Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It all started when she had to replace her brother on a mission.

The mission of selling charcoal downtown one very cold winter morning.

Sure, it was her older brother’s job! But just a few days ago, he had slipped on the snow, fallen and broken his leg. Now, the duty of providing for their family fell to her, and she would take it as best as she could!

Or so she had thought.

She stayed the night over at an old man’s house, who claimed that there were demons outside and warned her to be careful. By the time she came back, her whole family had been brutally slaughtered, with the only survivor being her older brother Tanjiro.

She had no time to grieve; she had to get him to a doctor.

The only problem was… Tanjiro was too heavy to move on her own. She tried to pick him up; she even tried to drag him on the slippery snow, but… It yielded no results.

“Help!” she yelled. “My brother is not-!”

But, suddenly, as if his leg wasn’t broken, Tanjiro stood up from the snow and lounged at her with a speed so brutal she barely had time to dodge. He was a mess: growling, slitted pupils, fangs and bloodlust previously unseen on him.

She never had a chance! It only took one more lounge from him to pin her to the ground. Now, she knew that Tanjiro was stronger than her; they had wrestled many times, but at that moment, he seemed to be even stronger than usual.

Fangs, eyes, strength… What the hell is going on!

Just when she thought she would get bitten, a strange man approached them and almost beheaded Tanjiro with a quick movement. Tanjiro noticed him and dodged right on time, jumping away.

“Wait!” Nezuko was quick to stand up, rushing up to where the man was, standing in front of him. “That’s my older brother! You can’t kill him!”

The black-haired, blue-eyed man glared at her, as Tanjiro stayed back, knowing of the danger.

“That’s no longer your brother, that’s a demon!” he exclaimed, and proceeded to attack Tanjiro again.

She tried to get in between them several times, to the point where the armed man attempted to hit her with the hilt of his Sword to knock her out. Right then, her brother jumped to her defence, panting heavily as drool dropped from his mouth.

Somehow, in a blur, he grabbed a nearby axe and almost hit the armed man’s head while growling like a wild, possessed beast. Next thing Nezuko saw, Tanjiro was knocked out and muzzled by that man in a second, sent to train under some man named Urokodaki Sakonji in order to find a cure for her brother.

“Keep him away from the sun,” had been the mysterious man’s last words to her.

She didn’t even need to be told twice; her brother seemed to be naturally terrified by direct sunlight. He quite literally dug a hole inside a cave and stayed inside with an expression that basically read: ‘I will die if I go outside.’

“Nii-san, are you alright?” she asked, standing next to the hole he had dug himself into.

He just hummed behind his muzzle, hugging his knees tighter while looking down with a kicked puppy expression.

“This is troublesome… You’re too heavy to carry in a container, so I guess we’ll have to travel during the night,” she smiled gently, caressing the maroon locks softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out.”

Each night, they continued their travels. Hand-in-hand, they would walk towards the direction the mysterious man had given them, asking locals for directions in hope of finding the place.

Then, one fateful night, while they were passing by a temple, Tanjiro seemed to smell something. He grabbed Nezuko’s wrist and pulled her along: reaching a place that, upon arrival, was filled with corpses and blood. In the middle of the room, stood a demon, feasting on the deceased.

Nezuko held onto the axe they were carrying as the entity lounged at her, attempting to kill her. It started strangling her as her brother stood paralysed by the door, his expression not visible from her position. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a mighty headbutt from her brother decapitated the demon.

“What the hell! Aren’t you a demon?! Why are you defending that human!” It yelled.

Tanjiro’s response was another attack, resulting in a slash to the face. Unfortunately, while her brother was focused on the head, the demon body started attacking her. She somehow defended herself with the axe, managing to land a kick to its stomach, causing it to fall on its butt. She then rushed up to where Tanjiro was, using the axe to pin the head to a nearby tree, since it had grown arms. While her brother turned back to fight the incoming body, she used a downward kick to knock the demon out.

It worked.

As soon as it was out, its body stopped moving.

And then, approached a man wearing a red Tengu mask.

“Aren’t you going to kill it?” he asked.

“How? I beheaded him and he still won’t die,” she looked up at him in distress, while her brother eyed the new man suspiciously.

“Why don’t you think a little, young lady?” the tengu man answered back with a question.

Nezuko then looked around, looking for anything she could use to kill the demon. Her eyes then landed on a huge rock. It would surely crack the demon’s skull and kill it, that was what she told herself.

Quickly and decisively, she rushed up to that rock, picking it up with both her hands and carrying it towards the pinned demon head with difficulty. She didn’t hesitate too much. Sure, smashing a humanoid head was disgusting. But the thing had attacked her and her brother after all.

She dropped the rock on the demon’s head, effectively smashing it.

The red tengu masked man nodded in approval.

“Good,” he mumbled, before taking out his sword and cutting the remainders of the head into tiny pieces with his katana at unthinkable speed.

Just then, the demon’s body fully disintegrated.

“You know when to act, young lady… Now… Can you follow my step?” he said before he suddenly took off running.

Without missing a beat, Tanjiro lifted Nezuko up on his shoulder and chased after the guy with a speed she didn’t even know her brother could reach. It was clear that his leg had fully regenerated the moment he had turned into a demon.

The tengu masked guy hummed as he looked back at them but did not say anything about her brother basically carrying her instead of her running. Soon, they arrived at his home, and he finally introduced himself as Urokodaki Sakonji, the man they had been looking for.

“It will be morning soon. I advise you both to take a bath. Nezuko, your training will begin at night,” he simply stated.

And that was how her living hell of a training started.

Apparently, she had to run up a mountain full of traps every night and not die trying. Meanwhile, her brother fell into a slumber that he did not seem to be waking up from. Seriously, before she knew it, he had been sleeping for months. Even when Urokodaki told her he could not teach her anything else and to split the huge boulder if she wanted to go to final selection, the guy was still sleeping like a baby.

Will he ever wake up? She asked herself time and time again. Yet he remained blissfully asleep.

“What bothers you, my lady?” asked a voice behind her one day, while she practiced water breathing.

When she turned around, a boy with fire-head who wore a mask, together with a girl, were standing behind her.

“It’s just… I need to split this boulder in half to go to final selection,” Nezuko lamented with a chuckle. “My sensei is done teaching me, and won’t allow me into final selection otherwise.”

“Ah, I see,” the guy chuckled. “In that case, I’ll train you myself. I’m Sabito, and this is Makomo.”

And so, a new era of hell began as she got beaten up by that random guy daily. Meanwhile, her older brother was still in a coma, oblivious to her developing hand callouses and black eyes.

Then, after two years of gruesome training, she finally split the boulder and much to Urokodaki’s dismay, went to the final selection exam, where she found herself amongst dozens of men and just one other girl.

Chapter Text

At the exam place were many guys, none of which were familiar to her. The one that caught her attention the most was a blond guy, who seemed to be terrified. Then, there was a gorgeous, beautiful girl with a side ponytail held by a butterfly hair accessory. Next to the girl was a short, pale guy with curly hair and golden eyes. And, near the centre was a very grumpy guy wearing a purple yukata who had a particularly terrible haircut.

“We’re all going to die,” mumbled the blond boy, shaking in his boots with tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

“When’s the exam starting!” exclaimed the guy with a terrible haircut.

The pretty girl and the guy that accompanied her stayed quiet, arms linked with each other.

And then, two creepy twins who looked like cursed dolls welcomed them into the exam, explaining that they’d have to survive for 7 days in that demon-infested forest.

The blond rushed up to where the pretty girl and the boy with curly hair were, clinging to the boy’s arm like his life depended on it.

“Waaaah, you have to protect me!” he cried out loud.

“Shut your bitch ass up,” the other guy answered, smacking the blond’s head with a cocky smirk. “As long as you use that ability of yours, we should be good.”

The girl said nothing, but her eyes held mild contempt for the blond clinging to the guy she was with.

 Ability? They have a plan?

Nezuko immediately approached them. After all, their survival chances were higher if they travelled in groups.

Who on their right mind goes into that forest alone? What if more than one demon attacks at the same time?

“Guys, wait up!” Nezuko exclaimed, jogging towards them as they passed by the wisteria trees.

The three heads turned around to look at her as she reached them.

“Hi, uh… I wouldn’t want to go alone into the forest; can I join you all?” she asked, smiling at the group.

Before she could even react, the crying blond man was no longer crying, holding onto her hands as if they had known each other for years with an expression she was not too fond of.

“Where did such a beauty come from! Of course you can join us! You can also join me in marriage!” he practically drooled as he spoke.

Did I make a mistake by approaching this group…?

The pretty girl was quick to knuckle the back of the blond’s head, causing him to abruptly let go to rub the area where he had been struck.

“Zenitsu, you’re so gross it’s almost frightening,” the curly-haired guy grimaced. “Sorry about my adoptive cousin. He’s weird as fuck,” he added, pushing the blond to the side and standing in front of her in his stead.

“You guys always ruin my chances!” the blond whined.

Nezuko could feel the veins on her forehead swell in anger. “You never had a chance, you weirdo!” she harshly exclaimed, her voice going deeper and more potent.

“Wah! She’s so mean, just like Kanao-chan!” the guy whose name was apparently Zenitsu cried out.

Kanao-chan? Is it that pretty girl he’s talking about?

Nezuko’s eyes diverted towards the only feminine figure besides herself in the entire exam. She looked utterly calm and composed, a close-mouthed gentle smile dressing her lips as they made eye contact.

“Alright, if you’re gonna join us, allow us to introduce ourselves,” the boy with curly hair took initiative. “My name’s Kibutsuji Kaizen, that wimp is my cousin Agatsuma Zenitsu, and this is my best friend Tsuyuri Kanao,” he pointed towards both people as he mentioned them.

“Right... Well, my name is Kamado Nezuko, it is very nice to meet you all,” she smiled sweetly, bowing politely.

As they left the wisteria trees behind and walked into the deeper mountain, Kaizen lowered his voice and approached her ear. “We have a plan for survival, listen carefully,” he whispered conspiratorially.

“What is the plan?” she asked back in a whisper. After all, the possibility of them having a plan was the reason why she had joined in the first place.

“My cousin has an insane hearing ability, so we’ll use that to avoid those damn demons as much as we can,” he whispered into her ear. “And, during daytime, we gather supplies and use my cousin’s ability to find demons who might be buried underground, digging them out of their holes to try and kill them with sunlight.”

Of course, killing them with sunlight during the day would be relatively easier if they had a way to find them. Though…

“Isn’t that cheating?” she whispered back, looking at the curly-haired boy’s golden eyes.

“The only rule for passing is not dying, nothing says we can’t forcefully drag demons into the sunlight,” he smiled eerily. “Plus, if I die, my dad will kill me.”

Nezuko just stared at him, unsure of what to respond to that. She then looked ahead in the forest, and so all of them became alert for the sound or movement of any demon.

“There’s one coming from our left,” Zenitsu shakily whispered.

“Is it safe to go straight on?” Kaizen whispered back.

“Yeah,” the blond whispered back.

Kanao said nothing to that.

That way, they were able to dodge most demons during the first night. Based on Zenitsu’s hearing ability, they survived and used daylight hours to sleep first and then gather supplies as noon approached.

“This mushroom is edible, that one is poisonous, this one is a hallucinogenic…” Kaizen mumbled as he picked up and discarded mushrooms in different coloured bags.

He was in charge of collecting fruits, vegetables, medicinal herbs and mushrooms, since he was the son of a doctor and apparently trained in pharmacology. Zenitsu stayed with him to help collect, while Nezuko and Kanao were sent to hunt.

“Kanao,” Nezuko spoke as the other girl beheaded a couple of medium-sized birds, picking them up for dinner. “Do you think we should go to the river to try and get some fish?” she asked.

Kanao just nodded, still not talking as she flashed her one of those cute smiles of hers.

“Cool,” Nezuko chuckled as she beheaded and caught a bird herself. “We can make grilled fish and some stew depending on what the boys gather.

Sure enough, when they returned to their base for the day, Zenitsu and Kaizen had already prepared a fire and were using a pot that they had found inside a demon’s hole and washed at the river. Not before dragging that demon out into the sun, of course.

They had set some water from the river in the pot, boiling it and adding in a bunch of herbs and chopped mushrooms.

“You brought meat and fish?! You girls are amazing!” the blond fell on his knees and nearly started crying, clinging to Nezuko’s trousers and rubbing his cheek against her leg. “You should marry me, please…”

Nezuko nearly knocked him out with a kick to the face. “Stop that already!” she exclaimed angrily, walking up towards the fire along with Kanao.

“Do you know how to skin those?” Kaizen asked, tilting his head. “Zenitsu can clean out the fish, I’ll go get more herbal medicines while you girls are at that.”

“Yeah, I can skin these birds,” Nezuko smiled, looking down at their prey and then back at Kanao. “How about you take care of the stew while I skin these and Zenitsu hopefully cleans the fish?”

Kanao just nodded and walked up to the fire. She then turned to the blond with a frown. “You! Get to work, the fish are in the green cloth!”

Teary-eyed and swollen-cheeked, the blond boy got to work as his cousin left for more herbal supplies.

If that was going to be the exam, Nezuko thought that it would be easy enough. She just had to use the blond’s ability to avoid demons, rely on the other guy’s medicinal knowledge to avoid getting food poisoning, and having a strong team member like Kanao in case things got rough.

If all seven days were going to be like that, they would make it out alive.

She had been afraid of doing the exam on her own, since her chances of survival were slim if she was by herself in the forest. But, seeing how it was, she felt more confident in being able to become a demon slayer and bringing a cure back to her older brother.

Or so she had thought.

One night, a demon chased after them. And it was not just any demon. It was a huge, ugly, terrifying demon whose body was basically just hands. It was a hand demon, and it was the largest they had encountered. They had tried to avoid it but, unfortunately, he felt attracted to the group, as they were many people together in one place.

“My, my! Do my eyes deceive me!” it laughed, looking down at them as they arrived at a more secluded area of the forest. “If it isn’t one of Urokodaki’s pupils! I can’t believe the old man sent another child to her death! I’d recognise those masks anywhere!”

It lounged against her first. Fortunately, thanks to her training, she was able to dodge.

Zenitsu ran off into the forest in fear; Kanao repositioned herself quickly, and Kaizen unsheathed his sword as it slightly leaked a strange, transparent liquid. The three of them surrounded the hand demon, striking it from different sides and dodging its attacks as best as they could.

They were doing alright surviving, though they were nowhere near getting to his head. That was, at least, until the hand demon managed to get one of its hands on Kaizen’s waist, lifting him off the ground and taking him towards its mouth.

“God fucking damn it, your breath smells! Eugh!” he yelled and gagged from the demon’s hand.

“Shut up, minuscule snack!” the hand demon yelled, his breath causing Kaizen to actually throw up on its body, all teary-eyed. “Fuck…”

“You disgusting tiny prick-!” the demon squeezed Kaizen’s body in its hand, causing him to yelp and vomit again.

“Kaizen!” Kanao finally said her first word since Nezuko had met her, yelling her friend’s name as she jumped to try and cut the hand demon’s arm. Unfortunately, she got trapped by another arm coming from that thing.

“Well, I guess your friends will be my entrées, Urokodaki’s student,” the hand demon rejoiced in his laughter.

Using every last bit of her training and knowledge, Nezuko jumped and dodged its attacks based on instinct, using all she had to cut the demon’s hard arms off, releasing Kanao and Kaizen immediately.

Surprisingly, as they fought, the demon started getting slower with time, until its skin started turning blue and its limbs dried up and fell off. Right then, Nezuko took the chance and, with all her strength from splitting that boulder, beheaded the demon’s neck, which was as hard and large.

“What the hell… Why’d it suddenly dry up?” Nezuko panted after the fight as she walked towards her teammates.

“Poison,” answered Kaizen, standing up from the floor and rubbing his waist. “I used some wisteria flowers and herbs I found in the forest to craft an anti-demon poison and coat my blade with it.”

That day, Nezuko learnt that, in the world of demons, teamwork was crucial. Harnessing each person’s strengths and knowing their weaknesses was the only way to proceed from then on.

Nii-san, I hope you wake up soon.

Chapter Text

In a blink, it had been seven days.

After the battle with the hand demon, they managed to find Zenitsu hiding nearby; he hadn’t gone too far, trusting that they would defeat it. Then, the following 7 days and the rest of the demons they fought were infinitely easier.

Here was what Nezuko learnt about her new friends:

Agatsuma Zenitsu was a pervert who would lose his head for any and every girl he crossed paths with. He was clingy and cowardly, and Nezuko was not particularly fond of him. However, he did have an exceptional hearing, so superhuman that he was able to perceive people’s heartbeats and recognise emotions by sound alone. Apparently, he had learnt thunder breathing with his adoptive grandfather, who was Kaizen’s biological grandfather.

Kibutsuji Kaizen was a strategist who was not very fond of sword fighting. He was the son of a renowned doctor whom he said was also a demon slayer. He was a bit sensitive to bad smells, which made his doctor apprenticeship harder than needed. He preferred working with antidotes and chemicals; and he insisted that he was ‘definitely not a drug dealer.’ Well, at least he seemed to respect girls. Apparently, his sword technique was invented by his dad, deriving it from Water breathing. It was called Blood breathing.

Then, there was Tsuyuri Kanao. She was beautiful, nice, seemed to radiate kindness from under her stoic façade, and she was tremendously strong and skilled! Nezuko wondered what her training had been like for her to be that talented. She hadn’t said much but, out of the entire group, she seemed like the best of them all. Her fighting style was just so elegant! Flower breathing? So sweet! Nezuko wished she had been taught that! Instead, she just used basic Water breathing. She also had nice hair, beautiful clothes, was in really good shape and her eyes were so pretty. She also looked so soft! Nezuko wondered how hugging her would feel. Probably nice, because she also smelled so good-

“And now, you will choose the ore with which your sword shall be crafted,” one of the creepy twins interrupted her thoughts.

Right, she had just been given a Kasugai crow. And now she was supposed to choose which out of those random pieces of metal would be best for her own nichirin blade. What a tough choice!

“Eenie meenie miney moe, who’s the toughest of them all… This one,” Kaizen was the first to choose out of all of them, at random.

Right… If the Demon Slayer Corp is presenting all of those, it must be because all of them are fit for a sword, so… It doesn’t matter which one we choose.

Nezuko rushed up towards the table, looking at the pieces before finally pointing at one. “This one looks right for me!”

“This is bullshit!” the purple yukata guy with a terrible haircut seemed to have survived the exam, and he was now grabbing one of the creepy twin’s hair! “I want my sword now! This is a waste of time, give me a fucking sword!”

Nezuko wasted no time, approaching the guy and crossing her arms. “Hey! Let her go right now, that’s no way of speaking to anyone!”

The guy’s face turned red upon her speaking to him, and he immediately let go of the twin’s hair, mumbling an apology, stuttering through his ore selection and rushing away from her like a panicked dog.

What’s with the guys in this field?

Before she knew it, she was back at Urokodaki’s place and, surprisingly enough, her brother was finally awake after 2 years of slumber! She was too tired to rush towards him, but she didn’t need to. He ran up to her and hugged her so tight she thought he might actually break one of her bones.

“Nii-san, please,” she choked out breathlessly.

Upon seeing her, Urokodaki approached them with tears in his eyes. And so, he hugged both of them tightly as he cried in silence.

Beautiful, wasn’t it?

Well. Now she had a problem. Urokodaki had made a wooden box for her to keep her shapeshifted small brother inside. The problem was… While on her way to her first mission after getting her sword, her back was killing her! How was tiny Tanjiro so heavy!

And most of all… How was she supposed to just carry him all the time!

It’s fine… I’ll get used to it, she bitterly thought as she stretched her back during one of her breaks on the way to a town.

She adjusted her haori and her skirt before taking the box on her back again and rushing towards her first mission once more.

Of course, her first solo mission had to be fighting a demon who targeted girls around her age… Even demon men were disgusting. The only known exception was probably her older brother.

As soon as the night fell, she –kind of– kicked Tanjiro out of the box so that he’d walk on his own. She was not about to get premature back problems! Tanjiro did not seem to mind after fully waking up, rubbing his eyes and taking her hand to walk by her side.

With her brother’s help and strength, they both managed to defeat that gross demon, managing to save the life of one girl he was trying to kidnap. A man who had lost his fiancée to her yelled at her for not doing more and reproached that she didn’t know what losing someone important to her was.

Tanjiro headbutted him, huffing behind his muzzle before he angrily pulled her away from the scene.

Yeah… Even when turned into a demon, he was still her overprotective older brother.

Regardless. First mission success! Surely, the rest could not be that hard, right?

R i g h t ?

“Nezuko-chan! I’m so glad you’re here, doing a mission together with me! We should go out after!”

Right, of course her second mission had to be a couple mission with none other than Agatsuma Zenitsu: the simp.

She felt grossed out just by looking at his ugly, perverted face.

“For the record, I’m not going on a date with you,” she poked his chest harshly with her index. “Learn how to respect girls!”

“I respect girls, I swear! I’ll respectfully take you on a date!”

“No way!”

Sooner than later, they ended up reaching the town they had their mission at. And, surprise, surprise, there was a demon who had kidnapped the brother of two children and taken him into a house.

“Alright… Are you going in or what?” Nezuko huffed, crossing her arms as she looked at her blond companion.

“What? No way! I can hear several demons inside this place!” his hair seemed electrified as he refused to go into the house.

“Aren’t you a demon slayer too?” she angrily pointed out.

“You saw how I passed! I relied on you, Kaizen and Kanao not to die! If I go in there, it’s over for me!” he yelled hysterically, shaking his head frantically.

“You know what? Fine,” Nezuko groaned, taking off the box where she carried Tanjiro from her back. “Then stay here and take care of my stuff and the children. My most valued possession is in there, so don’t you dare leave it alone,” she scolded, poking his chest again as he whined.

She ignored his whining, instructed the children to stay outside with him and rushed inside the house on her own. Though, soon enough, the children came running into that God-forsaken estate, and Zenitsu rushed in right behind them.

