the scales in their favor.

“Kill her, blood sickles! NOW!”

A new wave of red was thrown at her, and Nezuko didn’t wait any longer. She frantically crawled across the ground and blindly reached for the spot she just rolled over.

Sure enough, her fingers curled around something like a handle and without a second thought, Nezuko flung it at the demon.

The air whistled in a familiar way, and the incoming blood, as if sucked by a vacuum, pulled back and spun in a sharp, circular shape. All of the blood flew back and struck Gyutaro, severing his arm not holding his remaining kama and his ear. The demon gasped and staggered back at the blow, his glowing eyes wide with shock and confusion as the flying blood boomeranged back to Nezuko. The girl managed to catch it with one hand, skidding back from the momentum as the blood liquefied and splattered all over the ground and her uniform.

“W-What was–What did you—?” Gyutaro stuttered. Realization dawned on him, and the familiar snarl returned to his face. “That traitor…You little thief!”

White smoke rose from Nezuko’s hand, and upon clearing, revealed that she was holding Gyutaro’s missing kama.

With everything that had been going on, the comments made about Ubuyashiki’s blood demon art nearly slipped Nezuko’s mind. It wasn’t just an ability for creating thick white smoke; it was rooted in concealment and hiding things.

The crow that got hit with the kama dissolved into smoke that didn’t make the weapon disappear. It just concealed it in a way that neither of us would notice.

The ugly demon seemed to come to a similar conclusion as his arm and ear regenerated. “Give it back now!” he demanded. His new hand closed into a sudden fist, causing the blood on the ground to shoot up and cut up the backs of Nezuko’s hands.

She brought both her sword and the kama close to her face, watching as blood splattered the kama and turned the blade a rusty red once again.

An idea popped in her head, and before she could dismiss it as crazy (and frankly, really stupid), found no other options and decided to bite the bullet.

Gods, give me strength!

“If you want it so bad,” Nezuko called out, pointing at Gyutaro with his stolen weapon, “then come and get it!”

A vein visibly bulged in the demon’s forehead. He released a screechy roar and reached a bony hand out for the weapon.

At the same time, Nezuko bit down on her sword’s handle. The kama shook in her grip, the blood coagulating and glowing as her senses picked up an invisible force about to pull it away.

Here goes nothing!

Nezuko gripped the kama with both hands, and rather than try to stand her ground against Gyutaro’s force, took her breathing style’s basic stance and lunged forward.

The kama jerked in her grip, attempting to rip itself from her hands as she flew through the air as though caught in a fast-flowing river. She gave a loud battle cry, using Gyutaro’s shock at her zooming towards to bring her feet up and smash them right into his chest as they collided.

They both fell to the ground as something in the demon’s chest (probably his ribcage) crunched like dry wood beneath her feet. Gyutaro gasped and choked upon the impact. Nezuko didn’t hesitate to dig her knee into his bony pelvis and stab his free hand with the kama.

She spat her sword out of her mouth as the ugly demon screamed in pain. The blade was raised above her head, and Nezuko brought it down on the demon’s neck.

Kill him! Do it now!

But once again, the demon’s other hand intercepted her black and pink sword with his remaining kama. Her blade hovered inches above his neck, and the two weapons were locked in a stalemate.

“Come on!” Nezuko gritted her teeth and put all her remaining strength into overpowering the demon’s kama. “Why are you like this?!”

Gyutaro growled, taking croaking breaths that improved as the bones in his chest mended themselves. “Because…our loyalty…to our Master…is stronger…than you…pathetic slayers. I’m going…to kill you…and then, go back and kill your friends for trying to hurt my little sister.” He grinned, teeth bloodstained, and leaned in close to Nezuko’s face as he slowly pushed her blade back. “Then again, they won’t be a match for her. And even if they attempt to best her, I’ll make sure they pay for even considering any harm toward her. I’ll always protect her, even from filthy humans like you, and nothing is going to—”

A blood-curdling shriek pierced the air.

Both Nezuko and Gyutaro froze at the sound. Before either one could question who had made that noise, the white wall Ubuyashiki had created faded to nothing.

And when they turned, they found the obi demon, Ume, on the ground, screeching at an ungodly level with Ubuyashiki standing over her.

A Few Minutes Before…

The two remaining crows wove between the obis waving wildly in the air. Though they did their best to avoid being sliced in half, one of them was swatted, sending it plummeting to the ground. It gave a pitiful cry, and the remaining bird gave one last caw before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“Is that it?” Ume turned in a circle, her steps shaky and her pink belts twitching and coiling around her aggressively. Her eyes darted around the clearing as she spoke aloud, breathing heavily and unaware of the white smoke still surrounding her. “Did I get them all? Are you…did I win?”

The demon was completely unaware of Rui and Senjuro hiding several yards away from her. Both of them had left Tanjiro to Ubuyashiki while they kept Ume occupied and figured out another strategy to defeat her. And so far…they had nothing.

In Senjuro’s mind, the best options were to either wait for Nezuko to finish with her fight, or to just get rid of the wall and regroup. They weren’t the best, but at this point, there were no other options.

They weren’t even sure if Tanjiro would be able to go back and fight. In his current condition, he seemed to have lost too much energy and wouldn’t be able to last long against either of the demons anyways.

An echo of guilt lingered in Senjuro’s mind at the thought. All this because he couldn’t decapitate the demon, and then intervened when Tanjiro was about to be given medicine with blood.

No, stop it! At least with the blood, you know you respected Tanjiro and Nezuko’s wishes. Hopefully…

He decided not to think about whether or not the girl might have been okay with that. Because that wouldn’t do any good now. What’s done is done, and they just had to work with the current situation.

If only they knew how to work with the current situation…

“sh*t! We have to get the crow.”

…Huh?

Before Senjuro could respond to Rui’s words, the boy found himself being shoved closer to the treeline. Sure enough, the crow that had been struck was still laying on the ground, croaking and attempting to flap its uninjured wing to move away.

“W-Wait! What are you—?”

“If that bird dies, then we’re in real trouble,” Rui hissed. He gave Senjuro one final push and pointed to said crow. “Go grab it and bring it back to Master Ubuyashiki! I’ll distract the obi demon and see if I can restrain her again. Go now!”

Deciding arguing with Rui would only waste more time, Senjuro just nodded and ran toward the fallen bird, forcing himself not to look or stop when he heard the obi demon scream again and send more of her belts in Rui’s direction.

Once he reached the trees, Senjuro quickly knelt and scooped up the crow, careful of its injured wing. The black bird cawed furiously at being held and tried to escape, but upon noticing the talisman on the boy’s forehead, relaxed.

“Sorry,” Senjuro whispered as he started sprinting back. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.” He shifted his hold on the bird and tried to replicate Nezuko’s reassuring smile. “You’ll be okay. Mr. Ubuyashiki will know what to—”

The crow screeched in alarm just as an obi lashed out in front of Senjuro.

He cried out and fell backwards to avoid being hit, scrambling back while holding the crow close to his chest. He followed the pink fabric to its source, finding it to have been a stray attack. The obi demon didn’t didn’t even notice him.

Instead, her attention was solely on Rui, who appeared to be struggling with two obis partially under his control. The demon boy growled and with each hand controlling an obi, tried to maneuver them to deflect the other incoming belts striking at him. But it was obvious his hold on them was weak, to the point that they seemed to subtly resist his grasp on them.

He’s not going to last long against her, Senjuro realized with a growing sense of dread. And I can’t do anything to help him.

We’re both screwed!

That’s when he saw the obi slithering behind Rui.

Oh crud!

“Behind you!” Senjuro yelled.

But he knew it was too late. Rui turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw the obi rise to its full height and surge at him, too fast to dodge.

Then, Rui vanished, leaving torn pieces of obi behind.

Wait…what? Where did he—?

Hands grabbed Senjuro.

CRUD!

He didn’t even get a chance to make a sound before he was yanked away. Senjuro screamed and braced himself for an attack, but nothing came. He was set on the ground, still on his feet and holding the crow, and given a pat on the head.

Oh, wait a minute…

“You’re absolutely ridiculous!”

Senjuro opened his eyes and watched as Tanjiro patted an angry Rui a bit more fondly, as if the demon boy were a toddler. Rui swatted Tanjiro’s hand away and growled at him, fixing his messy hair.

“You’re okay,” Senjuro breathed, relief flooding him. The red-haired demon turned to him, his eyes crinkling happily and giving the boy a thumbs up with what had been his missing arm.

All of his bruising and lacerations had healed completely. Though he was missing the sleeve of his haori and yukata, his arm looked to be in perfect condition. Other than the bandages wrapped around his shoulder, there weren’t even any signs of where the obi had sliced him.

Thank gods he’s okay.

“Focus!” Rui snapped. “We still have to deal with her!”

Right! The obi demon!

The three of them turned to said demon, who had stopped her crazed attacks. She tilted her head at them, considering the group before smirking and stretching her arms out to the sides. Her obis grew in size, fanning out behind her and curling like large claws.