“You’re supposed to stay outside, you suicidal brats!” he panickily exclaimed.

“Shut up! Your shaking is making us nervous!” the brother exclaimed.

Nezuko immediately froze. Tanjiro’s box, it had been left alone outside.

“Guys… You have to go back outside, alright? Take care of my box, I’ll handle the demons in here,” she mumbled. Before she had the chance to say anything else, though, the beat of a drum could be heard and, suddenly, she was in a different room with the little girl.

What…?

Is this like the thing the previous demon I fought used? A Blood Demon Art?

Much more importantly, though, she now had to protect a child while fighting God-knows-what level demons!

“Onee-san, I’m a bit scared,” the girl held onto her haori tightly.

Nezuko knew she needed to step up. She breathed in and smiled down at her. “It’s alright, stay close to me. I’ll get you out of here and I’ll find your brother,” she smiled gently.

Ah, if only I had Tanjiro’s sharp sense of smell…

She thought about her brother. She needed to hurry up, get the mission over with and rush outside to make sure that his box was intact. She had thought about bringing him inside the mansion to aid her in battle like the previous time, but she knew that he needed sleep to recover as a substitute for eating human flesh.

In the end, she ended up coming across a very strange demon that had plenty of drums. As it turned out, he appeared to be a former Lower Moon –Urokodaki Sensei had taught her about the demon moons back during her stay with him.

Huh… So Lower Moons can get kicked off the team.

Luckily, both her and the girl were teleported to another room with the beat of his drum. And, in that room, she was lucky enough to find a drum, testing it with the girl and getting teleported to another random room, where her lost brother happened to teleport as well.

“Nii-chan!” the girl exclaimed, rushing to hug her older brother tightly.

He hugged her back, kissing her head and looking up at Nezuko.

“Alright, guys… Here, take this drum,” she smiled gently. “If any demon approaches you… Just play it, it will teleport you to safety. I’ll defeat the demon and find you, alright?”

The two children nodded and, with that, she left in search of the drum demon. She came across it at another room and, fighting him was a… boar? A man? A man with the head of a boar? Where were his clothes? Why was he only wearing old pants?

“I’LL KILL YOU, RRAH!” he jumped at the demon, but the room turned, causing the just-arrived Nezuko to fall on her side.

The guy, however, seemed unfazed, adapting to the movements of the room.

“I’ll have some Marechi, and I’ll be admitted to the Lower Moons once more!” the drum demon exclaimed.

Now, it took a while for Nezuko to adapt. She got injured from some of the demon’s attacks, and the boar-headed guy was yelling so much it was just confusing her thoughts even more. However, after a few broken ribs and some internal pep talking, she finally joined forces with the weird boar and managed to put an end to the demon, taking an opening the other slayer had generated to behead it.

“What’s your name?” Nezuko panted right after the battle was done.

“I am the great Hashibira Inosuke!” he introduced himself loudly. “I am the King of the Mountains!”

Right, another weirdo…

“Nice to meet you,” she smiled. “My name is Kamado Nezuko. I am, uh… A dweller of the mountains?”

“HAHA! Of course you are, Kamaboko Nozuke!”

“It’s Kamado Nezuko,” she deadpanned.

“Kamobo Nozuke!”

She just walked up to him and yanked his mask so hard she ended up yanking his hair with it. “Kamado Nezuko! Now, help me find the children that are trapped in this mansion before we get out!”

Inosuke yelped in pain, slapping her hand away hard. “You can’t tell me what to do! I am-!”

But just a look into Nezuko’s terrifying gaze was enough for him to fold like a paper sheet.

“Fine, but I’ll do it because I want to! Not because you’re telling me to!”

So he’s that type of guy…

“I bet you can’t find them before I do!” she challenged, just to speed up the searching process since she was tired.

“You think I can’t?! I’ll find everyone before you know it! See you outside!” and with that, he took off running like his life depended on it.

By the time she got outside, everyone was there waiting, including Zenitsu and the other child.

Wait…

Zenitsu was holding onto Tanjiro’s box while that Inosuke guy beat the shit out of him for it! Why was he doing that!

“Hey, stop it!” Nezuko rushed up towards the box. “That box has my stuff in it, you dumbass!” she yelled, attempting –and failing– to move Inosuke from there.

“Are you stupid?! There’s clearly a demon in that box!” Inosuke yelled.

In the end, she had to have a one-on-one short distance fight where she got even more bones broken… Though… She did kick Inosuke’s head unconscious, probably fracturing his skull.

In the end, all of them were thoroughly beaten up by the time they got to the wisteria house. She was given a room of her own since she was the only girl and, just when she thought she was going to sleep in peace… The two fucking guys came into her room without even knocking. Whatever happened to privacy.

“What do you want?” she sat by the box in her nemaki.

“We just wanted to see that box,” Inosuke admitted, holding onto Zenitsu’s wrist.

“I didn’t want to come here! I don’t wanna see it!” the blond exclaimed, trying to release himself from the other guy’s hold.

It was too late, though. Before any of them could say anything else, Tanjiro opened the box and crawled out of it, shape-shifted into a form small enough to fit in. Upon exiting it, he grew back to his regular size, tilting his head as he looked at their new companions.

A beat of silence.

“WAH! THERE’S REALLY A DEMON!” Zenitsu was practically foaming at the mouth in fear. “WHY’D YOU KEEP THAT WITH YOU!”

“It’s not a that, it’s my older brother!” she scolded, approaching him and pulling his ear. “His name is Tanjiro, and he’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet!”

Inosuke approached Tanjiro with curiosity, looking at him with narrow eyes and taking a hold of his now cold cheek, squeezing it slightly. “Gonpachiro, huh… He looks a bit strange.”

“His name is Tanjiro, and what do you mean ‘a bit strange’?” She practically growled out. “He looks great! And he’s the best!”

“Why is he wearing this?” Inosuke tried to take off Tanjiro’s muzzle.

Tanjiro just responded by grabbing his wrist and gently moving it away, smiling gently behind that bamboo.

“He’s the reason I became a demon slayer,” Nezuko stood next to her brother once more, immediately getting her head patted by him. “I’m trying to find some sort of cure, though I don’t know where to start…”

“Well… From what I know, we should head to the Butterfly Estate,” Zenitsu commented, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the walls. “It’s a bit far from here though… But there work two hashira who are doctors and might be able to help us.”

“Two hashira who are also doctors, huh…” Nezuko scratched her chin in thought and looked up at her brother, who was gently caressing her head. “What do you think, nii-san?”

Tanjiro gave her a smile, a happy hum and a nod, which she took as a positive sign. Now she just had to break the news to them without them deciding to kill her brother…

Oh, well. Tomorrow’s worries were useless today. So, she decided to cross that bridge when they got there and go to bed for the time being.

Chapter Text

Of course they could not take a break. Almost immediately after barely recovering from their injuries, their Kasugai crows were yelling at them to go to Mount Natagumo. Once again, she had to carry Tanjiro in his box, on her back.

“I could carry that for you, Nezuko-chan,” Zenitsu fluttered his eyelashes at her.

“I’m stronger, I can carry it!” Inosuke yelled.

She wanted nothing more than to let someone else carry her burden. However…

There was no way she was giving Tanjiro’s box to any of those idiots… Zenitsu would be unable to protect him, and Inosuke was far too reckless.

Ah… I’d rather break my own back.

“I think I’m good, thank you,” she smiled politely.

By the time the sun set, they were at their destination. And, sure enough, Zenitsu started crying and covering his ears, shaking his head frantically.

“No way! All I hear are screams!” he yelled, pulling on his own hair.

“I don’t give a shit. See you later, suckers!” Inosuke started rushing into the forest.

Ugh… Whatever, I’ll do without his hearing ability.

“Fine, stay here!” Nezuko rushed up behind Inosuke. She needed to get the mission done as soon as possible so that she could speak to the hashira doctors at the Butterfly Estate.

Yeah… About getting the mission done quickly…

Not possible.

First, upon arrival, a bunch of demon slayers and demon slayer corpses controlled by a Blood Demon Art attacked them. There, they fought alongside a guy named Murata, who somehow hadn’t died.

Then, they came across a really strong demon, who threw her out into the void as Inosuke was left to deal with it.

Then, she killed the girl that was holding everyone like puppets with a clean decapitation, as she seemed to want to die for some reason.

Welp, that’s a she problem.

And then, she ended up facing a guy whose name was apparently Rui. He looked like a child, but knowing demons, he was probably old. That was what she thought at least.

During one of the attacks Rui almost killed her, but Tanjiro jumped out of the box in her defence, and now the guy wanted Tanjiro to be his brother.

“If you won’t give me your brother… I’ll take him by force,” the demon declared.

Welp. He did in fact tie Tanjiro up by force with those spider web demon art threads. Now, her older brother was struggling and breathing heavily against the threads, each movement making his wounds deeper.

Dang it… How can I save Tanjiro from this?

She tried to sever Rui’s neck several times, only to end up scratched by his threads, her broken bones and sore muscles resenting her during the fight. She needed to hold on for Tanjiro, she had to free him from that demon’s grasp.

Then, the worst case scenario happened. One of the threads broke her blade.

She panicked for a second. But just a second, since she could not afford to panic when her brother’s life was on the line. She had to try, even with her broken blade. She had defeated a former Lower Moon with the help of Inosuke, that demon could not be much tougher.

“I hope you’re ready to die,” the demon smiled eerily, lifting his fringe up with his hand to reveal the characters on his eye. “To a Lower Moon.”

Well, that was a problem.

…

HOW THE HECK WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO BEAT A LOWER MOON ON HER OWN?! DIDN’T THEY SEND HIGHER RANK SLAYERS FOR THOSE TYPES OF MISSIONS?! SHE WAS A MIZUNOTO, FOR GOD’S SAKE!

It’s alright… If another human can kill it, why shouldn’t I be able to?

She focused on controlling her breathing and, soon enough, she started cutting through the threads with what was left of her sword. She was shortening the distance between them, but then, his threads turned red, and she just knew that she was done for.

Am I going to die? Is that it? Am I literally dying on my third mission? What about Tanjiro? What will happen to him?

She thought of her older brother… How they always used to fight when they were little, how he was all she had left, how demon slayers would probably kill him upon her death… But then… She remembered one instance in which her father was teaching Tanjiro the Hinokami Kagura.

“Breathe,” her father had said to her brother. “Control your breathing, and you’ll become the Hinokami yourself.”

She remembered what she had learnt from the dance from both her father and Tanjiro, and it hit her like a tidal wave.

The Hinokami Kagura was a Breathing style.

She used it and, surprisingly, managed to break through the red threads. At the same time, they caught fire, though it didn’t feel hot… It was coming from Tanjiro! It was his Blood Demon Art! She wasted no time and used it in her favour, running non-stop despite getting injured by some red threads. She ran and ran until she finally beheaded the thing with the remainder of her sword.

And that was how she killed a Lower Moon and became a Hashira!

Not.

The freaking thing reattached his own head, claiming that he had cut it himself before she beheaded him!

How?! When did that happen?!

She was too beaten up to move, she was going to die for sure!

Or so she had thought. Out of nowhere, the mysterious man who had sent her to Urokodaki in the beginning instantly beheaded the demon, saving her life. And, shortly after, a woman with a butterfly hair accessory, together with Kanao, arrived at the scene.

Long story short, they wanted to kill Tanjiro.

Of course they would.

Nezuko grabbed Tanjiro’s wrist and took off, hoping not to be caught. Unfortunately, Kanao came running after her, and she was fast.

Pretty, sweet scent, cool breathing style, endless speed… Does she just have it all?

Kanao reached them, of course, jumping on her and pinning her to the ground, sitting on her back.

“Nii-san, run as far and wide as you can!”

Her jaw cracked under the potent kick to her head, knocking her out.

Yeah… She’s also strong, she definitely has it all.

When she woke up, she was lying down on the grass in front of a huge estate. In it, stood a man with some disturbing features on his upper face. Around her, a bunch of men, along with a couple women. Next to her, Tanjiro’s box.

“You’re finally awake,” the man from inside the estate spoke. “I am the head of the Demon Slayer Corp. My name is Ubuyashiki Kagaya,” he introduced himself. “Behind you stand the ten most elite soldiers of the Demon Slayer Corp. The Hashira.”

Nezuko lifted her hurting, pulsing head to look around.

“I think we should execute her for high treason!” gleefully exclaimed one with a hair colour akin to that of flames.

“Hiding a demon is so not flashy,” another one with white hair and strange makeup added.

“How about we kill the demon and just punish her instead?” one with bandages over his lower face and a snake on his neck spoke from a tree branch.

Another one of them seemed to be about Nezuko’s age! Too young to be a hashira! Though… He was just looking at the clouds, not paying any attention.

“I say we beat her up right now!” one with white hair and crazy eyes approached her.

Just close your top, sir! Nobody wants to see that!

Wait, what was that about beating me?!

He wasted no time, his crazy eyes roaming towards Tanjiro’s box.

“Not my brother, stop!” she exclaimed, jumping towards him. She pretended that she was going to punch him but, as soon as he was ready to defend himself, she quickly kicked him in the balls.

Both dropped face-down to the ground, with him twisting and grunting in pain across from her. However, being a hashira, he recovered quickly and rushed up to the box once more, stabbing through it and throwing it inside the manor right after.

How is he stabbing through wood with a katana?!

“Stop! That’s my brother! Stop it!” she cried but was held down by a man with a huge straw hat and a black haori. He was pale, had wavy hair and crimson eyes. His gaze was cold as he looked down at her, though no words left his mouth.

He looks a lot like Kaizen, was her first thought, as she recalled the guy she had passed the final selection with.

No way… Is this his dad?

He had said that his father was both a doctor and a demon slayer after all…

He never mentioned his dad was a hashira! Is this one of the doctors I’m supposed to ask for help?!

Regardless.

“It’s lunch time, demon! Come out to eat!” the crazy hashira opened Tanjiro’s box after stabbing it, wounding himself on purpose to tempt him to eat.

Nezuko could see her brother from that position. He was shaking, sweating and tearing up as drool fell off the sides of his muzzle. She could see his weakening resolve, how his fingers twitched as he fought off his overwhelming hunger.

But he closed his eyes and looked to the side, refusing to attack.

She then learnt that Ubuyashiki had allowed Tanjiro to live because Tomioka Giyuu –the mysterious man– and Urokodaki had put their lives on the line along with her, swearing to kill Tanjiro and then themselves if he ever killed a human.

She cried tears of joy and, finally, was taken to rest.

Chapter Text

Well, she had apparently slept for a couple weeks and was recovering next to Zenitsu and Inosuke in the Butterfly Estate. She had been informed that her brother had been given his own room, and now all she had to do was heal her broken bones and recover before she had the chance to start her rehabilitation training.

“What’s up, baby girl,” Kaizen greeted her one morning, holding the gross medicine that she had to drink upon waking up. “Ready to get drugged stupid with painkillers?”

“Yeah…” she groaned, slowly sitting up on her bed. “Though… When you say things like that… You’re not exactly beating the drug dealer allegations.”

Kaizen scoffed, giving her the mug that contained the medicine. “What are you, a cop? I ain’t afraid of cops, for the record. I’m innocent till proven guilty.”

“Please, I saw you actually collect the hallucinogenic mushrooms during final selection,” she chuckled, taking a gulp of that disgusting beverage while trying not to spit it out.

“You saw nothing, unless you have money for it and are not a cop,” Kaizen smirked. “Just remember that I have access to the lab and that I make your medicine before opening your pretty mouth.”

He was, most definitely, a drug chemist and dealer. She had no proof, but she had no doubts either.

“Can I skip on this medicine that Aoi gave me?” Zenitsu whined. “It’s so disgusting!”

Kaizen just walked up to him and forcefully inserted the medicine in his mouth. Nezuko wished that Aoi was there in that guy’s stead. Not that she disliked him, he was –surprisingly– the most normal guy she had seen so far in that God-forsaken Corp.

But still. Girls were just better in general, or so she thought. Especially for caretaking. That guy did not give a damn.

At night, Tanjiro came out of his designated room and looked for Nezuko all over the place, sticking to her side and hugging her softly, careful not to re-break her already harmed bones.

She sat outside, looking at the garden and leaning into him.

And then, as a shadow, the hashira that looked like Kaizen was standing in front of them. He had gone there at such a speed that none of them had been able to perceive it.

“Kamado Nezuko,” his voice was deep as he spoke, his crimson eyes piercing into her. Unlike the only time she had seen him, he was no longer wearing a straw hat, considering it was nighttime.

Even Tanjiro’s neck hairs stood up and his back straightened, his hold on her tightening ever so slightly.

“I never introduced myself to you,” the hashira said, looking down at them both with a neutral, almost cold expression. “My name is Kibutsuji Muzan. I am the Blood Hashira.”

Oh, so it is Kaizen’s dad.

“I see… It is nice to meet you,” she bowed politely, as Tanjiro just blinked with curiosity at the stranger.

“I heard that you are trying to find a cure to turn your brother back into a human,” Muzan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he eyed Tanjiro up and down.

Tanjiro tensed up in place, shooting Muzan a warning look.

“Yeah… That’s right,” she patted her brother’s hands, trying to calm him down. “I was looking for you and Kocho-san to see if we could work anything out… I just can’t give up on him.”

“Well,” Muzan rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. “The truth is, I have been experimenting with demon blood for a long time. I kidnap demons, extract blood from them and experiment on their bodies,” he nonchalantly declared, as if what he had just said was not horrifying. “I suppose I could work with Shinobu to develop a cure for him.”

“…but?”

“But what? There are no ‘buts’. If we make an anti-demon drug, we might have a chance at defeating the demon king,” he placed his hands on his hips. “I’ll just need samples of your brother’s blood every now and then.”

“For… what reason?”

“To develop an antidote?” he asked with that ‘wasn’t it obvious?’ kind of tone mean people used. “If I use his blood, it will also help me craft it exactly for him,” Muzan deadpanned, crossing his arms.

Right. Duh.

“Oh, um… Sure, if it helps Tanjiro,” she smiled gently, looking at her brother, who hummed behind the muzzle and nodded eagerly.

“Delightful,” the blood hashira simply answered, his voice sending a chill down her spine.

Why is he so scary for no reason?

“YO, DAD! CHECK THIS OUT!” Kaizen’s voice pierced through the night as he rushed up to them with a- was that a dragonfly?

Muzan’s cold expression turned into one of exasperation as he knuckled his son’s head. “Our patients are probably sleeping at this time, use your night voice.”

“Yeah, yeah, night voice,” Kaizen lowered his volume, practically shoving the insect on the formerly serious hashira’s face. “Ain’t it cool?”

“Super cool,” the older man answered sarcastically.

“Ugh… You’re no fun, old man, you know,” Kaizen rolled his eyes, releasing the dragonfly right after.

“I never claimed to be,” Muzan shrugged as he answered. “I’ll go rest while I can, you should do the same,” he suggested, patting his son’s head and walking into the estate.

“Yadda yadda,” Kaizen huffed, crossing his arms and approaching Nezuko with his hands on his hips. “That your older brother?”

“Yeah,” she smiled gently, laughing softly. “Nii-san, this is Kaizen. He was with me during Final Selection,” she rubbed her brother’s back with a grin. “He’s definitely not a drug dealer.”

Tanjiro looked at her with his wide, innocent –albeit demonic– eyes before he turned his gaze back to the slayer in front of him.

“True that. Nice to meet you, Nezuko’s brother,” Kaizen smirked, stretching his hand towards him.

As Tanjiro was about to shake it, Kaizen quickly removed his hand and slid it back next to his own head instead. “Sike, too slow.”

Tanjiro stared at his own outstretched hand. He was shaken, his eyes fully open and his slit pupils widened.

“Anyway, I’m gonna go to bed. Later, suckers,” Kaizen just placed his hands behind his head and mindlessly walked into the estate.

“H-hey! You should at least apologise to my brother!” she exclaimed, but her words fell on deaf ears, as he ignored them both after getting in the house.

All men in the Demon Slayer Corp are terrible…

As it turned out, Dr. Kibutsuji and Dr. Kocho used Tanjiro’s blood and started a joint investigation to figure out an anti-demon drug that would cure not only her brother but also even turn the unknown Demon King back into a human.

Now, what did she know about the Demon King?

Nothing.

She just knew that he had been the one to slaughter her family because, from Urokodaki’s words, only he could transform people into demons.

Did she know anything else? Well, no. There was no data and there were no records of said entity. They were working with nothing, but it would be alright. She had faith that the answers would come to them eventually.

Whatever it took to cure Tanjiro, who, by the way, was still holding out his hand in shock.

“It’s okay, nii-san… I’ll pull that bouncy hair of his for you,” she hugged him, caressing his back soothingly.

Tanjiro just hummed behind his muzzle, leaning into her touch and closing his eyes in relaxation.

It took a while for her body to heal but, when it finally did, it would be the start of rehabilitation training. And, from what she had heard Kocho-san say, Kanao would be there to assist them.

Nezuko was so ready.

Chapter Text

It was hard.

First, they had to chase after Aoi and play that reflex game with her.

Then, when they managed to catch Aoi and win against her, they had to go up against Kanao.

And Kanao was one sturdy rival, she would not lose no matter what.

Where does she get this much strength!

Somehow, she and Kaizen were already of Kanoe rank, while Nezuko was still a Mizunoto! What were those people eating!

“We’re not ‘eating’ anything different, it’s just that we are tsuguko to a hashira,” Kaizen had explained one day as the three of them had breakfast together.

Kanao simply nodded, not saying a word. It was like she used her friend to do the talking in her stead.

“The heck is a tsuguko,” she asked, her mouth still full.

“Well, the apprentice and disciple of a hashira,” he explained as Kanao kept nodding along. “Kanao-chan is being trained by Shinobu-san, the Insect hashira. And I’m being trained by my dad, the Blood hashira,” he took a sip from his tea at the same time as Kanao.

“Huh… Is that why you’re improving so fast?” Nezuko scratched her chin in thought.

“Well, when you have an elite soldier up your ass, you can’t help but improve in a hurry,” Kaizen’s smile twitched as a shiver visibly ran down his spine.