“Last chance, freaks!” Ume called out. “Surrender the hanafuda demon, and maybe I’ll leave your corpses mostly in-tack when I kill you!”

Tanjiro stepped forward, any trace of friendliness vanishing as he growled at Ume and approached her.

“Careful, Tanjiro!” Senjuro grabbed the demon’s remaining sleeve, stopping him. “She’s even more crazy than before. You’ll get hurt again if you’re reckless.”

“I hate to admit it, but the Rengoku boy is right,” Rui added (reluctantly, Senjuro noted, a bit offended). “You can’t just throw yourself at her like before. I can’t keep sewing your limbs back on and the obi demon occupied at the same time. You need an actual plan.”

Tanjiro grabbed Senjuro’s wrist and gently pulled it until the boy released his haori. Again, he patted Senjuro on the head, and tapped the crow in his arms in the same manner. He even gave Rui a nod, then walked toward the obi demon.

Though he didn’t appear happy, Tanjiro didn’t look as angry and wild as before when he had been trying to punch and attack Ume. His blood red eyes were more focused and less clouded with rage.

Something had changed since Ubuyashiki healed him, but Senjuro didn’t quite know what it was.

Ume’s glee lessened when she saw Tanjiro stop a small distance from her. “Really? You’re gonna be difficult?” She pouted, and let out a frustrated growl. “Okay, then. Go to hell and die!”

The obis stiffened, then flew at the red-haired demon. And Tanjiro didn’t even flinch or try to run at the attack.

His posture relaxed and his feet spread into something like a loose stance. And the moment before the obis hit him, Tanjiro side-stepped and spun out of the way.

Immediately, the pink belts changed their directions and swerved back at Tanjiro. Again, the demon maneuvered out of the way with a spin and clumsy steps as if paying extra attention to where his feet were landing. One obi managed to slice the side of his leg and trip him, but Tanjiro quickly got back up and ran at it.

But there was none of the burning, blind fury from before; there was calm, focused determination and deliberate movements in the steps and spins he took to move with the belts. It was far from graceful, but the motions had some sort of method to them, something that was vaguely familiar to Senjuro that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Almost like…

“Is he…dancing?” Rui asked, confused at what he and Senjuro were witnessing.

“I think so,” Senjuro said. He squinted at Tanjiro, watching as he repeated those movements and kept himself from recklessly attacking, even when he stumbled or got cut by an obi. “But…the way he’s moving, it’s like…”

“A breathing form.”

Yes! A breathing…form?

Both boys turned around and found Ubuyashiki walking towards them. His dark gaze remained on the two battling demons, particularly on Tanjiro.

“Y-You’re familiar with breathing forms?” Senjuro asked him.

Ubuyashiki nodded, but didn’t add anything. Tanjiro stumbled backwards and collapsed to the ground at that moment, two obis cutting his exposed arm enough to make it bleed. Ume grinned and sent more obis at him, probably to grab his legs.

Senjuro gasped and Rui tensed, about to run over to him, but Ubuyashiki held them both back. They gave him a questioning look, but the older demon remained silent, a pensive look on his face.

Tanjiro pushed himself off the ground and side-jumped away from the obis, then pivoted out of the way of several others. Ume face twisted in growing frustration and her hand gestures controlling her obis grew more aggressive and erratic, matching the frenzy of her belts.

But it didn’t matter; as more and more obis surrounded and attempted to grab him, Tanjiro kept evading them. It got to the point that he seemed to be moving in a circle, repeating the same steps and motions. He didn’t stop, even when he was cut, tripped over his feet, or had to interrupt the flow to dodge a stray belt.

He just kept going, moving to the beat of his own shaky rhythm. And he was getting faster the more he repeated those steps.

“Master, what did you give him?” Rui questioned Ubuyashiki. “I thought you didn’t use the stronger serum.”

Ubuyashiki shook his head. “I didn’t. I used a lower grade medicine meant to kickstart his healing and give a small boost of stamina. It’s not supposed to increase his physical strength or energy levels like.”

Senjuro shot the older demon a disbelieving look, then returned to watching Tanjiro. “So you’re saying…”

“Yes, what we’re seeing right now is Tanjiro’s own power.” Something alit in Ubuyashiki’s purple gaze, as if coming to his own realizations as he spoke. “Without even a drop of human blood, Tanjiro is rapidly gaining strength, all on his own.”

All on his own? Without any human blood?

It was hard to argue with Ubuyashiki’s words. Especially now, witnessing Nezuko’s brother dodge so many of the obis he struggled with even evading minutes ago. Even if his fighting style wasn’t perfect, it was better than how he had been acting before.

What changed since having his arm healed?

And why were his movements so similar to a breathing form?

A thought came to Senjuro’s mind the more he mulled over it.

Didn’t Mr. Ubuyashiki mention Nezuko and Tanjiro having ancestors that fought in the Demon Slayer Corps a long time ago?

“Back up!”

Ubyashiki grabbed the back of Senjuro and Rui’s collars and pulled them away just as Tanjiro skidded backwards, kicking up a large dirt cloud. Senjuro coughed and wiped at his eyes as the crow in his arms screeched in alarm. When his vision cleared, Tanjiro stood in front of them, watching as the obi demon used her belts to fan the dust away. But the action revealed how most of her belts had been tied into a knot and were struggling to break free.

Wait, was that Tanjiro’s goal? To tie them up?

“You damn freak!” Ume cried, veins visibly bulging and her eyes narrowed in anger. “You think that’s going to stop me? Just quit being ANNOYING and STUPID!”

More obis came at him, including the ones still tied up.

Tanjiro growled, his hands opening to reveal sharp claws, and ran at the incoming obis.

And right before they could touch him, Tanjiro jumped, higher than a normal human could. He flipped, brought his hands close together, and brought them down as he fell, slicing the obis in a downward arc.

The knotted obi fell apart completely, collapsing to the ground like a felled animal. Others only had a small portion severed, but reeled back as if burned. Ume took several steps back as she stared at her ruined belts, then at Tanjiro, who had fallen to the ground quite hard and landed on his shoulder.

Senjuro, as stunned as he was, couldn’t help wincing at the pained noise the demon made at the impact. That definitely looks like he dislocated his shoulder.

Ume growled, allowing her hands to fall to her sides and clench into fists tight enough to draw blood. “So, you think you’re so smart for figuring out how to slice my obis, huh?” she said in a voice that lacked any of the unhinged energy she displayed earlier in the battle. As she spoke, all her obis slowly returned to her, even the ripped up ones. “It doesn’t matter, I can just fix them however many times I need to until I win. And I will win, because all I have to do is outlast you!”

Tanjiro pulled himself to his unsteady feet, grabbing his injured shoulder until it clicked and seemingly set itself back in place. He took a few threatening steps toward the obi demon and growled at her, the focus he had before starting to slip.

Senjuro was already starting to become nervous watching some of the earlier aggression slip back into Tanjiro’s presence, but felt his anxiety spike when he noticed something else.

Steam was coming from the cuts the obis had made on his arms and legs.

Even with his limited experience with demons, Senjuro knew that wasn’t normal.

In fact, the boy was about to ask Ubuyashiki if he knew what that was about when he noticed the way the older demon had gasped and stiffened. His eyes were wider than they had been all night and only his hands were trembling. He even murmured something that sounded vaguely like, “Sun Demon,” whatever that meant.

For the first time since meeting the older demon, he looked afraid.

But why of Tanjiro?

Ubuyashiki blinked, shaking his head and schooling his expression into something harder to read. “Rui, Senjuro, stay here. And no matter what, don’t move or say anything.” As he spoke, the older demon removed his remaining glove and rolled his other sleeve up. “If the fight continues like this, I doubt Tanjiro will be able to outlast her. So I will see what I can do.”

“Master, no!” Rui exclaimed, shooting Senjuro and the other demons a glance before returning his worried gaze to Ubuyashiki. “You’ve already used too much of your power. If you use any more, you won’t be able to use your abilities properly. And what about…” he trailed off, eyes darting to the purple markings on his face and other arm.

“I know,” Ubuyashiki said. His hand hovered over his unblemished arm, fingers twitching, then left a few deep scratches on the skin. “But now’s not the time to worry about it. Just do as I say. Okay, Rui?”

The boy hesitated, then nodded. He stepped back, grabbing Senjuro’s arm and pulling him along as well. As anxious as he was about what the demons had planned, Senjuro wisely decided to listen and kept silent.

Small wisps of smoke curled from the cuts on Ubuyashiki’s arm as he walked toward Tanjiro and Ume. When he got close enough, the older demon put a hand on Tanjiro’s shoulder and whispered something to him. The red-haired growled, but took a few steps back so Ubuyashiki was standing between him and Ume.

“What are you doing? Move!” Ume demanded. The obis unfurled from her main belt, now fully restored and poised to attack again. “I’ll deal with you later, traitor!”

“I’m sorry, I certainly will move in a moment,” Ubuyashiki calmly replied. “I just have a question for you, and I promise, I won’t be a problem anymore in this fight.”

The obi demon considered him, then growled as more obis appeared from behind her. “Fine, what do you want?”

“One thing,” he said. “Do you have any idea who Muzan Kibutsuji truly is?”

Ume gasped, then angrily growled. “W-What are you talking about? And how dare you say our Master’s name so casually! It’s forbidden to—!”

“Muzan Kibutsuji is a coward,” Ubuyashiki answered, interrupting her. “A narcissist who only cares about himself and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. Even if it means sacrificing what we think is precious to him, he will do so in a heartbeat if it guarantees his survival.” His eyes narrowed, and his voice became cold. “No matter what you think, Muzan Kibutsuji is not the savior king he preaches about becoming. Just a repulsive being living in a constant state of fear.”

“Stop it! You’re lying!” Ume snapped. “Y-You’re just jealous and bitter because he doesn’t need you anymore!”

“You’re right,” he said. “I am nothing more than a broken tool of his. Something I am sure you will become very soon.”

Ume stiffened, taking a few steps back as her obis curled around her. “What did you just say?”

“I’ve been thinking about it, since you mentioned that you were a Twelve Kizuki. How could someone as weak as you possibly be one of the twelve strongest demons under Muzan Kibutsuji?”

“W-Weak?! What the hell—?”

“Because of the Breathing Style Massacre? Let me guess, he told you that it’s sole purpose was to exterminate as many Demon Slayers as possible, especially the hashira? Haven’t you found it strange that only one or two demons returned from those missions? And every time, they were Upper Rank Kizuki, not Lower Ranks like I presume you to be.”

“Muzan Kibutsuji easily becomes tired of demons that serve him no purpose, so my guess is that he commanded his Upper Ranks to kill any surviving demons from those missions. That’s why he sends specific demons to certain locations; to get rid of the trash he has become disgusted with, all without getting his hands dirty. And all the while, he gets rid of the Demon Slayers he fears will bolster their ranks with their mere presence.”

“So don’t you see? The point of those massacres was to purge weakness from your ranks. Who would want to team up knowing only Upper Ranks survive? Those are the only demons Muzan Kibutsuji sees some value in, and even they are expendable if they fail him in some capacity. Even the Twelve Kizuki are a lie.”

“SHUT UP!”

Ume’s obis pounded the ground furiously. The demon girl took threatening steps forward and pointed accusingly at Ubuyashiki. “You’re lying about Muz–Master! He would never do that stuff! And besides, if that was true, then what about me and my brother? Master’s not doing that anymore!”

“When this mission is done, regardless of whether you succeed or not, only one of you will survive.” Ubuyashiki shook his head and sighed with pity. “Child, you’re too weak to even be considered being spared by someone like Muzan Kibutsuji. Between the two of you, your brother, the kama demon, appears to have more strength and potential than you, so I have no doubt he will live. The way I see it, it’s only a matter of time before you outlive your potential and die a meaningless death.”

“Stop it stop it stop it now!!” Ume cried. At this point, her eyes were screwed shut and she was grabbing strands of her long white hair, pulling hard. But Ubuyashiki kept going, walking closer and closer to her as he spoke.

“Muzan Kibutsuji will use you until there’s nothing left to take advantage of.”

“Shut your mouth—!”

“Muzan Kibutsuji will see you as nothing but a pawn meant to be broken.”

“You—!”

“Muzan Kibutsuji will make sure you know you are nothing, and will twist your mind until even you believe that your death is your fault. Muzan—”

“MUZAN KIBUTSUJI IS THE STRONGEST BEING TO EVER WALK THE EARTH!” Ume finally screamed at the top of her lungs. “EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS A LIE! AND ONE DAY, HE’S GOING TO DESTROY YOU FOR WHAT YOU SAID!”

“Like he will you?”

The clearing went dead silent. Ume’s eyes flew open, full of confusion as she stared at Ubuyashiki. The older demon stood several feet away from her, and revealed his arm and the cut still spilling blood and thick, puffy smoke.

“White Mind is an ability I frequently use,” he explained. “You’ve been breathing in a lot of my smoke during this fight, haven’t you? That made it easy for me to manipulate your mind and suppress certain memories. Even crucial ones, such as how it’s forbidden for anyone to speak Muzan Kibutsuji’s name. Except me, of course.”

“No I didn’t—” Ume started, but some sort of clarity registered in her eyes as small amounts of white smoke appeared and floated away from her. Her gaze widened, and she slammed her hands over her mouth in fear.

“It looks like this is the end for you,” the older demon whispered. “Farewell, child.”

Ubuyashiki raised his other hand, and the moment the white wall dissolved into nothing, Ume released the loudest shriek she had all night.

“Ume!”

Gyutaro shoved Nezuko off of him and threw his remaining kama at Ubuyashiki. The demon doctor stepped out of the way to avoid being hit, and did nothing as the ugly demon ripped out the kama Nezuko stabbed him with and ran to Ume. He held her in a protective embrace, looking her over for injuries as she screamed and sobbed with frantic words that were impossible to make out.

“Ume! Ume, what happened?” Gyutaro demanded from the girl. When she didn’t respond, he growled and whipped his head toward Ubuyashiki. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Ubuyashiki calmly replied. “But it seems your sister has forgotten that, unlike me, she cannot speak Muzan Kibutsuji’s name without invoking the curse.”

Gyutaro looked ready to snap at the older demon, but once the meaning of those words registered, his face fell in horror.

“No, no no no no no you’re lying! You’re lying, you traitor!” Gyutaro screamed. He ripped Ume away and frantically shook her, ignoring her shrieks and wails. “Ume, tell me he’s lying! You didn’t say our Master’s name, did you?! UME TELL ME NOW!”

The demon girl only shook her head, desperately holding onto him and managing to choke out a small, broken, “B-Big B-Brother, help me.”

Ume let out another loud screech as her skin and sclera of her eyes started to darken, and that’s when Gyutaro finally lost it, letting out a broken, guttural scream of his own and clutching Ume like she might disappear.

“MASTER! SHE DIDN’T MEAN IT! SHE WAS TRICKED, IT WASN’T HER FAULT!” Gyutaro yelled at the sky. “PLEASE, PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON HER! PUNISH ME! I’LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! JUST PLEASE, DON’T KILL MY LITTLE SISTER! DON’T TAKE HER AWAY, PLEASE MASTER! MAAAASTERRRR!”

Ume suddenly shoved Gyutaro away, stumbling to her feet and her obis flaring around her. The demon girl hunched over herself, gagging, choking as if she couldn’t breathe. Her body twitched violently, and her discolored eyes widened.

Ume gave one last piercing scream, and grotesque, fleshy hands erupted from her mouth and chest.

The demon girl whimpered, her eyes wide with pain as the hand from her mouth turned and grabbed her entire head. She didn’t even get a chance to protest as the hand tightened, then crushed her head like a rotting piece of fruit.

No one moved. No one said or did anything. All they could do was watch in abject horror as the foreign hands latched onto whatever part of Ume they could and tore her apart. Bones and organs were destroyed and scattered, ripping the girl to shreds until there was nothing left to destroy. Only then did the hands finally settle and disintegrate into nothing.

Nezuko remained paralyzed on the ground, unsure of what to do and how to make sense of what just happened. She eventually mustered up the strength to turn her head and see the calm yet regretful look in Ubuyashiki’s eyes, the twin looks of horror on Rui and Senjuro’s faces, and the somewhat dazed, bright gaze Tanjiro had, similar to how he looked after breathing in Ubyashiki’s smoke from earlier.

Gyutaro was the only one able to move. He slowly sank to his knees and crawled over to the puddle of blood that had once been Ume. His hands trembled as he reached for the remains of her kimono and obi as they slowly turned scarlet.

“Is it…over?” Senjuro whispered, his face pale and his grip on a crow in his arms tightening ever so slightly. “Is she dead?”

“She will be very soon,” Ubuyashiki answered him. “Muzan’s cells will destroy her body, continuing to rip her apart from the inside until there is nothing left.” The older demon sighed and shook his head. “It’s pointless for demons to fight one another. We cannot inflict fatal wounds on each other. Only sunlight or the blade of a Demon Slayer can kill a demon. But Muzan, he is currently the only demon known to exist that can destroy a demon’s cells. And this is only a small fraction of what he can do. This…This is the power of Muzan Kibutsuji.”

Only a fraction…

Nezuko couldn’t tear her gaze away from the carnage of the grotesque hands that had torn Ume to pieces. A part of her wanted to be sick, but another was just…angry.

Kibutsuji did this to his own demon. One that was so loyal to him, despite her attitude and child-like behavior.

Where does his cruelty end?

“I’m sorry about your sister.”

Nezuko tuned back to Ubuyashiki’s voice, surprised to find the older demon standing behind Gyutaro. The ugly demon remained on the ground, his body shaking as he held onto one of his sister’s fabrics.