“Huh…” Nezuko massaged her temples. “So that means I need to get a hashira to mentor me so that I can level up quickly…”

“Well, that would definitely help,” Kaizen swirled his cup of tea. “If you’re a masochist and you want to suffer, by all means, do get a hashira to mentor you.”

Nezuko raised an eyebrow, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “Are you not a tsuguko yourself? You talk like you don’t want to be one.”

Kanao covered her mouth and chuckled quietly, earning a glare from the boy who then looked back at Nezuko.

“Baby girl, I don’t want to,” he whispered. “But my perfectionist of a father with a stick up his ass wants me to become the best doctor, and the best demon slayer. And he’s so scary, you don’t just say ‘no’ to someone like that.”

“And what do you want to do?” Nezuko whispered back.

“Me? Make money and look at bugs, what do you think?” he murmured. “But my dad’s ass is traumatised because my mom got killed by a demon, that’s what.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah. Never met that lady, but she already conditioned my whole life,” he whined, lying down on the tatami with a loud groan.

Then, out of nowhere, Kanao threw a coin in the air. She then checked if it had landed on heads or tails and, finally, decided to speak.

“If you wish to be a tsuguko, I suggest you pick someone you’ll be compatible with,” she smiled gently as she spoke. “I am with my adoptive sister, Kai is with his dad, and you… Hm… Well, if I did not have my sister…” Kanao looked at her tea in thought. “I’d probably go for the Love hashira, Kanroji-san. She is strict but sweet, and all the other options seem terrible.”

Nezuko hummed in thought. The love hashira… She probably meant the only other female hashira, the one with pink hair and green hair tips. She did seem sweet, and while she looked very strong and Nezuko knew that it would not be easy… It did seem like a better prospect than training with any of the male hashira.

First off, there was the crazy-eyed hashira who had stabbed her brother. Big no.

Then, there was the other white-haired hashira with flashy makeup… But somehow, something did not feel right about him.

Then, there was the one with fire-looking hair that had suggested executing her. Hell no.

Then, the one who looked like he was her age. No way she was getting mentored by a boy her age.

The blind, quiet and strong one seemed like his training would wreck her.

The one with the snake looked creepy, pretty self-explanatory.

Then, there was the mysterious guy who had sent her to Urokodaki and offered his life in case Tanjiro harmed a human. He did seem strict and scary, but… Somehow, she felt like he might be an even better fit than the love hashira. Plus, they were both water breathers.

Of course, the insect hashira already had Kanao, though Nezuko would have not picked her after feeling a terrifying aura radiating from her calm smile.

And the Blood hashira already had Kaizen… Not that he would have been a choice anyway, he gave off even scarier vibes.

“What about the water hashira?” Nezuko asked, smiling gently at Kanao.

“Tomioka Giyuu?” Kanao tilted her head. “Um, let’s see… He’s…”

“He’s the shit, you should totally pick him,” Kaizen interrupted, earning a quick hit to the back of his head by Kanao.

“Don’t interrupt me,” Kanao pulled his cheek and then looked at Nezuko with a gentle smile. “Tomioka-san is… Um… Rather reserved and anti-social. I do not know if he would take a tsuguko… That and… Well, he does not exactly get along well with any of the other hashira,” she smiled sheepishly at saying those words. “My sister complains about him quite a lot…” she mumbled the last part.

“Nah, don’t listen to that,” Kaizen waved his hand dismissively. “I know the guy, he’s a bit shy but he’s legit. Sure, not the warmest in the bunch, but he’s disciplined and not a bad person,” Kaizen smiled. “I think the Love hashira is a bit overwhelming, she goes around touching people’s hair without their permission,” he huffed, patting his own head.

Nezuko looked at both of them in thought. It was true that Tomioka had a good character. He had risked his life and vouched for Tanjiro even when no one else would. His actions definitely spoke loud and clear.

“Well, it is true that Kai knows Tomioka-san better than I do,” Kanao took a sip from her tea. “He’s stayed with him quite a few times.”

“You have?” Nezuko raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, when I was younger my dad dropped me off at his home since they kind of get along,” Kaizen smirked. “He’s a man of few luxuries, and he has a very disciplined character. Plus, he did not supervise me too much, which I liked.”

“I see… So, now, I have to choose between Kanroji-san and Tomioka-san,” Nezuko scratched her chin.

“If it means anything, I’d pick him if I wasn’t already training with my dad,” Kaizen smiled. “Though I know you’d feel safer living at a woman’s house, so the choice is yours.”

“Yeah… You also have to keep in mind that not every hashira wants a tsuguko, and most won’t just accept one,” Kanao added, her voice soft. “Tomioka-san does not seem like the type to accept a mentee, while Kanroji-san seems very eager to.”

Kaizen nodded in agreement. “For instance, my dad told me that if I wasn’t his tsuguko, he would not have taken one.”

I don’t think anyone in their right mind would pick Doctor Kibutsuji as a mentor…

“Hm… This is hard, what should I do?” Nezuko scratched the back of her head, sighing heavily.

Sure, no one got along well with Tomioka-san, but… Considering the fact that they all seemed creepy or insane, was that really a bad thing? After all, the Water hashira seemed like the most normal of them all. Then, there was Kanroji-san… She seemed like the obvious better choice: she was a woman, and she seemed to have a good reputation.

“I suggest you get to know each of them first,” Kanao smiled gently. “You’ve barely spoken to either of them, and I could ask my sister to invite them over.”

Nezuko suddenly felt nervous by the offer. She did not want to bother any potential hashira mentors, she was barely a Mizunoto! They were probably very busy working!

Kaizen must have noticed her expression, because he waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, relax. Kanroji-san and Shinobu-san are friends, she comes here all the time. And Tomioka-san… Well, I doubt he’s too busy to say no.”

“Yeah, it won’t be a bother for them,” Kanao smiled encouragingly. “That way you’ll have an easier time deciding, hopefully.”

“Right… Well, that would be nice then,” Nezuko smiled cheerfully, ready to up her training and improve her skills.

“Though… You’d probably need to master total concentration breathing first,” Kanao added.

“The heck is total concentration breathing?”

For the next few weeks, Nezuko learnt in her bones what total concentration breathing was. Kanao taught her how to do it, and the young girls in the Estate helped her by hitting her every time she stopped doing it. The objective: automatically doing it every single moment of the day.

By the time she mastered it, she had more bruises than she could count.

“Good,” Kanao smiled gently, patting her bruised back. “Now you just need to beat me in rehabilitation training.”

She still could not beat Kanao.

When will this hell be over?!

Chapter Text

While Nezuko struggled to strengthen her body with total concentration breathing hell, the Love hashira and the Water hashira arrived at the Butterfly Estate for a visit. A visit that was, on paper, for Doctor Kocho and Doctor Kibutsuji but had been, in reality, programmed so that Nezuko could decide who she wanted her mentor to be.

Kanao, who was sitting with her after another failed rehabilitation training, flipped her coin and looked at it. With a smile, she finally spoke.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you pick one after we see how they are,” she smiled softly.

Nezuko could practically see imaginary flowers growing around her gleamy face and shiny eyes. How was she so pretty! What was her skincare routine!

“Ah… I guess you’re right, it’s no use worrying yet,” Nezuko smiled sheepishly. “Though… I’ve been thinking… I need help with another decision.”

“Is that so? Which decision?” Kanao’s beautiful face was practically shining like the sun as she asked.

“Um… I’ve been thinking about cutting my hair shorter…” Nezuko’s cheeks tinted a slight shade of red.

It was definitely not a decision influenced by how good Kanao’s shorter hair looked on her.

Not at all.

“Hm…” Kanao cast the coin again, looking at the result before finally speaking up once more. “Long hair really suits you, but… I think short hair might be more comfortable for battle.”

“Is that so?” Nezuko tilted her head, scratching her cheek nervously.

“Although,” Kanao intervened again, “Kanroji-san is a hashira and keeps her hair long and braided, just like you.”

Nezuko recalled her mental image of the love hashira. It was true, she had very long, braided hair. But, unlike Nezuko, she was an elite soldier. And for some time now, she had felt that her hair was a bit of a nuisance in-battle.

“What do you think would look better?” Nezuko tentatively asked.

Kanao flipped her coin once more, looking at the result and smiling at her. “I don’t know… I think you’d look good both ways.”

“No way!” Zenitsu burst into the room all of a sudden, causing Kanao to stop talking and interrupting their very enjoyable conversation. “You can’t cut your long, luscious hair, Nezuko-chan! It’s a trademark of your femininity! You must keep it at all costs!”

Somehow, that intervention solidified her decision to cut her own hair.

“How short would you like me to cut it?” Kanao’s quiet voice intervened, fully deadpan.

“Right about the middle of my neck,” Nezuko answered.

“WAH!” Zenitsu screeched, shaking his head frantically, to no avail.

“Hell yeah!” Inosuke peeked his head into the room. “You should go bald!”

“You insane man! Can’t you see how tragic that would be?!” Zenitsu yelled, chasing after Inosuke, both leaving the room immediately.

For a moment, she considered going bald just to spite Zenitsu. But then she realised she liked herself more than she hated his creepiness, so she scratched the idea.

“I think a little below the middle of my neck should be fine,” Nezuko chuckled as she looked back at the girl in front of her.

“If that’s what you really want, we can do that,” she spoke softly. “I think anything would look good on you,” her cheeks flushed as she said that last part, causing Nezuko to blush as well.

“R-right… Thank you!” she played with her hair, laughing nervously.

Just then, the door slid open to reveal Zenitsu, dragging Kaizen into the room with teary eyes and pointing an accusatory finger at Nezuko. “She wants to commit hair crimes against humanity!” he practically cried out.

Kaizen had prominent eyebags as he gave them a dead-inside void stare.

“What hair crimes exactly?” his voice sounded hoarse and tired as he asked.

Nezuko huffed, crossing her arms. “I can’t believe you dragged a zombie in here just to stop the inevitable!” she glared at Zenitsu. “I just want to cut my hair till about here,” she pointed slightly below the centre of her neck.

“See?! Hair crimes!” Zenitsu shook Kaizen like a maraca, while he just took it like a corpse forced back to life.

Kaizen used his index fingers and thumbs to make a rectangle in front of his face as he closed one eye, looking through it straight at Nezuko. He then nodded, yawning in the process.

“You know what, I see it, it would look nice,” the curly-haired boy said mid-yawn. “Go for it, girl… Though, I think you’re not the only one who should get a haircut.”

“Who else?” Nezuko tilted her head, not understanding where Kaizen wanted to go with that.

“Your older brother,” he yawned again. “He’s stressing me the fuck out, you should cut his hair shorter.”

“Huh? Why? His hair is fine!” Nezuko crossed her arms, frowning at the guy like he had said something sacrilegious.

“Girl,” Kaizen rubbed the tears from his yawn away from his eyes. “The guy won’t even bother detangling his long-ass hair and, since you won’t do it, I have to do it.”

“Who asked you to detangle my brother’s hair? Just leave it be,” she reproached. What was the deal with the guy?

“Bitch, my conscience asked me to,” Kaizen approached them, sitting across from Nezuko and next to Kanao at the low table. “I can’t just go catch night bugs with the guy standing there, hair looking like a nest. It stresses me out,” Kaizen pointed an accusatory finger at her as he leaned his head on Kanao’s shoulder and closing his eyes.

Nezuko’s eyes widened slightly. Right, her brother usually had his hair up in a ponytail and she had not given it much thought. She had not considered the fact that the hair of a demon would need any sort of detangling or care, and his hair had never looked off to her… Couldn’t Tanjiro just shape-shift his hair detangled? She genuinely did not recall seeing his hair a mess.

Have I been neglecting him that much, or is Tanjiro just bored and messing with the guy?

It could be anything. But, if it was true and Tanjiro’s hair was in that bad of a state, a haircut might not be such a bad idea.

“Fine, I guess he could use a haircut,” Nezuko sighed heavily.

…

“I don’t think he heard you, he fell asleep,” Kanao whispered after a moment of silence.

That night, Nezuko decided to try and talk to the Love hashira about a possible mentorship first. Together with her brother Tanjiro, she went to the garden. Kanroji was sitting near the koi pond, looking down at it pensively.

“Kanroji-san,” Nezuko bowed politely as she sat near her. “Would it be okay to talk for a moment?”

The pink-haired woman turned to her, her expression turning to a bright, smiley one immediately. “Oh, hi! You must be Kamado Nezuko-chan, right? Is that your older brother?” she looked over to Tanjiro excitedly, caressing his hair softly.

His hair is definitely not a bird’s nest, Kaizen is just dramatic.

“Yeah, um… There is something that I’ve been considering after talking to Kaizen and Kanao…” Nezuko didn’t even know how to bring it up, she was feeling so shy beside that imposing woman.

“Oh, yeah? What would it be? I’d be happy to help,” the hashira smiled lovingly, letting go of Tanjiro’s hair.

He immediately proceeded to undo and redo his ponytail, proving to Nezuko that Kaizen was just being dramatic once more.

Wow… She’s so nice, she might actually be the one I need.

“Well… I want to improve my skills, and they told me they both are somebody’s tsuguko, so…” Nezuko was embarrassed to even ask such a thing, she felt intimidated despite the other woman’s kindness.

“You’d want to be my tsuguko?!” she suddenly stood up, looking down at her with eyes so bright they outshone that night’s full moon.

“I- I mean, I’m thinking about it,” Nezuko scratched the back of her head.

Would it be rude for her to tell her that she was trying to decide between her and Tomioka-san? Nezuko did not know how that nice lady would take it. She seemed so nice, but she was still a hashira after all.

“Oh, you’re trying to decide on who?” Mitsuri smiled gently.

Had she read her mind?!

“I have an idea,” the hashira sat back down on the grass, looking at her with warm eyes. “Ask the other hashira if you haven’t already. Then, you could spend some time training with each of us and decide who you would like to be your mentor.”

Nezuko blushed sheepishly, embarrassed to even mention thinking about another hashira as a possible choice after how happy the woman had looked with her proposal. “Are- are you okay with that?”

“Of course! It’s a very important decision,” she nodded excitedly. “I was the Flame hashira’s tsuguko, and it couldn’t have been any other way! Why? Who’s the other hashira? Rengoku-san too?”

“It’s uh… Tomioka-san.”

“…well, that’s interesting,” she scratched her chin in thought. “It’s no wonder though, he put his life on the line for your older brother right here,” she patted Tanjiro’s hair again, which the demon enjoyed.

“He did, yeah,” Nezuko caressed her brother’s back softly. “If it wasn’t for him… My brother would have either turned to a normal demon and killed me, or he would have been killed by you guys,” she kissed Tanjiro’s cheek, and he caressed her head gently in return with a muzzle-hidden smile.

The next day, after getting beaten by Kanao yet again during her rehabilitation training, she decided to address Tomioka Giyuu. Unlike Kanroji, he was not approachable, which made her feel slightly sheepish about requesting apprenticeship.

She thought of Tanjiro. She was no longer doing this for herself. She was doing it for him. How many times had he sacrificed his own time and effort for her sake? For their family’s sake? She owed it to him.

Nezuko walked out into the garden, ready to talk to him. Unfortunately, he was not on his own. Tomioka Giyuu was sitting with Doctor Kibutsuji, who was shielding himself from the sun with his huge straw hat.

He’s scarier than demons…

With Doctor Kibutsuji there… Could she muster up the courage to even get close to the space they were in?

“How are Kaizen’s studies going?” she could hear the quiet voice of the water hashira.

“He’s a very good pharmacologist, though we’re still working on his treatment of actual humans,” the blood hashira answered, his voice less threatening than usual.

“How about the demons in your house’s basement?” Giyuu asked.

Right, Muzan had said that he kept demons and experimented on them… But to actually have them in his own basement…

“I’ll take the useless ones to the wisteria mountain for examinees.”

From what Nezuko had learnt, Kibutsuji Muzan was the eldest operating hashira. Everyone in the organisation looked up to him because, despite being 30, he was in peak shape and on par with the Stone hashira –the second eldest– in terms of both skill and strength.

Maybe I should wait until Tomioka-san is by himself…

No. I have to talk to him now, for Tanjiro’s sake.

With her heart beating faster, and the feeling of anxiety heavy on her chest, she rushed up to where Muzan and Giyuu were, standing in front of the latter and bowing respectfully.

“Tomioka-san, sorry for interrupting your conversation. Whenever you can, may I talk to you about something?” her voice trembled slightly.

Muzan and Giyuu looked at each other. The doctor then stood up and straightened his back. “You may have a word now, I will check up on the patients,” and with those words, he left.

The water hashira looked at Nezuko, tilting his head slightly. “What do you need?”

“It’s just… Um… In order to improve my skills, I was… Um… Looking for a mentor and I could-” she tried to ask but was swiftly interrupted by him.

“I am not like the other hashira, I am afraid I can’t take any apprentices,” he plainly answered.

Logically, she should have left it there and gone along with Kanroji, who did want her as a mentee. But, somehow, she had an unexplainable feeling that it had to be him. He had to be her mentor.

“Why is that?” she insisted.

“That is not something I wish to take up with you,” he answered.

“Then why?” she clenched her fists, stepping closer to him. “Why did you save my brother? Why did you spare me? Why did you offer to slit your own stomach if he ever hurt a human?”

Tomioka did not answer, diverting his gaze to avoid hers.

“I did what I felt was right,” he answered. “Urokodaki-san agreed with me in the end.”

“Thanks to you, I am alive, and my brother is alive,” Nezuko pressed further, sitting on her knees in front of him. “I know I owe you both our lives, but… I also know that you have a good heart, and that you’re really strong. I would be honoured if you could help me... Not just for me, but for him, my only family left,” she involuntarily teared up as she spoke. She only realised she was crying after her tears stained the ground beneath her.

Tomioka sighed, turning his gaze to her once more. His expression was unreadable, and the silence was deafening. But, after a few minutes of silence, he spoke again.

“I can make an exception for you, but… My training will not be easy,” he said. “If you thought Urokodaki-san’s training was hard, you will not like mine in the slightest.”

Nezuko sniffled, wiping her tears away with her pyjama sleeves. She then bowed deeply, feeling grateful for an opportunity she felt would be crucial for her and her brother’s survival.

“Thank you once again, Tomioka-san. For everything,” she spoke softly as she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill once more.

That night, after the rest of her day was spent training to improve her total concentration breathing, she decided to stay outside, on the rooftop, to meditate a bit and get some fresh air.

She looked down at the nearly empty garden, feeling a sense of calm and peace. The only sounds and views were those of nature, except for Kaizen’s stealthy stalking of some poor unfortunate nocturnal insect that had caught his attention.

There he was, the son of the most terrifying and veteran hashira, chasing after bugs as if he was a child. Nezuko wondered how they’d turned out so different.

Before she could wonder any further, though, she could see her brother going out into the garden. She observed him, watching what he would do without her present. Right then, close to the main entrance, he pulled out a hair brush and started messing up his own hair in such a way it probably ended up full of knots.

Why on earth is he doing that? Nezuko thought as her eyes narrowed to watch him closely.

Not two seconds after messing up his hair, he walked up to Kaizen with that brush he had used for the mess, poking him with it.

Kaizen turned to look at Tanjiro, sighing the heaviest, most exasperated sigh she had ever heard.

“God fucking damn it, your sister still won’t do shit about your hair,” he huffed in annoyance. “I swear, the girl called me dramatic in 5 different languages today after I called her out about it!” he sat Tanjiro down and started carefully detangling. “I’m gonna have to start charging her.”

Nii-san! You’re making me look like a neglectful sister!

Chapter Text

“She’s impossible to catch,” Nezuko’s eyes narrowed in thought as she sat across from Zenitsu and Inosuke, as well as next to Kaizen.

Kanao had just left the house to do some errands, and they were debating on how they would have to face the reality that they still had not beaten her in any of the training exercises.

Well, except for Kaizen, who was not doing rehab training since he had not been at Mount Natagumo and gotten badly injured by fighting a literal Lower Moon.

“Kanao-chan has always been fast like lightning,” Zenitsu sighed heavily, leaning back onto his own hands.

“It’s so infuriating! I want to beat her, but she’s too fast!” Inosuke yelled hysterically.

Nezuko nodded in agreement. Kanao was definitely at a different level than the three of them. Being a tsuguko and being superior in rank, it was no wonder, though. She turned her eyes to Kaizen, who was looking straight ahead with an unreadable expression.

“What do you think, Kaizen?” Nezuko asked.

No answer.

“He’s zoning out,” Zenitsu deadpanned, taking a sip from his drink. “Always does it when I’m trying to tell him something important.”

“No, I’m just thinking,” Kaizen finally intervened. “You guys really suck, you’re never getting through the rehab training at your pace.”

“And what, pray tell, are you thinking?” the blond crossed his arms, not before taking an angry sip from his tea.

“I think you people need to spend a day training with my dad,” the young Kibutsuji shrugged as he answered. “Also, my dad told me to study the pathological anatomy book he just bought, but I haven’t gotten to it yet… He’s so gonna be mad.”

“Training with your dad?” Nezuko choked out, the blood draining from her face.

“Hell no, Uncle Muzan is a terrible trainer!” Zenitsu spat out.

Of course, as that sentence escaped his lips, the door opened to reveal Doctor Kibutsuji, standing there with an unreadable expression.

“Kaizen… If you have time to chit-chat, you have time to study that new book,” his eyebrow twitched as he spoke.

The mentioned guy immediately gulped down his hot tea, stood up and saluted. “Yes, sir! Right away!”

“Go, and no messing around in the lab, just go study in our room,” Muzan pulled his son’s ear, causing him to yelp.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m leaving, jeez…” were his last words as he disappeared through the door, leaving only Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke alone with the hashira.

Nezuko did not know if it was just her own perception, but it felt as though the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped at least 10 degrees. Even Inosuke was not saying or doing anything, looking straight at his own teacup as if it was suddenly the most interesting object in the room.

“Haha… I didn’t mean anything I said,” Zenitsu laughed nervously but, in a second, got knuckled on the head by the fast-moving hashira. “Wah! I’m so sorry, uncle!”