“You should know, Muzan Kibutsuji would have found another reason for killing her sooner rather than later.” Ubuyashiki examined his arm still spilling smoke from a few cuts he made, then walked closer to Gyutaro. “And if I’m being honest, it probably wouldn’t have been as kind as this one was. That is the kind of being he is. Muzan Kibutsuji is—”

SHNK!

“Master!”

“Mr. Ubuyashiki!”

Gyutaro whirled around and slashed Ubuyashiki in the face with the kama still in his hand. The older demon cried out and fell to the ground, clutching the left side of his face as the ugly demon towered over him. His glowing eyes were wide and wild, a new sort of mania in them that hadn’t been there before.

“That was my little sister, you piece of sh*t,” Gyutaro snarled. He grabbed Ubuyashiki by his tie and raised his kama to strike him again. “She was all I had, and you, you destroyed her! I’ll kill you. I don’t care anymore. I’ll kill you, leave you as nothing! I’LL KILL—!”

Black and pink metal met flesh, and Gyutaro went silent.

A second later, his neck bled and his head tumbled off his shoulders. Nezuko stood behind him, panting and relieved as she lowered her sword and fell to one knee.

“Sorry,” she breathed, “but I won’t let you kill Mr. Ubuyashiki.”

Both Ubuyashiki and Gyutaro’s body fell to the ground. The demon doctor immediately pushed the headless corpse off of him and moved to put some space from it. Rui, who had been running toward them, went straight to the body and using the threads of Gyutaro’s kimono, tossed the body to the other side of the clearing. Gyutaro’s head, which was right by the demon boy’s foot, opened its mouth to yell, but Rui grabbed it and used some remaining thread to quickly stitch his mouth shut.

“That’s for attacking Master Ubuyashiki,” Rui hissed, scoffing when the head still tried to speak despite being unable to. “It was foolish to think you two could get away with hurting him. You both deserve what happened to you.”

Without another word, Rui tossed the head aside and let it roll away. Nezuko frowned, about to say something about him perhaps being a bit too harsh when her head began feeling fuzzy. She started coughing and all of a sudden felt as though her lungs were burning.

“sh*t! You can’t breathe in Ubuyashiki’s blood demon art.” Rui quickly produced a small cloth and pressed it over Nezuko’s nose and mouth. “It’s harmful to normal humans not protected by his spell. Which means…sh*t!” Rui looked over his shoulder to where Tanjiro and Senjuro were still standing near the house. “Rengoku boy! Get yourself and the demon inside now! Master’s protection will wear off very soon and you’ll be too exposed.”

“O-Okay!” Senjuro yelled back. He grabbed Tanjiro’s arm and tried to drag him inside, but found him resisting. “Uh, T-Tanjiro?”

The demon remained unmoving, keeping his gaze glued to the remains of Ume’s body, specifically on a pale forearm that was still intact. His eyes were wide, vaguely horrified, as he chewed anxiously on his muzzle.

“Come on,” Senjuro said, tugging at him with a bit more force. “We have to go wait for Nezuko.”

The demon’s head snapped to the boy at the mention of her name, eyes darting between him and the arm. Nezuko wasn’t sure what to make of the anxious behavior, but before she could call out to them or attempt to walk over to help, Tanjiro finally allowed Senjuro to pull him away inside.

Strange. Maybe it’s because of Mr. Ubuyashiki’s blood demon art?

Speaking of which, they still had to check on him. Something Rui already was working on.

“Hold this here, and don’t remove it no matter what. Got it?” Rui sternly told Nezuko. When she nodded, taking the cloth from him, he ran over to where the older demon had moved himself away from the group. “Master! Are you all right?”

Ubuyashiki pushed himself onto his knees, but remained hunched over and kept his back turned to them. One of his hands was braced against the eye Gyutaro had slashed.

“I’m…I-I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” He held a hand out to stop Rui from coming closer. “Rui, take Nezuko away from the smoke, and then go collect whatever blood samples you can from the remains of the demons. Before the sun comes up.”

The demon boy hesitated, but when he noticed the tension in the demon doctor’s shoulders, took a few more steps forward. “Master, are you injured? We should treat that first before—”

“Rui. Do as you’re told. Now.”

Both he and Nezuko froze at the sharpness in Ubuyashiki’s tone. As if sensing the startled look on their faces, the older demon sighed, but refused to turn back to him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. Please, just…give me a moment. Please, Rui.”

The boy remained quiet for a beat, then gave a short bow. “Y-Yes, Father.”

Without another word, he ran back to Nezuko and helped her to stand and hobble away from the traces of white smoke still lingering in the air.

“Is…Mr. Ubuyashiki okay?” Nezuko asked once enough distance had been put between them.

Rui hesitated, faint traces of anxiety prickling his normally calm, proud spirit. “Yes, he is. Master just…needs a moment, like he said.” He paused, then added. “He used too much of his power, and when that happens, he…remembers things. Painful things. He just…he doesn't like remembering the past, or having…reminders of it.”

Definitely strange. Though, given the way he acted before they were attacked and the memories Nezuko saw in his mind, she wasn’t completely surprised.

“Here, take a moment to breathe.” They stopped a little further away, close to the walls and under some trees that hadn’t been destroyed by the demons. Rui helped Nezuko to kneel on the ground and then stepped back. “I’m going to get some blood from the demons like Master Ubuyashiki said to, and then tend to him. When you’re ready, come back to the house, okay?”

Nezuko nodded, and without another word, Rui ran to where the kama demon’s body lay.

As soon as he left, the girl slumped against the nearest tree and closed her eyes, finally able to catch her breath. She made a mental list of her injuries, mapping out her body and where the pain was worst. Mainly, she had lacerations on her arms, legs, and one on her cheek. Plus bruised ribs that may or may not be broken from the kick Gyutaro delivered during their battle.

Hopefully, there would be a chance for her to tend to her injuries before they moved. Or to at least get a bit of a break before her next mission for them to heal.

Maybe I should think about visiting a hospital or even just a doctor before my next orders. That would be nice, and probably decrease her chances of being killed in battle.

After a bit, Nezuko removed the cloth from her face and decided that she had waited long enough for the air to clear. When the girl found she was able to breathe without coughing or her mind being filled with static, she deemed it safe to move. Nezuko pulled herself up and began making her way back to the house.

As she limped there, her eye caught her pink haori crumbled nearby. She changed direction and went over to grab, but as she picked it up, she heard a tiny voice.

“...other…”

Nezuko froze, scanning the clearing for any other threats, but found none.

“...ig…Br…other…”

She frowned. The voice sounded like it was trying to say…

“...Bi…Br…oth…er…”

Big Brother?

Nezuko turned around, finding the puddle of blood and gore that belonged to Ume. The arm Tanjiro had been staring at had a finger or two that twitched weakly whenever the voice weakly called out.

Was the demon girl still alive? Even after all of that?

But that’s when she noticed that the fingers were moving in a specific direction, as if trying to reach something just out of her grasp. Nezuko followed the hand and found Gyutaro’s body, which was on the other side of the courtyard, attempting to crawl towards her. Even with nearly half of it having disintegrated, the body still tried dragging itself across the dirt.

Even when dying and in pain, they’re both still trying to reach each other.

Given the way they fought just to get back to the other, here was no denying the bond the two siblings shared with one another. Even in death, their only thoughts were of each other.

Still, with how quickly Gyutaro’s body was turning to ash, he wouldn’t make it to Ume's remains.

Not unless…

Nezuko wrapped her haori around her shoulders and limped over to the body. She passed by Gyutaro’s head as she did and found that he still had his mouth sewed shut by Rui’s blood demon art. He glared hatefully at her, and kept trying to make muffled, aggressive noises the closer Nezuko got. But he stopped when she reached his body and hefted it up, locking her arms around his torso and pulling him back to Ume.

She couldn’t see his expression, but could feel the agony, sadness, and longing his body’s aura gave off. Just like with the tentacle demon, they were all emotions that held no malice, only regret and a last wish.

Even if they were enemies, Nezuko wanted to at least give him this.

Finally, Nezuko set the twisted body down on the ground, right by Ume’s remains. It jerked and trembled, but eventually, righted itself enough to move its arm to take the severed hand of the demon girl.

“Big…Brother?…Stay…with…me…Please…?”

The gnarled hand tightened around her delicate one.

She’s just a kid. And he’s probably not much older than her.

They’re just like…just like…

Before she could change her mind, Nezuko went back for Gyutaro’s head. There were no sounds of protest from him when Nezuko picked it up and brought it back. Carefully, she placed the head so it was leaning against Gyutaro’s and Ume’s hands.

His eyes remained on Ume’s arm, tears dripping down his face as he murmured something over and over again, no doubt his sister’s name.

Ume…Ume…Ume…

UME WAS SCREAMING.

Nezuko was back in that familiar dark place, listening to a small group of men shout and scream obscenities. They were circled around two kids, a boy covered in ugly birthmarks and a girl with beautiful white hair.

Gyutaro and Ume.

The boy was yelling back, waving a rusty kama at them while his sister was sobbing, burying her face in his ratty kimono and holding onto his arm. Eventually, two of the men grabbed him while another ripped Ume away, pulling an ear-piercing, desperate shriek from her. Gyutaro roared and attempted to fight the men off, but was powerless to watch as Ume was taken away. All they could do was reach for each other, screaming each other’s name over and over and over again—

DON’T TAKE HER/HIM AWAY!

GIVE ME BACK MY LITTLE SISTER/BIG BROTHER!

“STOP IT!” Nezuko screamed. “LEAVE THEM ALONE!”

The men disappeared, and Gyutaro and Ume fell to the ground. They scrambled to their feet and ran to the other, hugging each other tightly. They remained like that for a while, Nezuko being the only one to witness their reunion in the dark. Then, they broke apart, still holding each other’s hand.

“Can we go now?” Ume asked. “I don’t like this place.”

Gyutaro nodded, and the two walked off. As they did, the boy looked over his shoulder and made eye-contact with Nezuko. She couldn’t tell if he was frowning at her or not, but something in his eyes softened.

His grip on Ume’s hand tightened, and he nodded at her.

Nezuko nodded back, and watched as the two faded away—

The sun rose, and the remains of Ume and Gyutaro burned away to nothing, leaving only the ruined scraps of their clothes behind. Nezuko allowed the ashes to slip through her fingers, taking one last moment to stare at the pool of blood in front of her.

I’m so sorry. You two must have had a terrible life, and this was how you were rewarded. In the end, it was Kibutsuji’s curse that condemned you both to a cruel, agonizing death. It’s not fair.

You only had each other, and clung to that bond to survive. I get that, I promise. If it were me and Tanjiro…maybe we would have ended up like you guys in some shape or form.

I’m sorry this is the price you had to pay for simply existing and believing Kibutsuji’s lies.

Please, rest in peace.

Nezuko’s hands closed into fist as a surge of anger struck her.

Is this really the way you treat your demons, Kibutsuji? Even the ones that sing your praises and pledge undying loyalty to you?

You really are a demon.

Nezuko took a deep breath, and allowed herself to let go of those emotions and the traces of the two demons’s spirits. Now wasn’t the time to sit in anger about how unfair this situation was. She mourned them, and had to move on.

Right now, she had to check on her brother and the others.

Nezuko wiped her eyes and fixed her haori as she stood. She started walking back to the house, but was surprised to find that she hadn’t been alone.

Senjuro was standing by the giant hole in the wall, his sheathed sword in hand.

As she approached him, he continued to stare at her, a questioning look on his face. For some reason, he was missing his haori, so he fiddled with the metal case in his hands instead. When she finally reached him, he remained quiet for a few moments before dropping his gaze to the ground.

“Um…why did you do that?”

Ah, so he saw everything.

Nezuko considered coming up with something that at least made a bit more sense than the truth, but decided against it.

“They wanted to be together as they died. So, I just made sure they got their last wish.”

“But they’re…” Senjuro hesitated to finish the sentence. He gripped the metal a bit tighter, pulling at some of the cuts on his hands. “They attacked us. Tried to kill us.”

“They were victims of Kibutsuji.” Nezuko stepped closer and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, stopping his fidgeting. “I’m not ignoring the fact that they took so many innocent lives, or that they wanted to do terrible things to us. But I understand what led them to this and how they were manipulated. They were kids, and all they wanted to do was protect each other. And despite everything, they deserved one moment of peace from a lifetime of pain.”

Senjuro didn’t respond, his fingers rubbing against the metal in thought. She could sense the turmoil and unease beneath her hand, but soon enough, felt something settle in him, even if it wasn’t a complete calm.

“I guess so.”

She didn’t expect him to completely understand. But that was fine.

Maybe this was something only she would.

“Come on, the others are waiting inside,” Senjuro settled on.

“Yeah, let’s go.” The two of them trekked into the disheveled building, careful of the broken wood and furniture littered on the floor. “By the way, why were you here? Sorry if I took too long.”

“Oh no, it wasn’t you,” Senjuro said, but amended his statement when he realized what that sounded like. “I-I mean, it was also you. I just, uh…I lost my sword during the fight, and had to go get it.”

“You lost your sword?” Nezuko scanned the boy for injuries, but found nothing that looked really bad other than some bruises. The paper talisman on his forehead was also gone. “Oh no, the obi demon didn’t hurt you badly, did she?”

Senjuro went quiet, and swiftly put his sheath back on his belt. “N-No, I just…couldn’t cut her head off on my own. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s okay! Both of them were pretty strong, or at least their abilities made it harder to kill them. I’m not even sure if I would have been able to kill the kama demon if it weren’t for…what happened to the obi demon.”

“Yeah, same. Though honestly, Tanjiro was the one who helped the most. I don’t know what we would have done if he hadn’t stepped in. He was incredible.”

Nezuko managed a smile at that. “I’m glad.” The two stopped at the top of a staircase in the back. “Hey! We’re back!”

“We’re all down here,” Ubuyashiki’s voice called from below. “Come down when you’re ready.”

Nezuko and Senjuro made their way down the stairs to a well-lit basem*nt. She barely had the chance to look around before a pair of familiar arms hugged her with sounds of happiness.

“Tanjiro!” Nezuko couldn’t help laughing as her brother spun her around. “It’s okay, I’m fine! Just…easy on my ribs, please.” The demon immediately set her down, but moved his arms so he wasn’t squeezing her waist. Nezuko didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, just as strongly. ”Sorry it took me so long. I’m just glad you’re all in one piece.” Though, when she finally pulled away, she noticed that Tanjiro’s right arm was not only missing both its haori and yukata sleeve, but had bandages wrapped around where his arm met his shoulder. “Wait, what happened here?”

“Tanjiro had his arm severed during the fight,” Ubuyashiki said from where he and Rui were standing further back. “Rui had to stitch it back on, but thankfully there shouldn’t be any permanent damage.”

“It was cut off?!” Nezuko exclaimed. She rapidly checked her brother over again, thankfully not finding any other injuries and examining his arm closer. Nothing seemed amiss, so she turned to where the older demon was. “Was he okay? And how did you—o-oh my god! Mr. Ubuyashiki! What happened to you?”

To say that the demon doctor looked rough would be an understatement. His vest and shirt were covered in tears and bloodstains, and his hair was a disheveled mess. That was nothing, though, compared to the purple markings covering both his exposed hands and forearms, and the upper left side of his face. They didn’t go below the bridge of his nose, but covered his entire left eye (the one Gyutaro had struck), leaving it the same cloudy lavender it became when he was using his smoke ability.

They looked painful, dry and almost scaly, leaving his skin aggressively marred. But the more she looked at them, Nezuko couldn’t help thinking they looked like…burns.

Painful burns.

“Mind your words,” Rui snapped, standing in front of the man and growling like a guard dog. The crow Senjuro had been holding was perched on the boy’s shoulder, and gave a warning call that matched his energy. “And don’t you dare insult him! He’s—”

“Rui, it’s fine. Don’t worry,” Ubuyashiki assured him. The demon boy was far from pleased, but respectfully backed off with a withering glare directed at the humans.

Ubuyashiki smiled at Nezuko, but it lacked the peaceful confidence it had before. Rather, it seemed sad and perhaps a touch ashamed. “I apologize, these are old wounds from a long time ago. My blood demon art typically keeps them concealed, but it appears that last attack exhausted it.” He lifted hand to touch the scarred flesh and winced. “I know they are quite unpleasant to look at, so if you’d like, I can—”

“Do they hurt?”

Ubuyashiki stopped mid-sentence at Senjuro’s question. All attention turned to the boy, and he quickly shuffled back and kept his head down. “Sorry, I-I just, thought maybe we could help? I didn’t mean to be rude, I don’t know why I asked that—”

“No, it’s alright,” Ubuyashiki answered. He seemed stunned by the question, but not offended like the boy thought he would be. “I…No, they don’t hurt as badly anymore.” His gaze flickered to his arms, and he scratched one of the purple markings. “They just get irritated sometimes. And unfortunately, not even my own healing can fix them, so I doubt anything you do would help with them. Like I said, I typically have it under control, but today I just overdid it.”

Nezuko frowned at the words and actions of the older demon. She wasn’t used to the normally calm, peaceful demon being so self-conscious about himself. Let alone about something like appearances.

“Still, that must be hard to deal with. I’m sorry that happened to you.” She couldn’t help silently cursing herself for not having anything better to say that didn’t sound like repetitive, recycled apologies. She wished there was something better she could say right now.

But again, Ubuyashiki appeared baffled and perhaps touched by Nezuko’s words. He then shook his head and allowed a bit more of a genuine smile to form, turning to face them a little more properly.

“Thank you, but please do let me know if they bother either of you.”

Nezuko and Senjuro shared a look, a silent understanding spoken between them. Neither one of them had a reason to say anything on the matter.

Seeing an opportunity to switch topics, Ubuyashiki nodded to Tanjiro. “But like I said, Tanjiro should be completely fine now, especially since the issue was handled as quickly as it was. Actually, it was thanks to Senjuro that he was able to heal as fast as he did.”