“You sure run your mouth a lot for a wimpy brat,” Muzan pulled on his ear.

“WAH, I’M SO SORRY! PLEASE, FORGIVE ME!” he wailed, trying to get his hand away.

Nezuko just stopped breathing. Maybe then, Doctor Kibutsuji would not notice that she was in the room. Funnily enough, Inosuke also stopped breathing.

“You know, though… My son is right,” Muzan let go of Zenitsu’s ear, taking out a napkin and wiping the hand he had touched Zenitsu with. “You three are behind on rehabilitation training.”

Then, something terrifying happened.

Muzan smiled.

It was not a warm, welcoming smile.

It was the coldest, eeriest display of teeth they had ever seen. Nezuko was convinced that that guy had been the Demon King in another life.

“As your doctor, I believe it is time I lend you a hand,” his terrifying smile only widened after that.

Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke felt themselves shrink in place, as if they were literally becoming physically smaller in the presence of the terrifying man in front of them.

And it was not for nothing.

Muzan had them running around the house, dodging his attacks while they tried to maintain total concentration breathing. By the time Kanao came back, they were all beaten up, exhausted and full of dirt from face-planting on the ground time and time again.

“Not too bad for a group of mizunoto,” Muzan placed his hands on his hips. “I hope my so called ‘terrible trainer’ ways will have improved your reflexes by a lot.”

So this is what Kaizen meant by having an elite soldier ‘up your ass’.

“And remember,” Muzan stood before them, looking down with eyes so blood-freezing even the cold winter weather could not compare. “Pain is the best teacher.”

She was pretty sure Zenitsu and Inosuke were also full of goosebumps. That man was unreasonably terrifying.

That day, they learnt a very valuable lesson. Nobody messed with Doctor Kibutsuji. He was not only scary but also extremely petty.

Why did I have to pay for Zenitsu’s comment though?!

Kanao, from the entrance to the Estate, gave them a concerned look but did not intervene. Not three seconds later, Kaizen came out of the house, holding the book he had been studying for that whole day.

“Dad, I’m ready to be quizzed on the first six ch… Holy shit, what happened here?” he looked alternatively between the three mizunoto on the floor, Kanao at the entrance and Doctor Kibutsuji.

“Just some rehabilitation training… Why don’t you treat their bruises while I prepare a written exam for you?” Muzan smiled at his son, the sight deceivingly innocent considering he had beaten total concentration breathing and reflexes into the floored group.

“Uh… Sure,” Kaizen gave the book to Muzan, approaching the group on the floor and helping them up one by one.

“See you at dinner,” he patted Kaizen’s head and disappeared into the house.

Nezuko groaned, rubbing her arm in discomfort. “Dang…”

Kanao approached her quickly, checking on her bruises without saying a word.

“What did you guys do to have my dad smiling like a madman?” Kaizen asked, checking on Zenitsu and Inosuke, who were more bruised than Nezuko herself.

“Monitsu said a dumbass comment about him being a bad trainer! So, he made us train!” Inosuke complained, slapping the back of Zenitsu’s head.

“Hey! It’s not my fault he was passing by just as we were mentioning him!” he whined, rubbing the place of impact.

Kaizen laughed as they walked into the patients’ common room, searching for the First Aid Kit. “Haha, that sounds like my dad alright,” he giggled as he took out wound cleaning utensils.

“He’s my adoptive uncle, he should, I don’t know, be nicer,” Zenitsu sat on his bed as Kaizen tended to his bruises first.

“You know my dad,” Kaizen cleaned his wounds delicately. “He’s the King of petty revenge.”

“Yeah, we all had to pay for that,” Nezuko groaned as she sat next to Kanao on another bed, waiting for her turn.

They went on to complain about their training for the entirety of the afternoon. However, the next day, they had sharpened their breathing technique and reflexes so much that they finally managed to win against Kanao, thus completing rehabilitation training once and for all.

Nezuko hated that Muzan’s method had worked, but… Was pain really the best teacher?!

“Now that you guys have passed rehab training, we should really focus on what’s important,” Kaizen crossed his arms that same night while they were in the garden.

Nezuko, Kanao and Tanjiro were seated at the entrance, while the son of the scary doctor stood in front of them.

“What is important?” Nezuko inquired, tilting her head and twirling one of her now short locks.

“This guy,” Kaizen pointed at Tanjiro. “Needs a haircut.”

“Hey, don’t point at my brother, it’s rude,” she frowned, wrapping an arm around the demon boy.

“Whatever, you’re clearly not taking care of the guy’s hair, and he always stresses me out with it,” he huffed, crossing his arms.

Nezuko’s mind went back to the moment she saw Tanjiro purposefully tangling his hair so that Kaizen would have to brush it.

Should I tell him?

“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?” she smiled awkwardly, knowing very well that he was not.

“Girl, yesterday he got into my dad and I’s room while I was doing that written exam. He literally started poking me with his brush in the middle of it!” he gesticulated exaggeratedly with his arms.

He retold what had happened the previous night. Apparently, Kaizen had been doing that written exam his father had prepared for him. They were at the low table in their shared room when, out of nowhere, Tanjiro slid the door open, got inside and started poking Kaizen with his hairbrush mid-exam.

“Not now, demon boy,” Kaizen had tried to swat his brush away, to no avail.

“We’re busy, kid. Why don’t you come back in two hours?” Muzan had said, looking at the undeterred demon

 “Hmmph!” Tanjiro had insisted, taking the pen from Kaizen’s hand and placing the brush instead.

“I can do it for you, if you’ll just let my son finish his exam,” the blood hashira had reluctantly tried to take the brush.

However, much to their dismay, the demon had dodged Muzan and non-verbally insisted on being brushed by Kaizen, persisting until both Kibutsuji’s gave up and had the younger one tend to his hair.

“I had to finish the exam like half an hour later,” Kaizen sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes. “And I lost precious sleep time because of it.”

Should I tell him or not…?

“So, Nezuko’s brother,” Kaizen approached him, crossing his arms harder. “You’re getting a haircut whether you like it or not.”

Tanjiro just tilted his head, seemingly not understanding what Kaizen was even saying to him. But, seeing how he was behaving in general, Nezuko was pretty sure that Tanjiro retained his understanding of human language despite his inability to talk behind the muzzle.

“You choose. Your hair, or your head,” Kaizen’s smile turned eerie, causing the two Kamado siblings to flinch.

He really is his father’s son!

He then took out a pair of sharp and shiny scissors from the small bag he had strapped to his uniform. With his eyes turned to her brother, the guy with golden eyes and apparently an ability to be scary too approached the demon.

Unexpectedly, Tanjiro stood up and started running away from him.

“Come back! I will NOT waste another second of my life detangling the hopeless mat you call hair!” the young Kibutsuji yelled, chasing after her poor older brother with those scissors.

Nezuko’s jaw dropped. Had he gone mad?! She immediately started chasing after him, trying to find a way to make him quit the chase.

“Stop chasing my brother with scissors, you’ll scare him! I’ll do his haircut!”

“I will fucking make him bald!” Kaizen yelled angrily as Tanjiro barely dodged his scissors by shapeshifting smaller or bigger to escape.

“Don’t you dare!”

In the end, Nezuko managed to convince Kaizen to stop chasing her older brother like a crazed psychopath, doing her brother’s haircut herself. It looked strange at first, but she eventually got used to the sight of her brother with shorter hair. He usually cut his own hair back when he was a human, but now… It was all on her. At least it was if she did not want clinically insane third parties dealing with it in her stead.

Chapter Text

Her rehabilitation training was over and, surprisingly, Nezuko and the others had not yet been sent on a mission as soon as they were fine, which was strange considering that was the usual modus operandi of that God-forsaken corp she had joined.

In the meanwhile, Doctor Kibutsuji had taken a few blood samples from Tanjiro and studied them together with Shinobu. Apparently, according to Kaizen, he went back to the Kibutsuji Estate to bring blood samples from the demons he had trapped there.

That, though, begged the question. If Doctor Kibutsuji had an Estate of his own nearby, why the heck did he and Kaizen seem to live in the Butterfly Estate, getting their own room and everything?

“Muzan-san’s Estate is mostly used as a lab and storage room of medical supplies,” Kanao told her after flipping a coin upon being asked.

“Huh… The man has a whole Estate and uses it as a storage room?” Nezuko raised an eyebrow.

“Not just as a storage room,” Kanao fidgeted with her sleeves as she spoke. “He keeps live demons in there, sometimes even Lower Moons he captures for experimental purposes.”

Nezuko’s mind returned to her fight with Lower Moon Five a couple months prior, and she wondered… How on Earth was a human, with human resources, containing a whole Lower Moon? Even a ‘weak’ one could cut through any materials using a blood demon art, keeping them contained seemed impossible.

“How does he even trap Lower Moons in there?” Nezuko had to fight the urge to hold onto the other girl’s fidgety hands.

“He built a really scary mechanism using nichirin steel,” Kanao lowered her voice to a whisper. “I don’t know exactly how it works. I know he keeps the demons sedated with anaesthetics and surgically inserts the mechanism into their neck. If their cold blood rises above a certain temperature for blood demon art use, the nichirin mechanism beheads them.”

Nezuko felt a chill run down her spine at the explanation. Either Doctor Kibutsuji was insane or a genius. Perhaps both. But his methods were ethically questionable and undoubtably sadistic and terrifying.

“In the past, patients were treated and rehabilitated at his Estate. But he made a deal with my late sister Kanae to treat them all here, since having all doctors and patients unified in one place would be more productive…” she stopped to take a breath, since she was not used to speaking long sentences. “When the Estate was inherited by my older sister Shinobu, they renewed the deal, and he moved in here with Kaizen, while his home remained a lab with restricted access.”

“So, he lives here, and his actual house is a lab, storage room and demon torture chamber," Nezuko concluded.

“Yeah… That’s about it,” Kanao smiled softly at her. “I’ve never actually been there, as it’s restricted access… I just know that inside, it’s guarded by a few selected kinoto and kinoe sent by Oyakata-sama himself.”

“That is very shady,” Nezuko rested her palms on the tatami, leaning forward. “I wonder how it’s in there…”

“I mean, you can ask Kaizen. He is granted access,” Kanao smiled. “Though he probably won’t tell you anything I haven’t.”

Out of morbid curiosity, the young Kamado later decided to look for Kaizen and ask him herself. However, she found him in none of the common areas of the Estate, meaning he either was outside or in his room.

Nezuko walked up to where Kaizen’s room was, knocking on the door and waiting for an answer.

“Come iiiiiin!” Kaizen sang from the inside.

The girl took it as a sign to open the door and, much to her dismay, Kaizen was not alone. He was with Doctor Kibutsuji, which she should have expected considering they both shared a room.

Crap… I can’t ask him what’s in his house in front of Doctor Kibutsuji!

Kaizen was seated on the floor, facing the door and looking up at her with his default yet infuriating cocky smirk. Behind him knelt Muzan, who was holding a strangely wide-toothed comb as he separated and slightly shook each of Kaizen’s damp curls. He did not even lift his gaze to greet her, too focused on the task at hand.

Nezuko could barely believe her eyes. The terrifying man was just sitting there, doing Kaizen’s hair as if he did not quite literally have a demon torture chamber in his own restricted and shady house.

“Baby girl, do you need anything?” Kaizen looked up at her with a smile.

“Uh… I wanted to talk to you in private, but if you’re busy…” she chuckled awkwardly, the blood hashira’s presence making her slightly nervous.

“Yeah, my dad’s doing my hair, and it might take some time,” he giggled to himself.

“Is that so? What’s the occasion?” Nezuko twirled one of her short locks anxiously.

“No occasion, he usually does my hair if he’s free, though…” he smiled mischievously. “I happen to have an occasion today; I’m going on a date tonight.”

Nezuko’s eyes widened. Kaizen? On a date? The crazy guy who stalked bugs at night and had chased Tanjiro with scissors had someone interested in going out with him?

“You better be home by one in the morning, or I will have to go outside and drag you back myself,” Muzan intervened, finger curling the hairs at the back of Kaizen’s head. “And you better not be drinking or getting your date pregnant.”

“Ugh, dad. Come onnn, you know I’m a good boy,” Kaizen giggled to himself. “I don’t drink, and you might as well call me Mary because I am immaculate.”

“And very humble as well,” the older man added sarcastically, styling a different section of Kaizen’s hair. “Stay out of trouble, and no sex until marriage.”

“Yeah, yeah… Did you know my dad had me when he was my age?” Kaizen smiled back at Nezuko. “I can’t imagine having to take care of a baby at my age, I am the baby.”

What am I even supposed to say to that?!

“Ah… Yeah… Can’t imagine having a baby right now either,” Nezuko laughed awkwardly.

She could not even imagine wanting to kiss a boy, much less have a baby with one. And she knew how babies were made, she had unfortunately heard her younger siblings being made. Heck, she even accidentally saw Rokuta being made.

It was highly traumatic, and she wished she could unsee it. She could not imagine marrying a man and just… Having to do that. Gross.

“Even 15 years ago, getting married at your age was more commonplace than it is now,” Muzan scrunched some of the already formed curls in place with his hand. “It worked at the time, but I would not personally recommend it for either of you.”

He finally looked up at Nezuko before he looked back at Kaizen’s hair again.

“The world is evolving so much these days, and so is medicine. If our lifespan and quality of life increase, getting married and having many children from a young age will no longer be necessary,” he declared, getting started with another section of Kaizen’s hair. “You kids need to focus on making money so that you can live comfortably and bring a comfortable life to your future children.”

He's surprisingly insightful and progressive for a sadistic and petty 30-year-old grown man who made us train all day because of a dumb comment his nephew made.

Kaizen nodded in agreement, smiling smugly as his dad moved to his side to style the curls at the front of his head.

“I’ll just stay the baby forever,” he declared, because of course he would say that.

“You still have to become a doctor.”

“Yeah, yeah… A doctor.”

“Can you believe it? Kaizen did not say anything interesting about the inside of his house,” Nezuko complained that night, sitting with Tanjiro and Kanao by the koi pond.

She had tried to find out what was inside the Kibutsuji Estate by asking the curly head, hoping to satisfy her morbid curiosity and, at the same time, hoping to hear something that might be useful for her journey. Kaizen just repeated words similar to what Kanao had told her.

Tanjiro patted her head, humming behind his muzzle and giving her a comforting smile.

“Yeah… I told you he wouldn’t say much more than what I did,” Kanao smiled gently.

“The only gossip I got out of him is that he’s going on a date,” Nezuko sighed, leaning back.

Kanao audibly gasped, covering her mouth. Tanjiro seemed to understand, because his eyes widened and his slit pupils fully opened all of a sudden.

“Kaizen? On a date? He hasn’t told me,” Kanao seemed genuinely shocked.

“Yeah, he’s going on a date tonight, apparently. Though he did not explain with who,” Nezuko chuckled softly. “Can you imagine? Kaizen? On a date with an actual person?” she looked towards the girl next to her. “One would think he’d date a rhinoceros beetle or something.”

“Well, Kaizen is really popular with the girls downtown,” Kanao scratched her cheek with an awkward smile. “I don’t like him at all like that, I know him too well… But he is good-looking for a guy,” she spoke softly.

Nezuko thought about Kaizen’s shit-eating grin, his habit of stalking night insects and the way he had chased after Tanjiro with scissors after a dumb, invalid crashout over detangling his long hair.

She just laughed heartily, no girl alive could ever-

But Kanao wasn’t laughing.

“Oh, you’re serious,” Nezuko stopped laughing.

“Yeah… I shouldn’t tell you this, but… Even Aoi-chan has a crush on him,” she whispered conspiratorially.

“…you’re kidding.”

“…”

“Aoi-chan? But she’s so- so serious, so responsible, so pretty, so… Far above his league?”

“Yeah… She is. But she still likes him.”

“Wow… Didn’t take her for one with bad taste…”

Kanao snorted at her words, covering her mouth immediately after it came out.

Just as they were covering up their laughter, they saw the guy’s silhouette leave through the main gate. He was wearing a regular kimono and his black haori, carrying his sword with him outside.

“Oh, look. There he goes, out to his date with some poor girl,” Nezuko giggled, her laughter passing onto Kanao as well.

However, very abruptly, Tanjiro stood up from the grass and rushed after him outside of the house- Tanjiro was leaving the house?!

“Nii-san! Nii-san, wait!” Nezuko was quick to stand up, running behind Tanjiro, trying to prevent him from going outside.

She reached him right at the main gate. Why was he leaving all of a sudden?

No way… Is he trying to follow Kaizen?

Nezuko did not know much about what Tanjiro saw in the bug guy, but apparently all those long hair brushing sessions had made him attached to the young Kibutsuji.

“Nii-san, you can’t go outside by yourself,” she scolded, flicking his forehead.

Tanjiro did not waste a second, taking her hand in his and pulling her along in the direction Kaizen had left. Kaizen was a fast walker, so he was already out of sight. However, her older brother was breathing in deeply, smelling the air before deciding on one direction.

“Nii-san, we can’t go with him, he’s going on a date,” Nezuko tried to pull his arm back to no avail. He was even stronger and more unstoppable now that he had demonic strength.

“Nii-san, we’re not about to go there to third wheel them,” she tried to pull him back once more. “He probably wants to spend some alone time with a girl he likes.”

Tanjiro stopped for a moment, turning to her as if evaluating her words. Finally, when she thought that she had snapped some sense into him, he carried her on his shoulder and took off running at the devil’s speed.

“Nii-san!”

Sooner than later, they reached the nearby town, and, thanks to Tanjiro’s sharp sense of smell, they were able to locate Kaizen. The young Kibutsuji was speaking to… Was that a guy?

Kaizen was talking to someone who looked like a guy in his 20s, who was walking towards a more isolated area of the town. Nezuko, who had wanted to leave before that moment, was suddenly drawn to the situation.

Didn’t he say he was going on a date? Why is he with an older guy?

It smelled fishy, and Nezuko suddenly wanted to find out what the real situation was. Unless…

Wait, is that guy his date?!

 Nezuko looked with Tanjiro from behind the corner. Kaizen and that guy did not even look that close, they were just walking together. But, considering how odd of a vibe Kaizen gave, and how much she had not seen him look at girls…

They soon reached a darker, more isolated area of town. And that’s when they saw Kaizen with… A group of people? Men and women alike, standing suspiciously in a dark alley.

“Kota-san, you made it,” one of the women said with a smile.

Why is Kaizen meeting up with a bunch of grown adults in a dark alley?! And why are they calling him Kota?

“I’m off-work for now, though who knows when I’ll get called again,” Kaizen answered with a smirk, placing his hands on his hips. “You know the price.”

And, out of nowhere, everyone in that grown-adult circle started giving Kaizen money. What the heck was going on?! Was he not going on a date?!

Kaizen stood there, counting the money and shoving it inside his bag as soon as he was done. Then, he gave everyone tiny brown bags that contained god-knew-what.

And then it hit her.

It was drugs. Kaizen was a drug dealer.

“I put in something a little extra in there today, just a new pill I made,” he chuckled. “It will send you to the moon, that much I know.”

HE MADE THE DRUGS HIMSELF! HE WAS A DRUG CHEMIST!

Suddenly, Tanjiro came out of their hiding spot, rushing towards Kaizen while he talked to those shady people.

Nii-san! What the hell!

Kaizen seemed surprised to see him, because his eyes widened in shock for a second before he regained composure, clearing his throat.

“Who’s that?” one of the girls asked as she fit her small brown bag into her sash.

“This is Kentaro, he’s my cousin,” Kaizen confidently lied just as Tanjiro took a hold of his hand- Why was her older brother taking the bug guy’s hand?!

“Uh… Why does your cousin have a… you know… a thing in his mouth?” a guy asked, pointing towards the bamboo muzzle.

“He has… A really strange fashion sense,” Kaizen quickly lied again. “That’s what he says, at least. Though, he used to be fat, so my theory is that he does it as a diet,” Kaizen giggled, and so did his group.

I’ll kill him for saying that about my brother after this.

Tanjiro just knuckled Kaizen’s head in response, causing him and the group to laugh again.

“Anyway, I will be off now. Tell me what you think of the new product next time,” he wiggled his eyebrows as he pulled Tanjiro out of that dark alley with a trembling eyebrow.

Nezuko came out of her hiding spot and, before she could say anything else, Kaizen dragged them both away towards the more populated and lit town. He was not saying anything, but he did not seem happy to have been followed.

Upon arrival to the town centre, Nezuko opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted before she could even start.

“Why are you following me? Have you lost your mind?” Kaizen let go of Tanjiro’s hand, crossing his arms.

“I tried to stop Tanjiro from following after you, but I couldn’t,” Nezuko sighed as she crossed her arms. “And weren’t you going on a date? What are you actually doing? Selling these,” she attempted to retrieve one tiny brown bag from Kaizen’s bigger one.

“Hey!” he pushed her hand out of the way. “Hands off the merchandise! What I do is none of your business. And if you can’t control your brother from following me, how can you prevent him from eating a person?”

“Beheading a demon is one thing, preventing him from moving while keeping him alive is another,” she frowned. “Also, what’s with calling him fat? He’s perfectly fine!”

“It was an alibi, you idiot! You forced my hand or, rather, my mouth, by following me into a shady corner with my shady clients,” he crossed his arms. “I had to make it convincing that he was my cousin and find an explanation for his muzzle.”

“Does Doctor Kibutsuji know you’re doing this?” she asked, grabbing Tanjiro’s wrist and pulling him to her side.

“What do you think, you genius? I swear to God, Buddha and whatever other deity, if you open your mouth about this…” his eyes narrowed. “Just bear in mind being a demon slayer comes with many accidents.”

“Relax, I wasn’t gonna tell him,” Nezuko raised her hands in surrender. “Though, I must ask… How do you even keep this up if you get sent away on a mission to another city.”

“That’s why I have business associates,” he smirked, placing his hands on his hips. “It’s a no-brainer.”

“…holy shit, you’re a crime lord?”

“Crime young master, ‘crime lord’ sounds too old,” Kaizen flicked her forehead, causing her to grasp his wrist immediately.