“Senjuro?” Nezuko repeated, turning to the boy. “You helped Tanjiro?”

“Me?! Oh no, i-it was nothing like that!” Senjuro immediately denied, waving his hands frantically. Tanjiro took that as an opportunity to pat him on the head, and the boy switched his focus to fighting off his hand. “I just stopped the bleeding and got his arm back, that’s all! Besides, it was kind of my fault that—”

“We were all struggling against the obi demon, and Tanjiro came in to fight her off,” Ubuyashiki said, cutting off the boy’s rambling. “When your brother was injured, Senjuro tied off the wound to prevent any further bleeding. He also stayed with Tanjiro while we tended to the wound to make sure he wasn’t too overwhelmed, and made sure we gave him medicine that didn’t have any human blood in it. He really was a big help.”

Nezuko stared at the boy in amazement as he tried arguing against Ubuyashiki’s words. She honestly didn’t think Senjuro would feel comfortable enough to be around Tanjiro on his own, let alone while her brother was much more aggressive than he typically was fighting demons. There were no doubts in her mind that Tanjiro wouldn't have hurt the boy, but given his timid nature, Nezuko couldn’t imagine Senjuro going to such lengths to make sure he got proper care.

Especially with the point Ubuyashiki made about making sure Tanjiro didn’t get any human blood. It seemed so minor in the grand scheme of things, but to her, to them, it meant so much more than he probably thought.

Before the boy could object, Nezuko pulled Senjuro into a hug.

“Thank you, Senjuro,” she whispered.

The boy went still, then slowly returned the embrace. “Of course,” he murmured. “But really, I only did a little, and all that was—”

“Important, and something I think even some trained professionals lack or often forget when they become so focused on just treating a patient, myself included.” Ubuyashiki’s smile brightened even more, something soft and encouraging in his strange gaze. “It takes more than just talent to be a good doctor. And from the little I saw today, I think one day, you could be an amazing medic.”

At those words, Senjuro’s spirit practically soared and became flooded with so many positive emotions that Nezuko wasn’t used to feeling from his aura. It was like the heavy clouds that he kept perpetually hanging around his soul had finally parted, allowing for a small amount of warmth and excitement to fill him up, lift his mood, make him something like genuine happiness—

Then, it was gone. Something cold and heavy pushing all of that down, as if that tiny moment of positivity had only been imagined.

“Yeah…maybe, I-I don’t know.”

Nezuko glanced at Ubuyashiki. The older demon tilted his head questionably at the response, silently asking her for an explanation. The girl could only shake her head, just as confused.

Senjuro, why are you trying to suppress your own happiness?

“Those demons we fought…they weren’t Kizuki, were they?”

Nezuko startled at the question. Senjuro pulled away from the hug, rubbing his face (had it been that red the entire time?) and turning to the other two demons.

“No, they weren’t Kizuki,” Ubuyashiki replied. He frowned, then shook his head. “The Twelve Kizuki have numbers engraved into their eyeballs. And when we examined their remains, neither one of the demons we fought had them.”

Senjuro hummed. “I thought so. I mean…Kizuki would know about my family, right?” He fidgeted with his fingers, his brow furrowing as he stared at them. “I thought it was weird when they made those comments at me. And I didn’t see the numbers either.”

“They definitely should have known who you were,” Rui said, crossing his arms and scoffing. “The fact they could get away with claiming to be such high ranking demons would be impressive if it wasn’t such a stupid lie to go around announcing.”

“It sounded like it was a lie Muzan fed them, based on the way they talked, though,” Ubuyashiki added. “That still doesn’t take away from the fact that they had strong abilities. They must have received something from him, otherwise they wouldn’t have been such threats.”

“Yeah, I’m not arguing with that,” Nezuko agreed. She moved to tuck a strand of stray hair behind her ear and winced when it pulled at one of the lacerations on her arm. Tanjiro noticed, and immediately grabbed her arm, lifting her sleeve to reveal the many long, bloody cuts. His eyes widened, something like panic igniting in them as he took her other arm and uncovered the wounds there too.

“It’s okay, we can treat those,” Nezuko assured him. He didn’t move, staring at the cuts with a bright, somewhat horrified look in his eyes. “It’s nothing too bad, I promise. I don’t even think they need stitches—”

Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.

So much guilt and pain and fear.

What?

Why was Tanjiro feeling guilty? He wasn’t the one who hurt her.

“Hey, what’s wrong, Tanjiro?” Nezuko asked. She cupped his cheek and lifted his head so he wasn’t staring at her wounds. “I’m fine, I promise.”

The demon made a sad noise, still finding a way to peek at the cuts on her forearm. He then closed his eyes and allowed his forehead to knock against her shoulder, triggering another flood of guilt that nearly threw Nezuko off her feet.

What is going on inside your head, Big Brother?

She wondered…

Nezuko took a deep breath and focused her brother’s spirit, letting those feelings wash over as she focused on the presence beneath her hands and imagined reaching for his mind. She didn’t fight anything, letting that connection settle, and saw—

Red eyes belonging to Kibutsuji, staring with a malicious smile while she held onto his forearm—

Hearing children screaming and blood splattering the walls—

Being so close, wanting to kill him now before he got away—-

A promise to never forgive, never forget what that monster did to their family—

Watching that monster disappear into the crowd, a girl’s voice calling his name from behind—

“This is the power of Muzan Kibutsuji—”

A pale forearm, belonging to a girl, lying on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood—

Was Nezuko dead? Was Nezuko dead?

Did I let that monster kill her because I wanted him dead?

I let her get hurt.

THIS IS ALL MY FAULT.

“Oh, Tanjiro.”

Nezuko detached herself from his mind, finding a pair of blood red eyes peering up at her, filled with fear and regret.

Does he really think his desire to avenge our family nearly got me killed?

“Are you still thinking about that?” Nezuko gently asked. “Tanjiro, it’s not your fault I got hurt. I wanted to do this, to protect you. And Kibutsuji…”

Is way stronger than anyone could ever imagine.

Nezuko couldn’t fault her brother completely for the way he reacted when he first saw the Demon King again in the city. The only thing on his mind at the time was probably to kill the monster that took their family away. Perhaps that instinct clouded his judgment on just how powerful he really was. Which would explain why he had been so angry with Nezuko after that encounter.

And after fighting demons that weren’t even Kizuki, but certainly strong enough to nearly kill them, Tanjiro was finally realizing who it was that they were swearing vengeance against.

In a way that Nezuko wasn’t happy about, Tanjiro saw just how lucky they were to have escaped Kibutsuji alive.

“Tanjiro, listen to me,” Nezuko said, once again raising his head so they could talk eye-to-eye. “I know you want to defeat Kibutsuji, and I want to help in any way I can. If killing him will get us to a cure quicker, then I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen. But for that to happen, I—We have to get stronger first.” She smoothed a stray strand of bright red hair, knocking one of his earrings in the process. “It might take me a bit longer for me to catch up, but I mean it—I will get stronger, and we will do it. Just, wait for me, okay? So we can fight him together?”

Tanjiro remained silent, staring at her with glassy eyes and a pained expression. But then he nodded with a faint hum, and hugged her. Nezuko didn’t hesitate to reciprocate the embrace, and heard him make another noise that sounded somewhat like words.

It might have been her imagination, but given the feelings of regret and relief coming from it, the girl swore it sounded like he was trying to say, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Nezuko whispered, rubbing his back and squeezing him tightly. “I know you just want to do what’s right. And we’ll get there.”

They stayed like that for a while until Tanjiro pulled away. He then turned to Senjuro (who had been smiling faintly at the two) and pulled him into a sudden hug. The boy squeaked and shot Nezuko a panicked look, but upon seeing her giggle, relaxed a bit and tentatively returned the gesture.

“Uh, thanks?”

Tanjiro hummed happily and let the boy go. Before anyone could react, he ran down the short hall and threw his arms around Ubuyashiki. The older demon let out an aborted noise of shock and immediately went ramrod still, his arms hovering away from Tanjiro as if trying to avoid touching him. Tanjiro appeared completely oblivious to the tension in the demon’s body.

But everyone else could see it a mile away.

Nezuko made a beeline to the demons right away. “Oh, uh, Tanjiro, maybe you should give Mr. Ubuyashiki some space—”

“GET OFF OF HIM!” Rui practically screeched. He tried to pull Tanjiro away from Ubuyashiki, but he wouldn’t budge. “No one is allowed to touch Master without his permission! And now of all times!? You’ll hurt him!”

“Rui, it’s…I’ll be okay,” Ubuyashiki said. Though judging from how strained his voice sounded and the stiffness in his posture, he seemed a little less than thrilled about the surprise hug. “I was just…a bit unprepared. Please step back a little.”

The demon boy growled but complayed, holding out an arm to stop Nezuko and Senjuro (who had also been about to run over) in their tracks. Carefully, Ubuyashiki lowered his arms and held the demon in a loose embrace, much to her brother’s delight. Tanjiro chose that moment to reach over and pat Rui on the head, electing immediate protests from the demon boy and chatter from the crow on his shoulder.

“Is he alright?” Ubuyashiki asked, sounding a bit concerned as he watched Tanjiro fight off Rui’s attempts to avoid his friendly headpats. “I don’t think he was acting like this before.”

“He might have breathed in your spell, Master,” Rui grumbled, struggling to remove Tanjiro’s hand. “Wasn’t his behavior similar to that?”

“I suppose, but he seems…calmer, and not like he’s under any sort of influence.”

Relieved that the older demon was okay with Tanjiro’s affection for now, Nezuko chuckled and stepped a little closer. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing concerning. That’s just how he normally is with people he trusts.”

Ubuyashiki frowned. “But…we’re demons. And I thought you said that he can tell the difference between humans and demons based on their scent.” He glanced at Rui, then at the black, chewed-up muzzle Tanjiro wore. “It doesn’t seem like he’s biting very hard on his muzzle, so it shouldn’t be affecting the scent he’s breathing in, right?”

“Well, it’s not like Tanjiro has a violent reaction every time he comes into contact with humans,” Nezuko explained. “He’s getting better at not reacting strongly to human scents, especially those he just met. So if he’s not being aggressive with you guys, and wants to protect you, then he must see you as humans, as family.”

“As family…” Ubuyashiki’s voice lowered, his gaze drifting to the floor and staring at a random spot, at something only he could see. “But we’re demons,” he repeated. “We’re…Demons shouldn’t be trusted so quickly. We’ve…I’ve done…I’m not a good person, Nezuko. So why me?”

“Because being a demon doesn’t automatically make you bad. Just like how being human doesn’t always mean you’re good,” Nezuko said firmly. She observed the way Tanjiro continued reaching for Rui and holding onto Ubuyashiki, and smiled back at the demon doctor. “You want to help people, and fix whatever damage you contributed to with Kibutsuji, right? You care, and genuinely want to help. To me, that speaks volumes about the type of person you are.”

“B-But—”

“You’re not a monster, Mr. Ubuyashiki. To me, to the both of us, you’re just as human as every other person we have and will meet in our lives. Never doubt that.”

Someone was singing.

He was crying (or, as much as could), white smoke rising from his eyes. Pathetic sobs racked his frame, so much pain burning his body and guilt plaguing his mind.

He wished he was dead.

Why was he alive?

How could he ever make up for everything he had done?

Why was he always such a blind fool?

A hand covered in burns gently touched his face, lingering only on the spots the owner knew were not afflicted with his burn scars. A voice sang a soft tune, something that belonged to a children’s lullaby they had created for their family.

I don’t deserve your kindness.

Not after what I did to you.

What I made you do.

“Please just kill me.”

Wait, did he say that last part out loud?

“You are not a monster, Kagaya.”

He stiffened, refusing to look at them like the worthless coward he was. But that kind, gentle hand lifted his head, forcing him to see—

To see…

To see…

To see…

…

…

…

“Kagaya.”

—the smoke clear, her beautiful obsidian eyes staring back at him, so full of kindness and love.

The dying flames crackled around them, still burning what remained of the forest. Even after the battle that had just taken place, destruction continued to plague the area. The smell of ash and burning flesh still lingered in the area, making him feel sick and want to run away and hide and forget this night ever happened.

To forget about how all this happened because he didn’t listen to reason and stay.

He looked past her, to the burning red haori crumpled on the ground.

Gods, how could he be so stupid?

Her burned and scarred hand brought his gaze back to her. Her black, fading pink, and white hair gently blew in the warm wind along with her torn yellow-orange haori. Soot from the fire covered her face, which crinkled around her dark eyes as she stared at him.

How was she not crying?

“Kagaya, you did not kill him. Let me bear this burden.”

He shook his head, smoke still coming from his eyes. “Why?”

“Because someone has to, and punishing you would solve nothing. Please.”

“But…B-But why?”

Voices echoed faintly away, yelling His name and hers. Kagaya did not care; all that mattered was her words.

“Because I won’t deny you your humanity, Kagaya.” She smiled at him, something precious and beautiful that made his soul ache.

“You’re not a monster, Kagaya. Never forget that.”

“M-Mr. Ubuyashiki?!”

Father’s legs gave out, and the Sun Demon helped him fall gently to the floor. The older demon’s eyes were crumpled in pain and sorrow with copious amounts of white smoke leaking from them. He choked out a violent sob, then held onto the other demon with the desperation of a drowning man.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” he cried. “I’ve been nothing but selfish this entire time. I…I just want to fix the mess I made, and I…Gods, I can’t stop acting like him.”

“Master…” Rui murmured, at a loss for words.

“Even now, I tried forgetting what I did, and in the process, I…I forgot you! I forgot you, y-your name and your family and our friends!” Father gasped for breath and buried his face in the Sun Demon’s shoulder. “I-I can barely remember what you look like now! And that was your song. I’ve remembered your song all this time, but forgotten you.”

Kamado and Rengoku hovered a few feet away, unsure of what to do and who Father was talking about.

“I’m so sorry. Both of you, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me for being so selfish.”

He wasn’t talking about the people in the room. He was talking to the people from his past.

Rui didn’t know much about them. Father always kept those memories repressed because, according to him, they were gone, and mourning their memory would do no good. He’d rather focus on the work they were doing now than the mistakes he made back then. Though, Rui always found it strange that his master never wanted to share even small details about them.

They were his family, right? Wouldn’t he want to talk about them?

“They’re in the past, and don’t matter anymore,” Father would say whenever Rui asked about them. “Besides, why worry about people who are gone when I have you here with me now?”

Rui used to take comfort in that, rationalizing that Father was putting his energy into his new family, and that Rui should do the same.

But now, seeing the demon he’d come to love and respect with all his heart collapsed on the floor and crying over those people, he realized that perhaps it was much more than that.

Rui knew that White Mind was something Father often used on himself to stop those memories and intrusive thoughts from plaguing his head. So much so, that Rui didn’t think he ever stopped using the ability. What they were seeing now was probably the result of decades of repressed memories coming back to him, forcing him to experience the tidal wave of emotions hidden away for so long.

Father had even offered to use White Mind on Rui long, long ago. When the demon boy had just been newly turned, and the loss of his parents still felt like a gaping wound that would never heal. He said it would make the pain go away, and would give Rui a fresh, new start.

And Rui had said no.

He had a mother and a father that had loved him very much. All they wanted was for him to be happy and healthy. And they sacrificed so much so that he could be here now, alive and well and with someone who cared for him just as much as they did.

Even if it meant pain, Rui didn’t want to sever that bond. Father had understood, thankfully, and never broached the subject again.

He always wondered what led Father to cut off his connection to his past, and just how painful it was that this was the impact his forgotten memories had on him.

Maybe he would never know, and it was just a story that belonged only to Father. And that was something Rui was willing to respect.

So, rather than ask pointless questions, Rui knelt by Father and placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping his touch as light as possible. A part of him half-expected the older demon to tell him to remove his hand and give him some space, which was fine since Rui always respected his boundaries about touch.

But instead, Father’s body relaxed, even as he continued to cry and cling to the Sun Demon. One of Father’s hands slid from Kamado’s brother’s back to rest on Rui’s hand.

“Thank you, all of you,” Father whispered in a broken voice.

Rui said nothing. He wasn’t one for comforting words, and let his silent presence speak for him. Something he was grateful Father would understand.

Nezuko watched as Ubuyashiki collected himself, wiping his eyes of the thin wisps of smoke and allowing Tanjiro and Rui to help him up. He smiled, the gesture full of a deep melancholy and warmth, and nudged Tanjiro so he returned to her side. Rui stayed close to the older demon, a calm attentiveness in his expression.

She wondered what Ubuyashiki’s breakdown had been about, but figured now wasn’t the time to be asking about that. It seemed like something similar to his reaction to Nezuko probing into his mind, but on a grander scale. As if the floodgates to his memories and emotions had been left wide open and overwhelmed him by their sheer magnitude.

A part of Nezuko felt bad that something she said must have triggered this, but before she could even try to apologize, the demon directed that kind smile at her.

“Thank you, Nezuko,” he said. “I didn’t notice it before, but…you really are just like her.”

Like who?

“Master, what about the demon?” Rui asked, eyeing Tanjiro. “Are we…still going to ask?”

That got Nezuko’s attention. “Ask about what?”

“Ah, that.” Ubuyashiki’s smile fell, as if realizing something he had forgotten. He hesitated before speaking, a flash of guilt in his eyes, but ultimately cleared his expression and straightened. “Nezuko, would you like to leave Tanjiro with us?”

“W-What?” Nezuko instinctively reached for her brother’s wrist. She heard Senjuro gasp and swiftly move to the other side of Tanjiro. “Why?”

“We’ll be leaving Asakusa at nightfall since it seems we’ve attracted a decent amount of attention,” Ubuyashiki explained. “It’s not only because Muzan's demons found this place, though. We’ve been here a while, and people I’ve treated may have figured out I’m a demon at this point. Children and the elderly are especially perceptive.”