“Why do you do this? It’s dangerous, and it’s clear my brother will now follow you into it,” she argued, tightening her hand around his thin wrist.

“My dad says if you’re good at something you should probably capitalise on it,” he released his wrist from her hold by force.

“I doubt he meant that,” she mumbled, as Tanjiro caressed her head like nothing was happening.

“Whatever my dad meant doesn’t matter; what matters is that I’m making bank. Wanna be my platonic date and eat some udon with your third wheel brother?” he wiggled his eyebrows and started walking further into the town’s centre.

“You- you take that back! Tanjiro nii-san is not a third wheel! Treat him with some respect!” she huffed and grumbled as she followed the young Kibutsuji, dragging her brother along.

She was absolutely mad at the guy, but… Free udon was free udon.

Plus, seeing how Tanjiro had practically dragged her out there… She just knew dragging him back home while the dumb drug bug kid was still out was not an option she could choose.

Dang it, nii-san… You always want to befriend the weirdest people, even as a demon.

Chapter Text

Zentisu and Inosuke, the poor guys were sent on a mission with Doctor Kibutsuji and his ‘non-drug-dealing’ spawn to a mission on a train, together with the crazy Flame hashira that had wanted her executed. She was glad to have been excluded from that mission because, there was no way she would survive being in the same train as the pervert, the wild boar, the scary doctor, his equally asylum-insane child, and the fire head psychopath.

Those Mugen train passengers were definitely about to experience the most annoying group one could ever think to put together. It would have only been worse if the crazy wind hashira who had stabbed her brother had been added.

Meanwhile, her? She was about to be on a probation period to see which hashira fit her better as a mentor. She had made an agreement with both of them: 15 days of living in Kanroji-san’s house, and 15 days of living in Tomioka-san’s house, mission days excluded. They had both agreed to those terms and based on that, she would decide whose tsuguko she would become.

She was surprised at how cooperative both were, considering that they were her superiors and not the other way around. That gave away their kind character, validating her decision to narrow down the list to the two of them.

As Nezuko gathered her belongings and her brother’s box –with him inside– Kanao approached her with a sheepish smile, stepping in front of her and fidgeting with her hands.

“Uhm… I… I’d like to say goodbye to you before you go… It was nice having you home for a while…” she spoke softly, looking down at her own feet.

Nezuko’s heart tightened in her chest. How was she so cute?! Her face turned red as the adorableness of the girl in front of her overtook her. It had to be a dream, right? So adorable!

The slayer could not help herself; she approached the other girl and took a hold of her hands. “It was an honour for me, working and being with you,” she smiled heartily, looking into her flustered purple eyes. “I will write to you, so write back to me, alright?”

Before Kanao had time to react, the young Kamado pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly against herself. The butterfly girl was extremely soft, nice-smelling and huggable. So out of their world!

Slowly, Kanao hugged Nezuko back, resting her cheek on the other girl’s shoulder. “I’ll write back…” she answered quietly.

And so, Nezuko departed from the Butterfly Estate full of energy and ready to rock her training periods with both the Love and the Water hashira. No more Zenitsu and Inosuke waking her up with stupid arguments; no more Kaizen yapping to her about her brother’s hair; no more Doctor Kibutsuji checking up on her while being simultaneously terrifying. She was finally free!

Free to suffer.

Upon arrival to the Love hashira’s Estate, she was given a day to rest. From that day on, though, training started. And it sucked.

First of all, Mitsuri’s breathing style was so different from hers. Her sword was strange and too flexible, as if it was not made from nichirin steel but clothing fabric. Then, her training was extreme. What did Mitsuri mean Nezuko had to lift a heavy boulder?! Slicing it was one thing, but lifting it up? The worst part, that woman did it as if it weighed nothing! Nezuko was starting to think that, with that strength level, she could not possibly be human. Then, was the flexibility training. Having her legs forced open for splits was not her idea of progressively working towards flexibility! She could not walk for the rest of the day after that!

The only two good things there were Kanroji’s company outside of training and her cooking which, despite being strange, was definitely delicious! Apparently she learnt foreign recipes and was really good at making them. Other than that, training was awful. Nothing she would have not expected from a hashira though.

On the bright side, Mitsuri seemed to be really good with domestic demons… A.k.a. her older brother Tanjiro, who seemed to have taken a liking to her. She detangled his hair, patted his head and entertained him while Nezuko took baths and relaxed her muscles. She even decorated his muzzle with cute pink stickers!

This is the perfect demon-sitter, if I’ve ever seen one.

Nezuko had left her brother alone with a few people ever since he became a demon. First was Urokodaki, who took really good care of him while he was in that 2-year-long coma. Then was Shinobu, who watched him from time to time while they stayed at the Butterfly Estate. Then, there was Zenitsu, who tried to gain Tanjiro’s favour for God-knows what reason. Then, there was Inosuke, who… Somehow ended up trying to do head-butting contests with Tanjiro? Of course, the boar-head lost every time. Then was Kanao, who mostly watched over him without interacting with him at all. Then there was Muzan, who would run tests on Tanjiro quite often, though he was not interested in interacting with him outside of that. And then there was Kaizen, who tried to avoid her brother like the plague but failed miserably.

Regardless. Just as she thought all hope was lost after her first week finished, she received a letter from Kanao.

Finally, some good news! She thought.

Oh, how wrong she was.

‘Dear Nezuko,

I know that I have no right to ask this of you, as it is a crucial part of your training. However, I find myself to be currently overwhelmed by the unfortunate events that have taken place throughout this week.

The start of the week was normal, I even got sent out on a solo mission to a nearby town, where I eliminated two demons. The problem arrived two days after my return, six after your departure.

The mission on the Mugen train turned out more dangerous than it was estimated. My sister said that the continuous disappearances of low-ranking slayers on that train were enough to send two hashira on the same mission. However, the stakes were too high.

Kaizen, Zenitsu and Inosuke had to fight Lower Moon One, and lost so much blood that they needed an urgent transfusion. They are in a coma as I write this letter. Muzan-san and Rengoku-san had a very unfortunate encounter with Upper Moon Three. They are both in critical condition, more so than the boys.

My sister is currently very overworked and overwhelmed, and she is unintentionally placing that strain on me and the girls, especially Aoi-chan. I know it is a lot to ask of you, but if you were able to come here, I would be very grateful. The girls love you, and we could use some positive energy after all these tragedies.

Please, come home.

Love,

Tsuyuri Kanao’

As soon as she showed Kanroji the letter, she was the first person to hurry and pack her bags up. After all, she was worried sick about the injured, especially her former mentor Rengoku. They both departed that same night.

With Tanjiro, of course. Though Nezuko tried to avoid saying what had happened in front of him. After all, he had made it obvious many times that he understood more than he let on despite being non-verbal at that moment. Especially if the ‘K-word’ was involved. And yeah, that was how she decided to refer to Kaizen whenever she did not wish her brother to do anything stupid like following him outside. He had already identified ‘bug boy’ as a synonym, unfortunately.

They arrived at the Butterfly Estate by dawn and, sure enough, Kanao was waiting by the gate. Had she been waiting for her? For how long? Why did the fact that Kanao was waiting there make her heart feel like it had fireworks inside?

“Nezuko-chan! You came!” she teared up as she rushed towards her and the Love hashira, suddenly getting into her arms and hugging her tightly.

Nezuko immediately returned the hug. Inside, her brain and heart were imploding against her will. But, at the same time, she was worried. Kanao usually kept her composure very well, maintaining a neutral expression at most times. The fact that she was crying and speaking so loudly… It could only mean that she was beyond her limit.

“Kanao-chan…” she caressed the other girl’s back softly. “I’m here now… Why don’t we go inside and take some linden tea?” the young Kamado softened and sweetened her voice, pulling away from the hug just enough to wipe the taller one’s tears.

Kanao sniffled, nodding and walking with both Mitsuri and Nezuko inside. Once there, they left Tanjiro’s box in the small room he had been staying at before. While Mitsuri went to check on the injured first-thing, Nezuko accompanied Kanao to her shared bedroom with the women of the house, which was currently empty.

“I’m sorry my first letter was so grim,” Kanao sniffled, wiping her tears as she sat down on the floor. “I’m just- You didn’t see them, they looked so-” she hiccupped, tears spilling from her eyes once more.

“It’s alright, take your time,” Nezuko sat in front of her, holding one of her hands as Kanao continued to cry.

“It’s just- Kaizen and Zenitsu- they are- they are my friends,” she sniffled once again. “And Muzan-san is like- is like an uncle to me, and they were all… They all looked… They…” she started hyperventilating as her eyes widened.

Nezuko quickly stood up, pulling Kanao up as well and taking her hand. She then proceeded to walk around the room with her. Usually, movement helped her calm down in moments of anxiety, and she hoped it would do the same for Kanao.

“It must have been really hard,” Nezuko spoke gently, walking alongside Kanao slowly. “I am sure that they will get better. They’re alive, right?”

“Y-yeah…” Kanao sniffled again, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

“Then they’ll survive this, alright? All those guys are too stubborn to die,” the young Kamado smiled brightly.

“Yeah…” she chuckled softly, finally smiling slightly as her breathing slowed down. “They really are…”

“Don’t cry anymore, alright? I’ll stay here with you,” Nezuko tightened her hold on the other girl’s hand.

After her breathing was fully steady, they both got some linden tea from the kitchen, coming across an extremely stressed Aoi. Her face was paler than usual, her eyebags were prominent, and her ponytails were slightly dishevelled and asymmetrical.

“An Upper Moon, they came across an Upper Moon,” she grabbed Nezuko’s shoulders upon her entry. “Upper Three, no less. It’s a miracle they’re still alive.” Her eye was twitching as she delivered those last words.

“…yay for them being alive,” Nezuko smiled nervously at the crazy look the girl was giving her. It was clear they had all been through a lot while she was away training with the Love Hashira.

“Even Muzan-san won’t move,” her eye kept twitching as she finally let go of Nezuko’s shoulders. “And Muzan-san is a fast recoverer!”

“Shinobu nee-san said they would all recover soon…” Kanao mumbled, sniffling and wiping yet another tear.

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, using walking aids, Inosuke barged into the kitchen like a wounded yet wild beast. He gave them a strange glare before he rushed to the pot where rice was being cooked.

“I-Inosuke?!” Nezuko’s eyes widened. Was he not in a coma like everybody else who went on that train mission?!

Aoi and Kanao’s eyes widened as well, their mouths hanging open as the maskless boy stole a rice ball from a covered plate and shoved it in his mouth.

“Hashibira-kun, since when are you up?” Aoi exclaimed, rushing up to him and preparing a plate.

“Finfe now,” he spoke with his mouth full, swallowing that rice ball the best he could. “I’m so hungry I could eat the whole house! RAH!”

“Yeah, seems like he’s back full force,” Nezuko deadpanned, tired yet impressed of that guy’s intensity.

As soon as Aoi got him a big plate of food, he started inhaling it like a savage, eating messily and chewing loudly, as per usual. Though, given the circumstances, seeing Inosuke awake was a huge relief for everyone. It meant the other slayers who went on that Mugen train mission would eventually wake up.

“Could you tell us what happened during the mission?” Aoi asked, handing him yet another plate of food.

“Fure, ofay,” Inosuke answered, shoving another rice ball into his mouth almost forcefully.

Chapter Text

So, I arrived at the train station with Monitsu, Kaiser and Doctor Scary. Doctor Scary bought three pieces of paper, saying something about them being tickets to get into a so-called ‘train’. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I mostly ignored what he was saying! Who pays for 3 useless pieces of paper anyway? When you could get many more at the store for the same price!

“We should conceal our swords, weaponry is not allowed in trains,” Doctor Scary said.

I immediately hid my swords behind my back, because obviously nobody would see them there. They were behind my back, duh! But Doctor Scary got mad at me for no reason!

“Are you a moron? Everyone can see them,” Doctor Scary accused. “And put on a shirt before we all get arrested for public indecency on public transportation.”

I was about to give it to him straight, but he somehow took my swords from me without me noticing and tossed them into a cloth bag with all the other weapons. And then, also without me noticing, he somehow managed to cover me up with an annoying shirt.

“Button it up and stop acting like a real boar. The mask is embarrassing enough as it is,” the bitter man groaned as he talked to me.

How dared he cover I, THE GREAT INOSUKE, up?!

“Uncle Muzan is right, you should at least wear a shirt,” Monitsu added. “Stop acting embarrassing, really…”

“Shut up, Monitsu! I’m not wearing this!” I tried to take off my shirt, but Doctor Scary gave me a look that almost caused my legs to fail.

I buttoned it up, despite it being unbearably hot! I hated wearing a shirt, but if Doctor Scary would not allow me to live without it, I had to cave!

I was starting to lose my mind, and then a terrifying beast came our way! It was fast, it was huge, it was powerful, and it made a heart-stopping roar.

“What is this creature! It can’t be!” I started shaking before such might! It was definitely unbleatable! “Is this, perhaps, the master and ruler of this land!”

“It’s… It’s a train…” Monitsu said, but his words were noise next to the terrifying monster ahead.

“Shut up, Monitsu! You might wake him!” I was quick to shut him up, waving my hand quickly.

I did not have my swords, since Doctor Scary had taken them. But, I was ready to fight to death with that terrifying being for the title of ruler of the land, so… I charged at it with my head!

“Stop! What are you doing!” Monitsu yelled, frantically trying to get me away from the train.

“Christ on a stick…” I could hear Karson mutter.

I tried to charge against the train again, but I had a tingle in the back of my head, like someone was trying to hit me. Unfortunately, the hit was faster than my reaction time, and Doctor Scary knuckled my head so hard I felt dizzy.

“I don’t care if you’re mentally challenged, you are going to behave,” the doctor’s veins were popping out so much I thought he would explode. “You are going to get in that train, you are going to sit down right next to me, and you are not going to bother the other passengers with your antics.”

Way to water down the party, Doctor Scary! I hated his orders, but he was really scary, so I had to obey him! Plus, my head hurt so much from when he hit it with his ugly hand.

“Cool, I’m sitting with Zeni,” Kaiser declared, linking his arm with Monitsu’s like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Sit nearby, I’ll sit with Kyojuro and with this uneducated excuse of a human,” the scary man said, looking down at me and practically dragging me into the insides of the Lord.

I hated the man, but the insides of the Lord were blowing my mind. There were so many people in there! How many had he consumed?! I tried to go to one of the lord’s windows, but the doctor’s grip on my shirt was so strong that I couldn’t move. I was just dragged towards an area of 4 seats, where a Fire Head man with the slayer uniform awaited.

“Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!” the fire-head exclaimed time and time again.

The doctor forced me to sit down away from the window and took his seat in front of Fire Hair. “Kyojuro, it has been a long time.”

“Muzan-san! Long time indeed!” the weird guy exclaimed, way too excited to be normal. “Who else is assigned to this mission!”

“My nephew, this problem kid and my son,” the doctor said, crossing his arms. “That makes two mizunoe and one kanoe… Though, I am surprised that Oyakata-sama sent two hashira along as well.”

“Haha! I’m assuming the kanoe is your son!” the fire guy laughed and ate another bite from his bento. “Delicious!”

“You’re assuming right, my son is a quick learner,” the scary doctor said.

Why did he think Kaiser was so much better than me, the great Inosuke?! I was the king of the mountains, and Kaiser was lame! He used his free time to catch bugs, how was that being ‘cool’ and ‘quick learner’?!

The stupid scary doctor hashira kept blabbing about Karson like anyone actually cared. No one wants to hear about your lame bug-obsessed freak son! Boring!

Kaizen this, Kaizen that, medicine, training, studies, yadda yadda. The old man would just not shut up! Meanwhile, Kaiser and Monitsu were a few seats away, talking about demons! Far more interesting than the hashira conversation.

I tried to go with them, but the freaking scary doctor forced me to remain seated and gave me a look. There was no way for me to enjoy the trip inside the Lord with that man breathing down my neck.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Inosuke,” Nezuko intervened, feeling dizzy by the guy’s awful storytelling. “Can you get to the part of how all of you ended up in a coma?”

Nezuko, Aoi and Kanao were seated in front of Inosuke at one of the kitchen tables as he spoke and shoved food into his mouth.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said after he gulped down some grilled fish. “Okay, so…”

I was feeling really bored, right? Sitting next to the boring-ass doctor and overly excited fire hair hashira talking about boring stuff. That was until the scary doctor finally said something worth noting!

“There are definitely a few demons inside this train now,” he declared, standing up. “Everyone, let’s get to work.”

“Yes! Let’s get to it!” fire hair stood up as well.

Korson and Monitsu stood up too, and all of us got our swords from the doctor’s bag. Finally, time for some action!

As he gave me my swords and blabbed something about behaving, I rushed to where I felt some of the demons were! Bam! I killed some, went back to my seat and, for some reason, I fell asleep little after they checked our tickets.

And I had a pretty great dream! Everyone followed my orders, even Doctor Scary! But then I woke up because I realised that in real life, my head was in pain from the doctor knuckling it, and in the dream my head was fine.

Would you believe that I had a stupid rope around my wrist? I broke it with one of my swords and suddenly felt much more awake and alive. But everyone else in that place? Out cold, dead asleep! Even fire head hashira and Scary Doctor hashira were sleeping like they were dead!

So, of course, I saved the day by cutting everyone’s ropes! They all woke up soon enough after that, very confused too. Somehow, the insides of the train started looking a bit meaty, and some weird tentacles emerged from the ceiling and walls, trying to touch all of us.

“You three!” the scary doctor commanded. “You are to go outside and fight the demon doing this while Kyojuro and I stay here to protect the passengers! Go out there and survive, it’s an order!”

God, he was so scary! But we did as he said and climbed onto the roof of the train, only to find a freaky-looking demon standing there, looking high as fuck. Apparently, he was Lower Moon One.

Boom, kaboom, bam! Me, Karson and sleeping Monitsu fought that thing with all our might! It used its blood demon art to send us to sleep, but Monitsu fought in his sleep and me and Karson had found ways to wake up immediately!

We decapitated it, but it said something about fusing its body to the train? Anyway, we got beaten up by Lower One after that, and struggled to keep up but, in the end, we went inside the Lord and decapitated its neck, killing the demon once and for all!

“Okay, that’s cool and all, Inosuke,” Nezuko chuckled, linking her arm around Kanao’s and resting into her softness. “But, if you defeated Lower Moon One, how come Doctor Kibutsuji, Kaizen, Zenitsu and even you ended up in a coma?”

“Well, because the demon beat us to a pulp!” Inosuke exclaimed, banging his hand on the table. “Even Korsen was struggling to keep up, and he’s fast!”

“Right… So I’m guessing your injuries knocked you out,” Aoi spoke softly.

“Not immediately,” Inosuke intervened. “You see…”

“Fuck… I can’t believe we made it out of Lower One,” Kaiser coughed up blood, struggling to breathe.

Monitsu was breathing heavily, touching the ground with his palms and kissing it like it was a delicious meal. “Thank God! We’re alive!”

I was the only one still standing, since I was the best at taking the least hits from that thing. Zenitsu got hit the most, followed by Karson due to his chain of close-range attacks. Just then, fire head and the scary doctor came over to where we were. They seemed unharmed and immediately started checking on the three of us.

 Of course, Doctor Scary checked up on Kaiser first. It was like he was his favourite or something!

“We are going to the nearest hospital first thing, you three need a proper medical examination with actual equipment,” Doctor Scary declared. “You have some broken ribs, Kaizen. You shouldn’t move too much.”

“Is he going to die?” Monitsu suddenly teared up, the crybaby.

“No one is going to die,” Doctor Scary sighed softly, FINALLY checking on me. “What’s surprising is that you’re still moving, Boar kid.”

“I’m invincible! RAH!” I said, but I also coughed up blood right after.

“Right… Well, while help arrives for the derailed train, I’ll go get my First Aid Kit from….” But before he could finish the sentence, a thing fast as lightning almost hit Kaiser, who was lying a few metres away on the floor.

If it weren’t for the quick reaction time of the fire head, he would have surely died, because the demon that had suddenly attacked was Upper Moon Three!

“Why are you stopping me?” Upper Three asked, and he was laughing while the fire head faced him. “I was about to do you a favour and end that weakling!”

Guys… If you thought Doctor Scary was scary before, you should have seen how mad he got after that demon tried to kill Kaiser! I wouldn’t have wanted to be in that demon’s skin at all.

The battle took place far from the three of us, between the two hashira and Upper Moon Three. It was hard to see, all we saw were flashes of light from that thing’s Blood Demon Art, together with dirt and dust being moved around. They were so fast, even my legendary eyesight and senses could not keep up!

“We have to help… My dad is there…” Karson tried to sit up to no avail. He was crying for some reason, and so was Monitsu.

“Kaizen, we can’t,” Monitsu said, dragging himself right next to him on the floor.  “We’d just be a hindrance, it’s a higher-ranking Upper Moon…”

I wanted to go fight, but something in my gut told me that Doctor Scary would be really mad if I tried to get myself in there… Plus, I had already been struggling to tag-team Lower One, my ribs were broken, and I was starting to feel faint. There was no way even I could face an Upper Moon at that time.

Monitsu was the first to pass out. I tried to wake him up, but he would not respond; he would not even fight as he usually did when he fainted. Karsen was crying, teeth clenched and all, but he couldn’t move too much and fainted shortly after. And me, being the strongest of them all, stayed awake the longest, meaning I won. Anyway, I passed out the last, and I have no idea how Doctor Scary and Flame Head ended up in a coma. My guess is Upper Moon Three, of course.

“So, the three of you passed out post-battle against Lower Moon One due to your injuries… And, somehow, Muzan-san and Rengoku-san survived Upper Moon Three…” Aoi took a sip from her teacup.

“Yeah, exactly that!” Inosuke exclaimed. “And I won!”

Nezuko started questioning whether she was relieved that Inosuke had woken up, or whether she preferred him back when he was asleep.