“I’ll be honest, I can’t guarantee his complete safety, but I’m sure Tanjiro will face less danger with us. Plus, I may be able to study his biology at a much faster rate, which could contribute to a cure sooner. What do you think?”

Nezuko immediately wanted to say no, but found herself wavering on the decision. It wasn’t a terrible request; in fact, after tonight, it made a lot of sense. Between Ubuyashiki’s and Rui’s blood demon arts, they would be able to keep Tanjiro hidden. And there would be more opportunities for them to get a better understanding of him and how to make him human again.

Besides, Kibutsuji is after both me and Tanjiro. If we stayed separated, he would have to divide his focus on two different targets. It might be small, but it would make things a little more challenging for him.

Honestly, it’s a good idea.

…A really good idea.

The two demons would probably be better at taking care of Tanjiro. She was only one human, and if she struggled with fighting demons Kibutsuji sent, who weren’t even high-ranking Kizuki? Would she even be able to protect her brother like she swore she would a few moments ago?

Maybe…this was the best idea—

Tanjiro shook Nezuko’s hold off and tightly grabbed her hand.

Her mind was immediately sent back to that day on the mountain, the cold biting at them as they stood in front of their home and said goodbye to their family.

“I know you’re going to do great things one day. I am here for you too, wherever you go and whatever you decide to do. I promise.”

Nezuko looked into Tanjiro’s eyes, a steady determination in them.

Looks like he has his mind made up.

“Thank you, Mr. Ubuyashiki,” Nezuko said, turning back to the demon and offering him a small bow. “Your offering is incredibly generous, but Tanjiro and I are going to stay together. Nothing is going to separate us.”

Never again.

Nezuko expected the older demon to argue with her answer (and perhaps Rui looked ready to), but instead, he sighed, as if relieved, and smiled again.

“No need to apologize, I completely understand.” He placed a hand on Rui’s shoulder, and the two had some sort of silent conversation that ended in the demon boy nodding and relaxing. “If that’s the case, then I suppose we’ll help you three prepare to leave.”

“Sounds good,” Nezuko replied, grateful for the way things turned out.

Tanjiro took that as his cue to give a happy cry and race back up the stairs.

“Uh, I got him!” Senjuro quickly ran after the demon, shooting Nezuko a brief (but just as relieved) smile as he passed her. “Tanjiro, wait!”

Rui rolled his eyes and made to follow the two. “You and that demon are both so brash in your decisions, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten yourselves killed yet.” As he passed Nezuko, he paused, and spoke without looking at her. “But…I would be an ignorant fool to not see how willing you are to protect one another. I suppose you do have a strong sibling bond after all."

Nezuko stared, dumbfounded yet touched by the demon boy's words. “Thanks, Rui,” she whispered, smiling softly at him.

The demon boy didn’t reply and continued after Tanjiro and Senjuro. The crow on his shoulder co*cked its head at her, and offered a soft croak and nod of its tiny head before they disappeared upstairs. Nezuko and Ubuyashiki followed a few moments later, but right before going up the stairs, the demon doctor spoke.

“Nezuko, before you leave, there’s actually a favor I’d like to ask of you…”

“Hurry up! We’re heading Southeast!” Chachamaru called out, running ahead and waiting for Nezuko and Senjuro to catch up. “Your next destination is South-Southeast! And we’re behind! Hurry up!”

“We’re coming!” Nezuko groaned, becoming a bit annoyed at how frequently her cat repeated the direction they were headed in. “And we’re still tired! So sorry if we’re going a bit slower than normal!”

Chachamaru didn’t seem to care and kept nudging them forward with his chatter. Ukogi flew just above the cat, chirping rapidly whenever the two were lagging behind or the cat got too close.

As much as Nezuko loved the Kasugai, she couldn’t decide if the meowing or cheeping were worse. And they certainly weren’t helping her headache or exhaustion.

After being treated for their injuries, Nezuko, Tanjiro, and Senjuro had said their goodbyes to Ubuyashiki and Rui. They left a little after noon, and two Demon Slayers had been traveling for a few hours now, with Tanjiro safely back in his box, sleeping off the battle of the previous night.

Thankfully, none of their injuries had been life-threatening. Nezuko was tired, though, and despite taking a short nap before leaving, desperately wished for more of a break. Especially after two back to back missions (which looked like it was going to turn into three at this rate). Maybe, if she got lucky, their travels would take them somewhere to rest a bit more before the next assignment.

At least Senjuro was traveling with her again. That was nice, and the boy seemed just as happy about walking together through the countryside to their next destinations as she was.

Speaking of which…

“Hey, so where are you heading next?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, I’m not sure yet.” Senjuro rubbed the back of his neck with his bandaged hand. “Usually, Ukogi has my assignments delivered to me on paper. But he didn’t have anything with him when he and your cat met us outside the city, so I’m just going to play it by ear, I guess.”

Made sense. Though, it did pique another question the girl hadn’t thought about before.

“So, why were you in Asakusa in the first place?” Nezuko asked. “Did you have a mission there too?”

Senjuro nodded. “Yeah. Well, sort of. Not a typical ‘killing a demon’ mission. I was supposed to meet someone there, and then be escorted to Headquarters. I don’t travel much, so I guess it was more to get me familiar with that than having a bigger purpose.”

“Oh, okay.” They walked in silence for a bit, until Nezuko had a third thought and frowned. “Wait, so, did you ever get to meet with them?”

Senjuro didn’t respond. It took a moment for the girl to realize he wasn’t walking beside her anymore. She stopped and turned around.

Senjuro stood ramrod still, a look of pure, unadulterated horror written all over his face.

“Oh sh*t.”

Did he...just swear?

“Oh…oh sh*t! sh*t! OH MY sh*t!”

Nezuko took a careful step towards him. “Uh, Senjuro—?”

“I FORGOT ABOUT MY MISSION!”

“H-Hey, it’s okay, just calm down,” Nezuko said, a bit worried when she saw the boy’s breathing picking up and the way he was pulling at his hair. “I’m sure it’s not a big deal—”

“No, you don’t understand! I was meeting a hashira! A hashira! We had a meeting time and everything! And I ditched her! I DITCHED A HASHIRA AND NEARLY DIED IN THE PROCESS!”

Oh…okay, that was kind of bad.

“My father is going to kill me!” Senjuro cried. Now he was pacing and seemed to be ignoring Ukogi’s frantic attempts to get his attention, even when the tiny bird was practically hovering right in front of him. “This was my chance to show him I could do something on my own, and I couldn’t even do that!”

Nezuko didn’t know what the best course of action would be, but was becoming increasingly worried and a bit stressed herself at how quickly the boy was working himself up into a panicked frenzy.

In fact, they were so focused on the issue at hand, neither one of them noticed the figure shuffling towards them down the road.

Okay, okay, uh, let’s not let this spiral too much,” Nezuko tried to rationalize to herself. What if he just wrote a message and had his sparrow deliver it to hashira? Or his father? Or maybe both? If that’s the case, then we can use Chachamaru—

Nezuko’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she was suddenly bumped harshly to the side.

“Hey!” Nezuko winced and grabbed her shoulder, still sore from the kama demon’s attack. She turned to the person, her annoyance rising when they kept walking and ignored her. “Watch where you’re going! It’s rude to just…walk…away?”

Nezuko watched in confusion as the person who shoved her—a boy—continued moving forward at a slow, staggered pace. His feet dragged against the dirt trail as if there were weights tied to them, and his arms swung aimlessly from side to side with each step he took.

Even Senjuro had stopped his frantic mumbling when he heard Nezuko and saw the mystery person keep moving wandering away.

“Is he…okay?” he tentatively asked.

They got their answer when the boy tripped over his feet and fell face-first into the ground. And didn’t get back up.

“I guess not.”

Nezuko and Senjuro strode over to the body and knelt by it. Thankfully, they could see his shoulders rising and falling, meaning he was not dead (yay, sort of?). But he remained unmoving, even after a minute had passed.

But they shared a look when they saw the symbol on the back of his jacket, realizing he was wearing a Demon Slayer uniform. Together, they turned him onto his back and found him breathing deeply through his mouth, as if it were meant to be meditative.

Also, for some reason, he was wearing a blue blindfold.

Did someone put that on him? What happened to this guy?

Nezuko removed the cloth covering his eyes, revealing that the boy had, in fact, passed out. There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well, and his dark hair parted down the middle looked incredibly disheveled, like it hadn’t been brushed in days.

He looks familiar…

Where have I seen him before?

“Hey, I think he’s waking up,” Senjuro said, scooching back a little.

Sure enough, the boy groaned, and muttered something under his breath. Nezuko leaned in to try and hear him better.

“Are you okay?” Nezuko asked.

There was a brief flash of blue as the boy abruptly blinked awake, finally opening his dark eyes.

He took one look at Nezuko’s face…

And screamed.

“DEMON!”

He sat up faster than expected and headbutted Nezuko square in the forehead. She screamed, and both went down.