Chapter Text

While Inosuke recovered and Kanao trained and took care of some of the rehabilitating slayers, Nezuko and Kanroji continued their ‘trial’ tsuguko training. Kocho had given them permission to stay until the training was over. According to the insect hashira, it was on Kanao’s request that Nezuko would be welcome inside their home until the waters from the recent Mugen Train disaster calmed down.

Now, training with Kanroji was still hell, as expected. The flexibility exercises were awful, and the physical training was too extreme for the young Kamado, considering the fact that she was merely a 14-year-old girl. Not that she was weak, she was surprisingly muscular from all that training and demon slaying. But still, limitations were limitations, especially compared to that infinitely strong Love Hashira, who could lift boulders like they were cotton.

Training got especially hard on those days of the month when Nezuko happened to be on her period. She decided to ask Kanao what she did during those days, especially when she had cramps. That was one of her main problems when training with Urokodaki as well, even though he did not understand.

“Oh, um… I usually take a medication Shinobu nee-san makes for me,” Kanao commented.  “I can ask her to make some for you, too.”

“And what do you do for the bleeding? Because I don’t want blood going down my legs… again,” Nezuko whispered, feeling a bit embarrassed to be having that conversation. She had not had the chance to start her period while her mother was alive and, considering that Urokodaki-san’s advice was just a make-shift bunch of cloth to prevent leaking… She wanted to see if female-raised girls knew how to deal with it.

She had been too embarrassed to ask up until now, even too embarrassed to ask Kanroji-san herself, but… She was getting more desperate the harder the training got. She needed an effective way to control the bleeding and get some cramp relief.

“Oh, that… My sister makes some sterile cotton and linen pieces that you have to… Uh… Um… You know…” Kanao’s face turned red with fluster as she attempted to explain something Nezuko was clearly missing. Sure, talking about their periods was embarrassing, but… What was it about that piece of cotton?

“Yeah?” Nezuko leaned forward, interested in hearing Kanao’s period trick.

“You- you have to- uh… Insert it inside your… Down there, you know…” Kanao grimaced slightly in embarrassment.

Down there… Insert… Down there…

Nezuko’s face paled.

SHE HAD TO INSERT A THING DOWN THERE?! JUST LIKE WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY SAW HER MOM MAKING ROKUTA WITH HER DAD, AND SHE INSERTED HER DAD’S THING DOWN IN HER OWN THING?! THAT DOWN THERE?!

“You’re kidding,” were the first words that left her mouth. No way she was getting anything in there! Inside? Down there? No way, she never touched that area unless she needed to clean it!

“I’m serious… If you used that, along with the super absorbent underwear my sister makes… It really prevents all… You know… Leaks…” Kanao’s face could not have been redder. “It’s- it’s very practical,” she stammered.

Nezuko slowly glanced down towards the skirt of her uniform, trying to picture herself inserting a cotton-linen thing in there.

“I think I’ll just keep bleeding down my legs,” the young Kamado said, breathlessly.

“I used to think the same thing,” Kanao scratched her cheek awkwardly. “But it really helped me even back when I was your age, so… I- I think it’s worth a try…” Kanao stood up. “Are you- you know… Bleeding right now?” she asked, her cheeks red but her voice gentle.

Was she bleeding? She had the bloody version of the Niagara going on down there at the moment. She would probably start leaking soon if she didn’t change her period cloth as soon as possible.

“Uh… Yeah…” Nezuko’s face tinted red from the embarrassment and awkwardness she was feeling.

“Um… If you come to the bathroom, I can help you… You know, try the absorbent bullet, that’s how my sister calls it anyway,” Kanao stood up from the tatami and extended her hand towards her.

Bullet? God, it even had a terrifying name! How was she supposed to insert something called a ‘bullet’ into herself?! Was it a death sentence?!

Nezuko followed Kanao into the bathroom. As they both washed their hands, Kanao took one of those linen bullet things from a closed container. It was a bullet-shaped linen thing that probably contained cotton inside. It had a tiny cord tied to the bottom, which Nezuko assumed to be for pulling it out.

“Uh… I’ll help you put it on,” Kanao seemed like she wanted the floor to swallow her. But, at the same time, Nezuko could see that she really wanted to help, despite how embarrassing the situation was.

“T-thank you… Uh…” Nezuko then realised that she had to take off her bloody cloth and wash herself right there.

She wanted to die. Sure, she had been at women’s bathhouses before, where she had not worn any clothes. Especially the wisteria houses. But taking off her bloody cloth and baring herself while she was literally bleeding, even if in front of a girl friend, felt utterly mortifying.

She pushed past the embarrassment and took off the lower half of her clothes at the cleaning area, using a bucket of warm water to really clean that area abundantly. She then dried it with a towel that Kanao passed to her and, carefully, lay back on top of a different towel at a dry area of the bathroom. The other girl knelt in front of her, between her legs, with the absorbent bullet in hand.

“Is it going to hurt?” Nezuko asked as she looked up at her, suddenly fearing being torn apart by that bullet thing. After all, she had never had anything actually inside.

Not even her own finger, she had never dared.

“To be honest, it did hurt a bit the first time I used it,” Kanao smiled gently, opening up her legs with an embarrassed expression. “My sister inserted it for me that first time… But once it was inside, I no longer felt it, so… Don’t worry.”

Nezuko was tenser than tense. She knew relaxing her muscles would probably yield better results, but she was nervous as hell, especially at the prospect of possible pain. She felt Kanao’s hand open up her entrance slightly, and the linen followed shortly after. Her friend started pushing it inside slowly and, it did hurt. It was not excruciating pain; she had clearly been through worse. But it was stretching her insides uncomfortably. It was a new and quite unpleasant experience.

Still, she endured it until it was fully inside. She could feel Kanao taking out her finger, which was pushing the base of the absorbent bullet. When Nezuko looked up, she saw that the other girl’s finger was stained with her period blood.

God, how utterly embarrassing!

Kanao, however, did not even flinch. Instead, she smiled shyly at her, mumbling that it was done as she stood up to wash her hands again. Nezuko was quick to sit up and get dressed in her uniform once more, the bloody cloth replaced with a clean one until Kanao got her some of that ‘absorbent’ underwear.

Surprisingly, now that the bullet was fully inside, she truly didn’t feel it. And she no longer felt a leaking sensation either. Sure, getting it in had been a bit painful, but she suddenly felt much cleaner and more comfortable.

Is this what I’ve been missing all this time?!

“Uh… Kanao-chan, thank- thank you for- for, you know, helping me with this,” Nezuko stammered as she bowed deeply to the girl, who turned to look at her after drying her hands.

“It’s nothing,” Kanao smiled gently, now feeling a bit more relaxed, her face no longer tomato-red. “I got help from my sister back in the day, so… I thought you could use the same help too…”

She had to be an angel, right? Otherwise, Nezuko could not explain how she had volunteered for a deed as gruesome as pushing a blood absorbing device into her parts. That was not a task a non-solidary soul would take upon. Heck, it was not a task most solidary souls would take upon. The only other person who would have done that for her if he was still a human was her older brother Tanjiro. Knowing him, he would have probably swallowed the disgust, covered his nose and helped her.

Nezuko shivered in utter horror at the hypothetical scenario. That would have somehow been 1000 times more mortifying for both her and her brother, who was a boy who knew nothing about periods or absorbent bullets. She shook the intrusive thought from her mind and instead felt grateful that Kanao, along with the other girls from the Butterfly Estate were in the Corp.

It was already bad enough that most people there were men, she could not imagine how much worse it could get for her if there were no women in her path at all.

It should have probably been her mom, helping her with all period and puberty related problems. Her body had been changing a lot for the past years, and it was scary and uncomfortable. Sure, the slow and traumatic growth into adulthood was nothing compared to the grief of losing her family and having her ever-reliable older brother turn into a dependent non-verbal danger. But not having her mom for those moments stung.

Hard.

She hadn’t even noticed that she was still standing in the bathroom, crying before a probably confused Kanao’s eyes.

“Nezuko-chan, what’s wrong?” Kanao approached, her voice dressed in concern.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffled, wiping her tears away. Her voice was thick as she tried to drown out the sobs that were threatening to spill out. “I just… I miss my mom.”

As soon as Kanao pulled her into a shy, loose hug, the dam broke and Nezuko finally let out all of her repressed emotions in the form of tears. She cried into the other girl’s shoulder, her breathing becoming irregular and ragged.

She had tried to be strong for both herself and her brother, but… She hadn’t even spared an instant to grieve after her family’s slaughter. She had drowned out her sorrows with training, battle, more training and more battle. She had used action as a coping mechanism, futilely hoping that it would save her from the settling realisation that her family was dead.

Sure, her dad had been dead for a while now, but she still missed how she used to play with all of them as best as he could despite his deadly illness.

Then, her mom. Nezuko had probably spent the most time with her out of everyone else in the family. She was a strong-willed woman who would not bow down to anyone, even using her hard head to deal with physical threats. She would always work tirelessly to make sure that they had about everything, even after her father’s death.

Her younger brother Takeo, who had the personality of a cactus and always picked fights with her. Sure, they had fought until his very last day. But he was still her brother, and she missed him terribly.

Her younger sister Hanako, who always stuck by her side. Especially when Tanjiro was out of town selling charcoal, and Takeo was bothering her. She’d always come up to Nezuko in search of somebody to defend her.

Her even younger brother Shigeru, who was a ray of sunshine, always excited by everything, always wanting to join in on everyone’s chores and activities. At night, he’d always sneak into Nezuko’s futon to keep himself warm in the winters, sticking his freezing tiny feet to her legs.

And Rokuta, who did not even get old enough to understand their family’s situation. Just a very small child when he was taken from the world. Nezuko hoped he found rest among the rest of her deceased family. At least she had the consolation that they would be together in the afterlife.

The only thing that even kept her going was the mission of turning her only remaining brother back into a human.

She was barely aware of her surroundings when she was taken to the girl’s room and served some linden tea and pain medication. Maybe she felt more terrible than usual because she was on her period, maybe her situation was truly that dire, maybe she was hopeless considering the fact that two hashira were currently in a coma along with two of her comrades.

Was there any future at all?

She knew not. Her only consolation was the soft girl that smelled like flowers, who held her through her first wave of external grief.

Chapter Text

“You’re doing so well, Nezuko-chan!”

She had just finished a gruelling training session with Mitsuri when, suddenly, the doors opened to reveal a rather relevant visitor.

It was Oyakata-sama, the head of the Demon Slayer Corp, and the man who had risked putting his trust in Tanjiro.

What is he doing here? Nezuko’s senses were immediately alert. If the very head of the Demon Slayer Corp was coming over to the Butterfly Estate, then the situation was surely dire.

Right… Two hashira are currently in a coma from a fight with an Upper Moon, he’s probably coming to check on them.

Nezuko could see how Doctor Kocho rushed out to the main door, bowing profusely. Mitsuri followed shortly after, hurrying to receive the blind man, who was accompanied by his wife and two of his daughters.

“Oyakata-sama, we were expecting you,” Shinobu spoke quietly, rising from her bow. “Please, kindly accompany me inside to your room, we have prepared everything for your stay.”

“Thank you, Shinobu. I appreciate your hospitality, as always,” he smiled gently. “However, if you do not mind, I would prefer to see my dear injured children first.”

“Of course, as you wish,” Shinobu bowed again, along with Mitsuri. “Please, accompany me into the patient rooms.”

Nezuko watched as everyone walked inside the Estate. She did not know if she should remain outside or follow the group. After a few seconds of thinking, she decided to quietly follow them inside. After all, she had only seen Zenitsu once because he was in intensive care, and she had not been allowed into the room where Doctor Kibutsuji and his son were resting. She had not been allowed where the Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro was recovering either.

Fortunately, nobody said anything about her presence as they went into the room where Zenitsu was staying. He did not look good. Gone were his usually lively expressions and extreme bodily gestures. Instead, he lay there unconscious, still visibly beaten from battle, wearing casts and a head bandage.

Ubuyashiki was guided by his wife to sit beside Zenitsu’s bed. Then, his hand was promptly guided by Shinobu to one of Zenitsu’s hand, which was not broken. The leader of the Corp immediately held his hand with gentleness, sighing softly and just… Sitting there.

“Thank you, Zenitsu… You are a brave warrior,” he spoke softly.

His wife and daughters remained by his side, as did the two women hashira.

Nezuko quietly left the room, not wanting to intrude much in that moment. If that was the way Zenitsu still looked after more than a week and a half in a coma, she could not fathom what state the others were in, since no one was allowed near them.

She did not have an attachment to the Flame Hashira, who had suggested her and her brother’s execution the one time she had met him in the hashira meeting about Tanjiro. But she did somewhat know Doctor Kibutsuji, and she had developed a bond with Kaizen since Final Selection and her rehabilitation training.

Plus, Kanao would not stop talking about how worried she was about Kaizen all the time. From Inosuke’s retelling of the Mugen train mission, Nezuko had thought that Zenitsu had been the one to sustain the most injuries amongst the three non-hashira. However… If access to Kaizen was even more restrained… Was it really the case? Or was he inaccessible because he was in the same room as Doctor Kibutsuji?

“Muzan-san is not doing well,” Aoi confessed over tea that afternoon. After all, as one of the nurses, she got to check on every patient. “He usually heals miraculously fast if he gets injured at all,” she continued, taking a bite from one of the rice snacks. “His broken bones and torn muscles are healing fine, but we still don’t know why he’s not waking up. Shinobu-san is afraid he might have sustained brain damage.”

“Didn’t their Kasugai crows all give official reports on the mission?” Nezuko asked, swirling her tea slightly. She was seated right across Aoi, next to Kanao as per usual.

“That’s the thing… I think the Demon King now knows of the Kasugai crows because… None survived that mission,” she gulped. “It seems that the Upper Moon must have targeted them. We’re still trying to figure out what Zenitsu’s sparrow’s report is. Only it survived, since it was not a crow and was not targeted.”

Nezuko’s eyebrows shot up. The Demon King was now ordering the death of the Kasugai crows? That was basically fully cutting the communication system between Headquarters and the rest of the slayers. That was very serious. From what she had learnt while she stayed with Urokodaki, those crows had been allies for literal centuries.

Breathe in, breathe out. The higher-ups will find a solution; it’s not your responsibility.

“We still know nothing about the Demon King?” Nezuko asked softly as Kanao rested her cheek on her shoulder.

“Our only reports come from the Sengoku period, by original Sun Hashira Tsugikuni Yoriichi, and original Moon Hashira Tsugikuni Michikatsu,” Aoi leaned forward, her voice lowering conspiratorially. “He appeared in the shape of a short pale man with void purple eyes and a chilling presence. Unmatchable speed, he was almost killed by their hand. The rest of the information is either lost or non-existent.”

Nezuko tried to picture the image of the demon who had turned her older brother into a demon and slain his whole family. Short pale man with void purple eyes… She had never seen such a being.

“He might be a shapeshifter, most demons have some sort of shapeshifting capability,” Aoi added. “So, I would not fully trust the only report about him.”

“Right…”

The night soon arrived, and her brother Tanjiro emerged from his room as he usually did. As always, he sought her company in the mostly empty garden. For once, she was reflecting on her own.

She was not in the girls’ bedroom, Kanao was not by her side, Aoi was not serving her any snacks or gossip, the three young butterfly girls were nowhere to be found, and Kaizen was not stalking and capturing insects.

It was eerily quiet.

“Hmmm!” Tanjiro probably noticed her worry. He hummed behind the muzzle as he stood in front of her and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Nii-san…” she slowly hugged him back, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “Things are getting really weird, huh?” she caressed his back gently.

“Hmmph!” he pulled back, looking down at her and patting her head enthusiastically.

 “By the way, nii-san… Did you take my hairbrush?” she inquired, raising one eyebrow.

Tanjiro was taken aback by the question for a second. And then, as always happened whenever he tried to lie, his face contorted into a really strange yet hilarious expression. He then shook his head, though it was clear he was not fully convinced of his lie himself.

“…you took my hairbrush, didn’t you?” she frowned.

“Hmph!” he shook his head harder, but his expression betrayed reality.

“Nii-san, didn’t you have your own hairbrush?” she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Tanjiro sighed depressingly behind his muzzle, shaking his head and trying to gesticulate. No understandable words left him, but she took a wild guess that he had lost it somewhere and decided to take hers.

“Did you lose it?”

Tanjiro shook his head again.

Huh?

If he had not lost it, then where the heck was it?

“Nii-san, where is your hairbrush then?” she asked.

After all, she needed her hairbrush herself. She could not have her brother steal it from her on a regular basis!

Tanjiro hummed in thought before taking her hand and walking with her back into the house, not before she took the andon lamp with them. Where was he even going? He pulled her along until they arrived to one of the off-limits rooms. What was he planning?

Tanjiro, nonchalant as ever, just opened one of the doors and pulled her inside.

NII-SAN!! DO YOU WANT TO GET US IN TROUBLE?! WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO COME INTO THE OFF-LIMITS ROOMS!

She could hear the faint sound of breathing deeper in the room.

WAH! THERE ARE PEOPLE SLEEPING IN THIS ROOM!

It was no use; her brother walked straight into the darkness towards the sound of breathing. He was intruding upon the rest of some poor sleeping people! Had he left his brush next to one of them!

Nezuko approached her brother in a rush, ready to drag him out of that room in an instant. However, when she got to where he was, she was met with a shocking sight.

Lying on the bed, was an unconscious and clearly injured Kaizen. He had a cast on his arm, a bandage over his entire head, another cast on one of his legs and a strange tube going into both of his nostrils. On his abdomen, Tanjiro’s hairbrush.

“You left your hairbrush with Kaizen?” she whispered to her brother. “No one is even supposed to come in here, why would you do that?”

Tanjiro hummed behind his muzzle, taking Kaizen’s healthy hand and looking down at him with that warm, concerned gaze he gave anyone who was struggling in any way, shape or form.

“Nii-san…” she whispered. “He’ll be fine, he’s under professional care,” she whispered, taking the hairbrush from Kaizen’s abdomen. “He’ll brush your hair when he wakes up. But we can’t be here, alright?”

Suddenly, a voice could be heard from the other nearby bed.

“…aizen…”

That voice… Nezuko lifted her andon lamp and looked towards the other bed. Without a shadow of a doubt, Doctor Kibutsuji was there. Right, she remembered that the girls had mentioned that they had placed father and son in the same room.

Is he awake?

Nezuko rushed towards his bed, disregarding instructions not to get close to either of them and looking down at him.

His eyes were closed, and he was about as injured as Kaizen himself, if not more. He had casts, bandages and tubes going into his nostrils too. He looked even paler than usual, and it was apparent that he had suffered from far more blood loss than Kaizen.

He’s still in a coma…

“Nii-san, we should go before someone finds us in here,” she whispered, walking back to Tanjiro and taking his free hand.

He refused to move, glued to the young Kibutsuji’s side like his life depended on it.

She knew that Tanjiro had a whole thing for befriending people that tried to avoid him. Kaizen was a prime example: he tried to avoid Tanjiro like the plague, actively went where he thought her brother wouldn’t be, even told him to go away –sometimes, not in the most polite way– and Tanjiro still tried to go after him.

Nii-san, you’re weird.

“I’m serious, we have to go,” she whispered again, pulling his hand hard. Unfortunately, though, her older brother did not budge. “Nii-san, you need to make some emotionally available friends,” her voice was strained as she struggled to get him away from the comatose boy.

Tanjiro was not moving at all! She had no choice but to do the unthinkable… Using his name.

“Tanjiro!” she exclaimed in a whisper.

He immediately stopped struggling, slowly turning his head to look at her with an expression that made it seem like he had just been kicked in the gut.

“Bad demon, bad!” she whisper-exclaimed, dragging her brother away from the comatose patients, and away from that off-limits room before anyone found them inside and scolded the crap out of them.

Thankfully, the house was dead silent and no one had seen them. At least not that Neuzko thought. She closed the door of the forbidden room quietly and dragged Tanjiro outside into the cool night air.

“Go catch bugs or something, I’m going to bed with the girls,” she whispered.

Tanjiro, still shocked from her addressing him by first name, suddenly started tearing up.

Oh, no… Is he going to cry?

Drop.

Tears started dropping from his eyes, through his cheeks and onto the floor.

Before she could do anything else, her brother was squeezing her into a nearly bone-breaking hug, sobbing behind the muzzle and holding onto her like he would die if he let go for the slightest instant.

“Nii-san… It’s alright, I’m sorry,” she hugged him back, caressing his head softly.

He looked up at her with teary eyes, his slit pupils widening slightly.

“Seriously though… No more entering that room. And keep your own hair brush, I need mine.”

Chapter Text

“This is a serious mission,” Muzan said as he walked into the train station. “You kids may not understand, but the fact that Oyakata-sama sent two hashira and three additional slayers on this train can only mean that a high-tier lower moon demon is suspected to be on this train route.”

He was standing with three slayers. Agatsuma Zenitsu, Kibutsuji Kaizen and Hashibira Inosuke. While the former ones listened to the Blood Hashira’s every word, the latter appeared distracted by the crowd.

“What?!” Zenitsu suddenly started shaking, turning three shades whiter at the warning. “A lower moon?! You’re joking, right?!”

“Don’t yell,” Muzan knuckled his head, though the hit was not strong. “It has to be Lower Moon One or Two, demons below that rank are weak enough to be slain by a single hashira.”

“Dad, completely unrelated, can you watch my stuff for a moment? I gotta go to the bathroom and I see that it’s over there,” Kaizen pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

“Yeah, go ahead. Don’t take too long,” Muzan waved his hand for him to go.

After Kaizen left, Zenitsu looked up at the older man once more, his legs shaking slightly. “Uh… How- how does Oyakata-sama know that this is a high-tier Lower Moon?”

“Many demon slayers have been disappearing when being sent to this train,” Muzan answered, looking down at the blond. “Usually, when this happens, Oyakata-sama dispatches slayers of higher rank than the disappearing ones. The problem is that groups with kinoto and kinoe have been disappearing without a trace.”

“Kinoto and kinoe?” Zenitsu paled even further. “Those- those are just below hashira in rank, why would they send a miserable kanoto like me or Inosuke, or a kanoe like Kaizen into this danger train?!”

“There are probably weaker demons as well that they might want the extra help for,” Muzan answered. “It is not in my plans that you fight a lower moon yourselves when me and Kyojuro are here.”

“Right…” Zenitsu slowly exhaled, his shaking slowly coming to a halt.

“By the way… What is the deal with your… Uh… friend?” Muzan turned his gaze to Inosuke, who was too busy exploring the area and bothering people. “And why isn’t he in uniform? Actually, why isn’t he in any regular clothes… He’s missing a whole shirt…” the blood hashira grimaced at the sight. “Not to mention that stinky boar mask…”

“Yeah, I know… I don’t like being seen in public with him either,” Zenitsu grimaced as well. “I can’t even say he’s a great guy, he’s just… A guy.”

“Barely,” Muzan added.

“Yeah… barely,” Zenitsu admitted.

Kaizen returned, shortly after, picking his luggage up again and standing next to Zenitsu, in front of Muzan.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked, bouncing up and down in place like an overly excited chihuahua.

“Just that we might come across Lower One or Lower Two, that’s about it,” Muzan answered. “Could you boys call your friend so that we can buy the tickets and leave this area?”

“Right,” Kaizen cleared his throat. “I’ll be right back,” again he rushed away, this time, to drag Inosuke back with the group.

After buying the tickets, and after Muzan prevented Inosuke from causing a ruckus in the train, they all sat inside, in four-seat areas. Kaizen sat together with Zenitsu, while Kyojuro sat with Muzan and Inosuke.

“Haha! Kaizen! How are you, little guy!” Kyojuro was quick to greet the young Kibutsuji after exchanging a few minutes of conversation with Muzan. Both the flame hashira and the young slayer stood in front of each other at the aisle of the train wagon.

“Rengoku-san, it has been a long-” Kaizen tried to bow, but both his bow and words were cut short when the enthusiastic young man pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

“You’ve gotten taller, haha!” Rengoku exclaimed.

“Please, let go of me,” Kaizen choked out, tapping his back.

“Your father talks wonders about you!” Rengoku exclaimed again, pulling back just to squeeze the cheeks of the young slayer.

“Please, don’t touch me, sir,” Kaizen tried to push his arms away to no avail.

“Such a young, strong warrior!” the flame hashira added, ruffling the boy’s curly hair.

“Please, stop touching me, sir,” Kaizen ducked to dodge the unsolicited affection.

“Kyojuro, my son doesn’t like to be touched, so please, refrain,” Muzan finally intervened with a soft sigh.

“Right! Anyway, who’s this other young man!” Rengoku smiled brightly, referring to Zenitsu.

“He’s Agatsuma Zenitsu. He’s my nephew,” Muzan introduced, most likely because he had seen that Zenitsu’s expression screamed: please, don’t let this man go overboard on me too.

“Your nephew, is that so?” Kyojuro tilted his head.

“He is the adoptive grandson of my late wife’s father, and he does get along well with Kaizen, so… He’s like a nephew to me,” Muzan sat back down, always keeping an eye on a bored and grumpy Inosuke.

Rengoku, too, sat back in front of Muzan. “Who would have thought, huh? I didn’t know you had nephews!”

“Nephew, singular,” Muzan corrected.

“Is that so? I thought former thunder hashira had two mentees and adoptive grandchildren?” the flame hashira’s smile was unwavering.

“The other kid is not my nephew,” Muzan slightly scrunched his face in disgust. “He tried to bully my son back during a time when he had to stay with his grandfather. He was jealous of him.”

“Oh, those are some bad news!” Rengoku commented, though he was still smiling. “Is Kaizen alright?”

“Oh, yeah, Kaizen is fine, he handled that ugly kid perfectly,” Muzan waved his hand dismissively. “I’m the one who has got a grudge against that little prick.”

“Haha! Holding grudges against children is not healthy, Muzan-san!” the flame hashira exclaimed as earnestly as ever.

“I don’t care,” Muzan simply answered. “And for the record, the so-called ‘child’ was 17 when that incident happened.”

“Fair enough, haha! I guess I’ll understand you if I ever have a child!” Rengoku continued the chatter happily.

“You do need a wife for that,” Muzan leaned back against his seat. “And Tengen does not count.”

Rengoku choked on his bento, Kaizen and Zenitsu’s gazes snapped in their direction, and Inosuke tilted his head in confusion.

The flame hashira remained silent, his cheerful expression unwavering though.

“Oho, this just got interesting,” Kaizen said, covering his mouth.

“It was a joke, you can laugh now,” Muzan deadpanned.

There was silence for a few seconds before the flame hashira seemingly revived.

“Haha! You say it with such a straight face that I can’t tell if you’re joking or not!” he exclaimed, taking another bite from his bento.

“I was joking. However, by the way you reacted, I do not know if my little jab was based on real events,” Muzan added.

“Haha! You’re funny! That’s another joke, right?”

“…”

“Right?”

“There are definitely a few demons on the train now,” Muzan stood up. “Everyone, let’s get to work.”

He gave everyone back their swords and, with that, he rushed away to another train cart.

“…right?! Right! Haha!” Rengoku exclaimed, but there was no answer. He then proceeded to rush away in the opposite direction, along with Inosuke.

Zenitsu remained confused as Kaizen took off in his father’s direction, and ended up staying in that wagon, not knowing what to do. In the end, he remained at his original wagon, only slaying a demon when it got in there through one of the windows.

After all the minor demons in the train were killed and, shortly after they took their seats, the train staff checked their tickets. However, after that, every single passenger on that train immediately passed out. It got even stranger when the zombie-like staff started tying a strange rope around all passenger’s wrists.

Fortunately, Inosuke somehow woke up and started breaking everyone’s ropes, breaking what seemed to be a blood demon art and waking everyone up. All slayers, especially the two hashira, realised the gravity of the situation and decided to act immediately. However, the insides of the train turned into a meaty texture, and started trying to eat the passengers.

“This situation is dire!” Rengoku exclaimed, as he slay through the strange tentacle-like limbs that tried to attack them.

“Only we are fast enough to keep these things at bay,” Muzan said as he cut through the flesh and freed a couple people. “I hate that it has come to this, but we can’t fight the lower moon in these conditions. We must stay in here and protect the passengers.” He barely gazed towards the three younger slayers.

Rengoku’s expression finally turned serious.

“You three!” Muzan exclaimed as he cut through another piece of flesh. “You are to go outside and fight the demon doing this while Kyojuro and I stay here to protect the passengers! Go out there and survive, it’s an order!”

“It’s on the rooftop, RRAH! I CAN FEEL IT!!” Inosuke yelled, rushing towards the door of the railway.

“W-what?!” Zenitsu’s eyes widened. “We have to fight a lower moon?! We’re going to die!”

“If you die, I’ll kill you!” Muzan yelled angrily. “Go!”

“Yes, sir! Come on, Zeni!” Kaizen grabbed Zenitsu’s wrist and dragged him along in the direction Inosuke had left.

Up on the train’s rooftop was Lower Moon One. It had already attacked and devoured all Kasugai crows except for me. Probably because I am not a crow but a sparrow.

It was clearly a very powerful demon.

“Hi!” he chanted upon seeing the three young slayers. “Is dinner trying to serve itself? What a delight!” he laughed.

The demon was going to speak more but, in an instant, Kaizen was behind it, almost beheading it.

“Oo, fast boy,” the Lower Moon practically moaned out strangely as he turned around inhumanely fast, sending Kaizen flying to another wagon and into slumber with his blood demon art.

“Kaizen!” Zenitsu panicked, as he usually did. He was hit by the blood demon art shortly after.

However, unfortunately for that Lower Moon, he was perfectly capable of fighting when asleep. In fact, fighting while sleeping was his modus operandi.

“Huh-?” Lower One barely dodged Zenitsu’s attack, almost falling off the train while he tried.

“RRAH! DIE, DEMON!” Inosuke yelled, throwing himself into the attack.

Kaizen somehow managed to wake up, blinking in disorientation before immediately standing up and joining the attack. They were all repeatedly hit with the sleeping demon art, waking up faster each time. They all received fatal hits during the battle.

The one who was hit the most was Inosuke, though for some strange reason, he seemed perfectly fine.

The one who had been hit the second most was Zenitsu, his immunity to the blood demon art preventing him from becoming unable to fight during slumber. However, he was still not fast enough to dodge all attacks coming their way.

Lastly, the one who had been hit the least was Kaizen. However, he was struck in vital points that later, after the battle, became more evident. He was fast-dodging and quick attacking from a very short distance. In fact, he was the one to behead what appeared to be the demon’s body.

However, Lower One had somehow fused itself with the train, which probably explained why it was becoming meaty inside. They got into the driver’s wagon the best they could and Inosuke beheaded it from there.

The train derailed, at that very moment, but thankfully all slayers and civilians survived. Unfortunately, though, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Kaizen were sent flying from the front wagon into the field ahead, very close to the train track.

“I’M ALIVE!!” Inosuke exclaimed, standing up immediately from the floor.

“Fuck…” Kaizen coughed out blood, his breathing fainter by the second. “I can’t believe we made it out of Lower One…” he coughed again.

Zenitsu was crying, in severe pain as he kissed the ground and fell face-down onto it. “Thank God! We’re alive! We’re alive!”

“Stand up, you weaklings! HAHAHA! WE’RE GETTING TEMPURA AFTER THIS!” Inosuke laughed, flexing his muscles and walking up to them, wobbly.

Muzan and Kyojuro came shortly after. Rengoku was smiling from ear to ear, while dread was painted all over Kibutsuji’s expression. As they both arrived at the scene, the blood hashira immediately knelt beside Kaizen, checking up on him first thing and evaluating his vitals and level of responsiveness.

“Kaizen, can you see me? Can you hear me?” Muzan asked, leaning over his son while checking his pulse and breathing.

“Yeah… I’m doing well as you can tell…” Kaizen laughed breathlessly.

“Please, don’t try to be funny, some of your bones are broken and you’re losing blood,” Muzan gently scolded. “Control your breathing like I taught you, alright?”

Kaizen stopped talking, following his father’s instructions as he covered up external wounds.

“We are going to the nearest hospital first thing, you three need a proper medical examination with actual equipment,” Muzan said, standing up to check on Zenitsu as Kaizen tried to sit up. “You have some broken ribs, Kaizen. You shouldn’t move too much.”

“Is he going to die?” Zenitsu teared up as Muzan checked on him and covered some of his wounds with what was available in his bag.

“No one is going to die,” Muzan sighed softly, standing up and moving to check up on Inosuke, raising an eyebrow as he carefully examined him. “What’s surprising is that you’re still moving, Boar kid.”

“I’m invincible! RAH!” Inosuke yelled. However, he coughed out blood immediately after those words left his mouth.

“Right… Well, while help arrives for the derailed train, I’ll go get my First Aid Kit from-” he could not finish the sentence, there was a sudden attack faster than sound directed precisely at Kaizen, who lay on the floor.

He had no time to react. Fortunately, the flame hashira was there to stop the attack, practically pushing the attacking demon farther into the distance. It was Upper Moon Three.

“Why are you stopping me?” he sneered. “I was about to do you a favour and end that weakling!”

Rengoku was quick to chain multiple attacks, successfully getting the Upper Moon far away from the three young slayers. Muzan joined him shortly after, practically appearing behind the Upper Moon, close to beheading it.

Of course, the demon sensed the attack and dodged both men’s swords.

“Wow! Easy, there!” he laughed as he dodged both hashiras’ chains of attacks. “We have the flame hashira and… What are you exactly?” he addressed Muzan as he dodged one of his slashes.

Kibutsuji did not answer, nearly beheading him once more, cutting through his shoulder and clavicle.

“Not much of a talker, I see,” Upper Three chanted, then addressing the younger man. “And what is your name, flame hashira?”

“Rengoku Kyojuro!” he declared, slicing one of Akaza’s arms off, though it regrew instantly.

“Kyojuro, I see!” Upper Three laughed as he threw in his first attacks, which were dodged by both hashira. “My name is Akaza-”

“Nobody asked for your wretched name,” Muzan whispered as he cut one of his legs off unexpectedly.

For a second, Akaza’s expression faltered. Though he quickly regrew his leg and smiled to hide it. “Ah, I can finally hear your voice! I wonder, unknown hashira, why is it that you’re so mad?” the demon laughed mockingly. “Might it be because the weakling I tried to kill bears an uncanny resemblance to you? Is he… Your son, maybe?”

Muzan’s eyes were devoid of all light when he struck Akaza again, cutting his entire arm off, shoulder included.

“Hah, I guess I’m right, then!” Akaza regrew his lost limb just as he dodged one of Rengoku’s close cuts.

The fight went on for a long time. Both hashira barely defended themselves against Upper Three while the three young slayers, one by one, lost their consciousness. They managed to cut off most of Akaza’s limbs, but he regrew them instantly each time. And, as if guided by a compass, his attacks landed in bad places for them, to the point of almost killing each hashira more than once.

He threatened to kill Kaizen time and time again, just to get a reaction out of the Blood Hashira; offering both to become demons in exchange for the young Kibutsuji’s life. However, the fight continued and, just as the sun was about to rise, both men fell to the ground, unable to hold on due to their injuries and broken bones.

“You’re lucky the sun is rising, or else I would kill you and that kid-” Akaza could not finish his sentence. His body was suddenly paralysed, and his muscles failed him to the point he fell on his back to the floor.

He looked around desperately, only his eyeballs responding. It appeared he was completely unable to move.

Just then, Muzan slowly stood up from the floor. He was bleeding out and he had really bad injuries. But he was still carrying his blade as he towered over Akaza like a curse.

“You shouldn’t… You shouldn’t be standing…” Akaza barely managed to vocalise and get those words out, his lungs slowly coming to a halt.

Muzan, running purely on adrenaline, broke into manic laughter as knelt right next to the demon, holding the sharp side of his blade to his neck. The panic in Akaza’s barely moving face muscles was understated.

“You thought you could mess with me?!” a chilling laugh escaped the blood hashira as he pressed his blade harder to the demon’s neck, cutting through some of the flesh. “You thought you could just mess with my son?” he laughed even harder.

Akaza could not answer as tears of the purest dread prickled at the corners of his eyes.

“Akaza… I don’t care that you’re an Upper Moon,” Muzan’s voice lowered dangerously. “You are going to die,” he smiled again, a manic giggle escaping him. “The sun is going to burn you to ashes, Akaza! There is no worse way to die than by being burnt alive!”

As the sun started peeking through the horizon, the demon tried to move to no avail. His body was weakened and paralysed for some reason.

Muzan pressed the blade harder against Akaza’s neck, causing him to wince in pain.

“P… poisoned…” was Upper Three’s last word.

Muzan laughed once more, his breathing getting heavier by the minute. “Die,” was his final one.

The sunlight burned Upper Moon Three until there was nothing left. Not even floating ashes. Right then, the blood hashira finally fell into a coma, along with everyone else.

Chapter Text

The report transcript from Zenitsu’s Kasugai sparrow was quickly available to the entirety of the Demon Slayer Corp, including Nezuko. They all read on with wide eyes as the news that a high-tier Upper Moon had been defeated. Barely, sure. But defeated, nonetheless.

And with no casualties, too. At least at the moment, since all but Insouke were in a coma.

“Upper Three and Lower One in one go, can you believe that?” Aoi’s mouth was hanging open as she hung the just-washed clean sheets outside with the help of Nezuko and Kanao.

“Yeah… That was impressive, I had no expectations of Zenitsu or Kaizen,” Nezuko chuckled, scratching the back of her head after hanging some sheets with Kanao. “I did see Inosuke’s potential though…”

“Oo, does someone have a crush on Inosuke?” Aoi wiggled her eyebrows. “As long as you’re not into Kaizen we should be square.”

“W-what? How could I ever be into that animal?” Nezuko’s eyes widened as she shook her head frantically. “No way, I would rather die. Also, I don’t understand why you like the bug boy so bad. He’s annoying as hell when he’s not in a coma, respectfully.”

“No, he’s not!” Aoi puffed her cheeks defensively as she hung other bedsheets. “He’s brilliant, and strong, and has a good father-in-law attached for the moment marriage arrives.”

Nezuko tried to picture Doctor Kibutsuji as a father-in-law.

Her brain was scarred from the image. She could already hear him nagging her around and about everything.

“Why are you not doing my son’s hair?”

“Why is my son not well-fed a nutritionally optimized high-protein, high-vitamin diet?”

“You should be a good wife and comply with all of the nonsense my mentally unstable definitely non-drug-dealing spawn throws at you.”

“I know I’ve said in the past that you kids should focus on your future, but now that you’re his wife, you should focus on giving me grandkids so that I can train more demon-slayer doctors.”

“There is dust left under this table, do you not have eyes or are you just incompetent?”

Nezuko visibly grimaced at the idea of being legally bound to that neurotic man who kept demons in his basement for experimental reasons, and who had somehow managed to tag-team Upper Moon Three… There was no way.

“Aoi-chan, save yourself the headache and don’t marry him,” Nezuko approached her and patted her shoulder.

“No way, I already decided what we’re gonna name our 10 children!” she protested.

Kanao made no comments, her expression kept neutral as she hung more bedsheets on her own, physically leaving the conversation.

Right, Kanao-chan is Kaizen’s best friend… She probably knows all this already.

“10 children?” Nezuko’s eyes widened. “You’re planning on being pregnant how many times? By bug boy of all people?” she could not believe what she was hearing at all.

Aoi’s face flushed, as if she suddenly realised the implications of what she had said. “I- Well, only after we’re married, of course! Nothing inappropriate!” she stammered through her words just like Nezuko through her training with Mitsuri.

Nezuko grimaced slightly. She could count the times she had seen Kaizen remotely interested in a girl with the fingers of 0 hands. Much like Inosuke, who showed no interest in women either. Both were definitely late bloomers, for sure.

“I could introduce you to my older brother Tanjiro when I turn him back into a human,” Nezuko smiled. “He’s definitely a better match for a sweet girl like you, he’s a kind soul that will be there at your every call… Much unlike Kaizen, who only cares about looking at ugly bugs.”

“Nezuko-chan, I mean this in the most respectful way possible… No.”

 “Why not? My big brother is hard-working, respectful, has strong morals and would make the perfect husband,” Nezuko argued. “I’d love to have you as my sister-in-law too!”

“I’ve seen your brother, and… Eh… He kind of looks like a child… Not my thing…” Aoi grimaced.

Right, Tanjiro was just one year younger than Aoi at 15 years old. However, he had stopped aging right after being turned into a demon, meaning he looked 13… Probably not the most appealing match.

“…okay, fair enough.”

And, just as quick as she started, Nezuko gave up on trying to get Aoi as her sister-in-law.

As long as it was not Kanao in love with Kaizen… Wait, why did that matter? Kanao could like whoever she wanted. Just not Kaizen, though… She deserved someone who would treat her like the princess she was.

Why are you even thinking about this, Nezuko? That’s a concern for her future husband, not for you!

Just as she was about to head over to where Kanao was, she spotted a very well-known figure stepping through the main entryway.

Urokodaki Sakonji.

Her first mentor, her first trainer, the one who took care of her and Tanjiro when no one else would, the one who risked his stomach in case her older brother ever brought harm to a human.

She had written him a few letters saying she was doing well. However, she had not expected him to go ahead and show up at the Butterfly Estate out of nowhere. After all, he always stayed home, never moving away from his house unless strictly necessary, like a true hermit.

“Excuse me, girls…” she rushed away from the sheets and to the main entryway, standing in front of the old man with a smile. “Urokodaki-san! It has been a while!”

“Oh, Nezuko, you’re here?” he patted her head his expression unreadable due to that mask he liked to wear all the time.

“Yeah, I’m staying here for now… What are you here for?” she tilted her head slightly as the older man’s hand returned to his side.

“I came to see my former student and his child, as both appear to be comatose from battle with demon moons,” he explained, sighing softly and placing his hands on his hips.

Wait… Is he talking about Doctor Kibutsuji and his son?

…

Doctor Kibutsuji was Urokodaki-san’s pupil too?!

“Oh… Yeah, did you read the report from the sparrow?” she asked softly.

“Yes, I received it just as I arrived in town. I took a stop to read it, it was very impressive work,” his voice sounded like he was smiling, but it was hard to tell. “Anyway. I will talk to you after, Nezuko. I must check on them,” and with those final words, he disappeared into the house.

Nezuko stood there, dumbfounded. No way sadistic, scary Doctor Kibutsuji had been his pupil. Why was he not a water hashira then? Where the heck did that Blood Breathing technique come from?

“Yeah, Muzan-san was trained by Urokodaki-san,” Kanao confirmed later on, while they sat inside the girl’s bathroom, inside the giant tub of hot water after washing themselves. “Kaizen calls him ‘Water Gramps’, because he took care of him for the first years of his life, while his father trained and went on his first missions.”

“Wait, Urokodaki-san raised Kaizen?” Nezuko’s eyebrows shot up. “He’s a man of discipline; how did Kaizen turn out like… Well, himself.”

“Weeds unplucked will grow even in the best gardens,” Kanao simply answered.

Wow, that saying sure fit Kaizen like a glove! Though…

“I was wondering, Kanao-chan… How are you best friends with such a guy?” Nezuko tilted her head. She did not hate Kaizen but, much like Zenitsu, he was pretty annoying.

“Oh, well…” Kanao scratched her cheek softly. “When I was around 9, my late older sister Kanae introduced us to Doctor Kibutsuji, who worked nearby… My sister Shinobu was still not a fully practicing doctor, so…”

“Alright, Kanao-chan,” Kanae smile after she finished helping me get dressed. “There is a doctor hashira who recently moved here, and he said he’d do your check-up for free.”

Back then, I did not do anything unless instructed to or unless my coin said so. I did not talk, I did not eat, I did not sleep, I did not even go to the bathroom unless ordered to, no matter how much I wanted to. So I just allowed them to take me to that doctor’s appointment at the nearby Kibutsuji Estate.

At the time, the Butterfly Estate was not the home of healing it is today. That task fell to Doctor Kibutsuji and his assigned kakushi nurses and doctors. Everything took place inside his home: from medicine elaboration to in-patient care. So when I went inside, all I saw were a few injured slayers and kakushi running left and right to run the place.

And then a tall, scary man stood right in front of us out of nowhere.

“Good morning. Sorry about my appearance, my son did a number on me,” Doctor Kibutsuji smiled apologetically.

There was black ink on his forehead, uniform and white coat.

“Is he doing alright?” Kanae asked, her smile soft and kind as always.

“He’s doing more than alright,” Muzan’s smile vanished as he let out a heavy sigh. He then looked down at me and knelt to be at my eye level. “You must be Kanao, right?”

“Kanao-chan, introduce yourself,” Kanae gently ordered.

“My name is Tsuyuri Kanao, it is a pleasure to meet you,” I bowed, no longer feeling as nervous after he had come down to my eye level.

“Well, my name is Kibutsuji Muzan, and I’ll be your doctor today,” he spoke gently, patting my head before he stood up again. “Please, follow me to my office.”

As we walked into the office, I could see that there were two kakushi men trying to catch a boy a little smaller than me. He was running around with a stethoscope and a reflex hammer, trying to pick a fight with the two guys who were failing to give him chase.

“Ugh…” Muzan covered his face, groaning into his hands before, in a quick movement, he was lifting Kaizen by the back of his kimono, like one would a kitten.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my equipment, and not to cause a ruckus inside my office?” he lifted his son up to his eye level with a frown.

“Sorry, dad,” Kaizen he slowly slid the reflex hammer into the chest pocket of the doctor’s ink-stained coat with a sheepish smile.

“You really need to stop coming into my office, this is no place for children to play,” the older man took the stethoscope and placed the boy on the floor.

“Shinobu, why don’t you go outside and play with Kaizen?” Muzan asked my sister, nudging his son towards her.

“H-huh?! But- but I’m terrible with kids!” she protested, looking down at the boy and then back up at the doctor.

I personally did not think that she was terrible with kids, because I was a kid back then and she was always nice to me despite her volatile mood at that point in time.

“Well, so am I, but here we are,” Muzan put on a pair of gloves from a closed box together with a couple facemasks. “Run along, Kanae and Kanao will be in good care.”

My sister Shinobu groaned, but she grabbed Kaizen by the wrist and dragged him away from the room.

“BYE, DAD!” I could hear his voice from outside the office.

Doctor Kibutsuji then checked up on me, in the presence of my older sister Kanae, and concluded that I was in a perfectly healthy condition.

“We’re just so worried about her decision-making,” Kanae spoke gently to the doctor as he took off his equipment. “So, I was wondering if your son could come over to our place from time to time, to play with her.”

Muzan’s eyes shot up from his drawer as he gave my sister a soft chuckle. “My son at your place? I would not wish that upon any fellow hashira, my dear,” he closed and locked the drawer with a key. “Kaizen is a good-hearted child, but I cannot guarantee that he will not attempt to tear your house down at least once.”

“We are willing to take the risk,” Kanae smiled. “I’ll keep an eye on him, and I’m a hashira too, so you mustn’t worry excessively. I just think Kanao-chan could do well from a peer so spontaneous.”

“Spontaneous would be an understatement,” Muzan sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “My Kaizen is the exact opposite of your little sister. She follows everyone’s wills but her own. My son follows his own will and cares not for orders from adults.”

“Well, would that not be perfect?” my sister argued. “They could balance each other out! And, of course, I’ll always supervise them,” Kanae smiled. “Please, Muzan-san, reconsider,” she placed a hand on my head and caressed me softly.

Muzan moved towards the office window, my sister and I following along to see.

Outside, my sister Shinobu was trying to get Kaizen to let go of her sword sheath.

“Hm… Very well, then. I can send him off with you whenever you wish,” Muzan turned to look back at us. “Let’s hope and pray my son behaves around Kanao.”

The exact next afternoon, Kaizen was brought to our house for a playdate. I remember that he stood in front of me, looking up at my head with a silly smile.

“Hi, I’m Kaizen! And my dad told me you’re Kanao,” he introduced both himself and her, before rushing up close enough to invade her personal space. “Is that a butterfly on your head?” he asked, referring to my head pin.

I didn’t answer. I had not been ordered to talk. Unfortunately, my silence resulted in him not waiting before impulsively taking the pin out from my hair, effectively undoing my side ponytail. He then proceeded to place the pin on top of his head as decoration and posed.

“How do I look? You can call me butterfly king,” he giggled, before he took the pin in his hands again and looked at it in awe. “It’s so cool! It’s almost like- almost like having a real butterfly on my hand! You know, I remember my dad managed to get a real butterfly on my hand with a bit of banana once. It ate from my hand and everything, you should have been there!”

Kaizen seemed really excited about a simple butterfly hair accessory, and a single butterfly handling experience. Meanwhile, in my home, I had had butterflies make me company ever since I had moved in. There was a reason why it was called the Butterfly Estate after all, rather than the Kocho Estate.

Kaizen returned the pin to me and ran once around me, as in observation.

“Wow, your hair is so pretty! We should play hair stylist! I’ll be the stylist first, and you are my client,” he grinned, grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards my older sister Kanae, who was observing nearby. “Onee-san, can- can you lend us a hairbrush, please?”

“Of course, Kaizen,” she smiled. “Kanao-chan, why don’t you show him to your hairbrush?”

I understood it as an order and nodded, leading both Kaizen and my sister to my room where I opened up the closet and took out my hairbrush. I then handed it to Kaizen, who asked me to sit down on the floor.

He was surprisingly gentle when brushing my hair. He did not know much about styling long hair, that much was clear when he placed my pin randomly, asked me to look in the mirror and I looked weird.

“I call this one the ‘butterfly nest’,” Kaizen grinned as he observed my hairstyle up, down and around. “How do you feel about it?”

It was really bad, but I said nothing about it, giving him an ambiguous nod instead.

Like that, Kaizen started coming home often during weekends and holidays. During weekday mornings, he would actually go to the in-town elementary school. He told me about all the fascinating stories, friends and games that he had there, and I gladly listened.

After all, my inability to act for myself without orders had led to a nasty situation in school for me, and I was pulled from it, getting my education at home instead.

I really liked his company, and he seemed to be good at accepting my silence, given how much he liked to talk. However, when we were a year into our friendship, he just came to my house and said not a single word. He just blankly stared at me. And then he did it again, and again for an entire week, to the point I felt extremely unsettled and uncomfortable.

By the end of that strange week, I flipped my coin, trying to decide whether to address it or not. However, when it ordered me to address the situation…

“Um… why won’t you talk…?”

…he did not answer. He smiled lightly, but no words came out of his mouth.

What did he want, what was he thinking? For a moment, I feared the worst. I thought that he did not wish to be my friend anymore. My usually numb emotions turned to anguish and panic, my chest constricted painfully as I tried to reconcile with that new reality.

But he kept showing up at my house, giving me a quiet smile and not letting a single word out of his mouth. If he had no longer wanted to be my friend, he would have not shown up at my house every weekend, holiday or free afternoon. Still, seeing him so quiet… It was unnatural.

I did not like it in the slightest, that much I knew. So, I did something I had never tried before. I made a choice, the choice to re-establish normalcy between us by filling up the void Kaizen was leaving.

“Kaizen, um… Would you like to play hair stylist?” I asked one afternoon after two weeks of his silence.

He just looked at me with a quiet smile, not a word coming out of him.

“I’ll take it as a yes…” I spoke quietly. I took my hairbrush and tried to style his short, curly hair. Of course, back then I didn’t know that brushing dry curly hair would frizz it up so much, and he ended up looking like he had been electrocuted.

“Do you… like it…?” I asked, though I myself did not like the result in the slightest.

He did not answer.

I was starting to feel hopeless. I took off my butterfly hair pin and placed in on his head after making a tiny micro ponytail.

“Um… I call it the ‘Butterfly King Hair’… Because… You know… You’re the Butterfly King…”

Finally, he made a move. His hand went towards his pocket, and he took out a coin, much like mine. He tossed the coin in the air, flipping it and looking down at the result. He then looked back towards me, his grin widening and, finally, after more than two weeks of silence, he spoke.

“I don’t like the hair, but I like it when you talk and play with me,” he then turned around on the floor, taking my hands in his with determination. “Isn’t quiet boring? I want you to be loud with me too.”

“In the end, those small two weeks forced me to eventually rely less and less on my coin,” Kanao smiled sheepishly, adjusting the white towel on her head while sitting up straighter on the enormous tub. “Now, I just use it whenever I freeze or feel to paralysed to continue. It’s still hard, talking to other people and listening to myself. But thanks to him… I’m able to talk to you too, Nezuko-chan.”

Nezuko took a few moments to think before smiling warmly at the older girl. “I see… Then it makes sense that you are best friends,” she spoke softly, sinking further under the hot water.

Perhaps the annoying, smug, drug-dealing son of Doctor Kibutsuji was not so bad after all.

Chapter Text

The Butterfly Estate was not just busy, it was busiest.

In the span of a few days, upon the news of Upper Moon Three’s death and the coma of the two hashira who accomplished it, many visitors crowded the Estate. Starting by the head of the Demon Slayer Corp, followed by every single active and retired hashira.

What that really meant for Nezuko was that, when her training with Mitsuri ended, her training with Tomioka would start right away, since he was present in the Estate for it.

“Can you believe it?” she spoke gently to a sleeping Zenitsu, as Tanjiro sat next to her that night. “I won’t even catch a break…”

She made sure to visit him and talk to him while he slept, keeping him company. As much as he bothered her whenever he decided to hit on her, he had still protecter her brother’s box at one point and had fought a really hard battle.

Unexpectedly, the door opened to show an old man with a stick leg, and a taller guy with black hair and blue eyes that wore a haori similar in pattern to the comatose boy standing beside her.

“Oh, are you Zenitsu’s friend?” the older man asked as Nezuko allowed him to take the seat she was using with a bow.

“I… Yeah, sorta,” Nezuko answered softly.

Tanjiro hummed into his muzzle, wrapping his arms around Nezuko protectively as he eyes the tall young man walking with the old one.

“Oh, you must be the girl with the demon brother, right?” the old man scratched his chin, observing Tanjiro. “He certainly looks unlike any other demon I have seen before.”

“Oh, right,” Nezuko smiled. “He is completely harmless and will not attack any humans,” she patted Tanjiro’s back, to which the demon boy patted her head in return.

“How curious,” the old man commented as he looked down at Zenitsu on the bed, slowly taking his hand. “My name is Kuwajima Jigoro, and the young man with me is my disciple, Kaigaku.”

The other man bowed politely but remained silent as his eyes remained fixed on Zenitsu’s sleeping figure.

“Kuwajima-san, Kaigaku-san, it is nice to meet you,” Nezuko bowed in return. “My name is Kamado Nezuko, and this is my older brother, Kamado Tanjiro.”

Kuwajima nodded softly, looking down at the unconscious blond. “I am pleasantly surprised to see that Zenitsu survived a fight against Lower Moon One,” he spoke softly. “He really is my disciple too, even though he only knows the first form of Thunder Breathing.”

Nezuko could see how Kaigaku’s fists clenched, though his lips remained sealed.

“My grandson fought and survived too, they fought together,” Jigoro gently commented. “Though I have not yet been able to visit him. Doctor Kocho is ensuring that it is safe to visit first.”

His grandson? He was either speaking about Inosuke or Kaizen… Oh, right. She remembered Kanao telling her that Zenitsu’s master was Kaizen’s actual grandfather.

“They have not let you see Kaizen?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

“You know my grandson?” he turned to her and smiled softly. “Are you friends with him too?”

Nezuko’s mind flashed with that one time Kaizen had threatened her because she had accidentally caught him selling drugs.

“…you could say so, yes,” she chuckled uncomfortably, scratching her cheek. “We were all together in final selection and all.”

“Ah, yes… He and Zenitsu get along really well,” Jigoro commented with a tinge of nostalgia in his voice. “They’re like cousins and even call each other cousins. An indomitable spirit he has, my grandson. And now, I see that my disciple too,” his hand slowly ran through Zenitsu’s blond locks, a soft sigh escaping him.

Kaigaku lifted his gaze to look at Nezuko, which Tanjiro did not like, as he started tugging her haori sleeve away from the room.

Outside the room, it was not less chaotic. Oyakata-sama and all the hashira were bunching up near both Rengoku’s and Doctor Kibutsuji’s doors, waiting for permission to get inside and visit.

“I can’t believe they killed Upper Moon Three! So flashy!” one of the white-haired hashira exclaimed.

“I really hope they are doing alright,” the other white-haired hashira, the crazy one that had stabbed Tanjiro, said as he scratched the back of his head.

“So do I,” the hashira with a snake around his neck commented.

“I take refuge in the Buddha of immeasurable light and life,” the tallest hashira cried, his hands clasped together in prayer.

“We just have to wait for Shinobu to give us permission,” Mitsuri commented, standing next to the snake hashira and the wind hashira.

Tomioka stood to the side, no words leaving his lips.

And the hashira her age was just staring into the ceiling, completely absent-minded.

“Maybe not with Kyojuro, but there is a child resting with Muzan, so remain calm and quiet once we’re allowed inside,” Oyakata-sama spoke gently, to which all the hashira bowed and complied by lowering their volume.

Nezuko slowly walked up to Giyuu, intending to talk about him about their upcoming training together. He was just standing there, not particularly talking to anyone, not the closest to the door, his expression betraying no emotion.

“Tomioka-san,” she spoke softly as she approached and stood in front of him. “I’ll be finishing my training with Kanroji-san too, and I was wondering if we would start right away since you are here.”

Giyuu took a few seconds to answer, slowly directing his gaze towards her with an unreadable visage. “If Kocho-san will allow it, we will begin our training right after you are done with Kanroji-san.”

Nezuko quietly nodded, mentally preparing herself for her next challenge, and for the selection of the hashira whose tsuguko she would be once and for all. Before she could say anything else, though, the door opened from inside Muzan’s room, and Shinobu came out of it together with Aoi.

“Due to the state of our patients, crowds would not do them any good,” she smiled softly. “I would suggest that you go inside in pairs, yes? Oyakata-sama,” she bowed deeply. “I apologise for not allowing you in earlier. Allow me to guide you inside right now.”

“Thank you, Shinobu,” the man smiled gently, as his wife stood up from a seat at a nearby room and approached him as well, taking his arm.

Both the head of the Corp and his wife were promptly guided inside the room. Tanjiro tried to pull her inside as well, but Nezuko pulled back against his hold, preventing him from getting inside the Kibutsuji’s patient room without permission.

“Nii-san, I already told you, you can see Kaizen when we get permission,” she lightly scolded, pulling on his ear.

Tanjiro sighed behind his muzzle, looking towards the door longingly.

What in the nichirin is wrong with my older brother, seriously? He’s been wanting to stick to Kaizen like a leech for way too long for it to be normal.

The sound hashira was quick to walk up to Rengoku’s door, shoving the wind hashira aside to the right as he was about to enter.

“Hey!” Shinazugawa angrily exclaimed.

“You snooze you lose! My turn!” Tengen showed him his tongue and went inside the room, closing the door behind himself.

“Wait, me too!” Mitsuri quickly rushed inside after Tengen, inadvertently pushing Shinazugawa to the left as she did so.

“What is wrong with these two?” Shinazugawa’s forehead veins swelled, but he did nothing. Not inside the Butterfly Estate anyway.

Nezuko decided to pull her brother away from the area quickly, before he decided to go inside a patient room without permission. Instead, she walked outside towards the garden, where fresh air was meant to distract them both from the crowded atmosphere inside the home.

However, upon exit, she found that they were not alone. A middle-aged Rengoku and another Rengoku that seemed her age were sitting outside, waiting in the cool night weather. Not that she had ever met them, but they did look uncannily like the comatose hashira at that moment.

The older man was drinking sake. The boy sat silently, not daring to look up from the floor.

The atmosphere felt heavy around them, so Nezuko did not find it wise to interact. However, of course, her brother had different plans. Because the second she let go of his hand, he rushed up to the former flame hashira like one would an old friend.

Nii-san, what the ramen! Why are you always getting me in trouble?!

The old-looking Rengoku lifted his gaze towards my brother, still holding his sake container as his eyes narrowed.

“And what the fuck are you supposed to be?” he slurred his words slightly. “Are you the supposed peaceful demon? Bullshit.”

The young Rengoku boy looked up at my brother and then back down at the floor, keeping his lips sealed.

Nezuko quickly rushed towards them, bowing deeply in apology. “I am very sorry if my brother is disturbing you, Rengoku-san,” she rose and tried to drag Tanjiro away. “I’ll be taking him now.”

“Yeah, go ahead and do that, you weak good-for-nothing! Girls shouldn’t even be slayers, useless!” he yelled, taking a sip from his sake once more.

Oh, damn… So he’s that kind of old man…

Sigh.

What to do.

Nezuko was about to leave with her brother, ignoring the quip, when Tanjiro forcefully released himself from her grasp and ran up straight to the former flame hashira.

“What are you…” the older man started asking but, before he could even react, he was brutally headbutted by the demon boy, rendering him unconscious.

“F-father?!” the other boy finally spoke, rushing to check on the older man.

“N-nii-san! What are you doing, you- you reckless demon!” Nezuko rushed up to Tanjiro, hitting the back of his head with all her might. “You can’t just headbutt people like that out of nowhere, it’s- it’s not- you’re not supposed to do it!” she could feel herself start sweating from stress and fear of punishment. “Oh my- oh my god, Rengoku-san! I’m so sorry!” she said, addressing the boy and bowing profusely. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…”

“It’s- it’s alright, I understand,” the boy spoke softly, bowing profusely as well. “I’m sorry about my father’s words…”

“I’m so sorry about my older brother headbutting your father,” she kept on bowing.

Tanjiro just huffed, crossing his arms, closing his eyes and looking away with swollen forehead veins denoting his anger at the slight against her.

“I’m really sorry…” the other guy sighed after checking his dad’s vitals. “He’s very stressed because my older brother is in a coma and fears he won’t wake up.”

“Right… Rengoku Kyoujuro-san,” Nezuko mumbled in response. “I understand why he’d be nervous,” she smiled softly, sitting next to the boy. “I am Kamado Nezuko and the guy who headbutted your father is my overprotective older brother Kamado Tanjiro, what is your name?”

“My name is Rengoku Senjuro, and this… This is my father, Rengoku Shinjuro,” the boy introduced with a smile, taking his father’s sake container and placing it to the side. “I’m really sorry once again, he did not mean it… He has a drinking problem.”

“Yeah…” Nezuko sighed softly. “That much I can tell, unfortunately.”

“It’s really cool… That you’re a slayer, you know,” Senjuro mumbled shyly, looking down. “I used to want to be a slayer, but my father forbade me from training further.”

Nezuko kept her gentle smile, leaning her weight back onto her hands as she looked up into the starry sky. “I only became a demon slayer because I have no choice… I need to work here and find a cure for my older brother, as well as defeat as many demons as possible… I’d take the chance for a normal life if I could.”

There was silence after that.

Chapter Text

Long, long ago, about 30 years in the past, my now late wife had a daughter.

It was a miracle, as we had been unable to conceive during our prime years. We called her Arina.

Her name contained the character 愛 for ‘love’; and 生 for birth. Because she had been born as a miracle of love and God.

Maybe it is my bias as a father, but she was not like the other children. She brought a certain kind of joy and spontaneous energy to the room that was impossible to match. She was troublesome, sure. But she was loveable and endearing.

She was my daughter. And the last child from the Kuwajima bloodline to carry that name.

I had recently retired from being the Thunder Hashira, meaning I had time to spend with her and my wife despite my new position as a cultivator. I thankfully had time to raise her myself to be a good woman. Unfortunately, my wife left our world due to medical negligence and a misdiagnosis. And so, only me and my daughter remained.

We were close, unimaginably so. She was my world, the reason for my life to go on despite the hardships and every single deceased pupil that did not make it through final selection.

I never wanted to get separated from her. Ever.

So, when she showed up at my home introducing a possible suitor to me, my world felt like it would crumble.

He was a boy about her age, 14 years old. His eyes were red like the blood my comrades lost in the battlefield, and they were dull, void of any life or emotion. His complexion was pale, and he wore a conical straw hat to shield his eyes from the light. He was not the tallest, and his appearance was scrawny compared to the boys his age I trained.

I remember distinctly thinking: Wow, I truly dislike this boy for my daughter.

After all, how could such an intelligent lively girl end up with a weak, lifeless boy?

But I raised a strong-willed girl. Taught her not to bow down to any men.

Not even me.

“It is him I want to marry, dad!” she declared.

The boy just looked straight into my eyes, not a flicker of thoughts or emotions going through there.

“Who are your parents?” I asked him over tea.

“I have none,” he answered.

“What is your profession?”

“I am a nurse.”

“What are your plans for the future?”

“I am studying to become a doctor while I work.”

So dull, so emotionless… He didn’t even have parents I could meet; he had no family or siblings. He was on his own, and a person without a community was not something I wanted for my daughter.

There is truly something wrong with this guy, I thought. He’s not normal, I told myself.

“Why do you want to marry my daughter?” I asked, trying to gauge his reasons.

“Because she is an outstanding person,” he answered in his emotionless manner. “She is always helping others, even paying for their treatments with her own money.”

I remained quiet for a few seconds, thinking through his answer. I had expected a ‘because she is lively,’ a ‘because she is beautiful,’ or even a ‘because I love her personality.’ But that boy really seemed to be focused on her altruistic nature.

Either that or her money.

“If you marry my daughter, you will not be receiving any financial benefits from me,” I declared, trying to gauge his intentions yet again.

“I never expected any, I have money,” he answered flatly. “I save up plenty each month.”

The boy had answers for each and every question I threw his way. I knew that I disliked him, but I was unable to find any solid reasons as to why my daughter and him should not marry.

“He is really sweet, he’s just a bit shy,” Arina would tell me every day as I thought of whether to give them my blessing or not. “He’s been through a lot,” she would add. “Growing up in the orphanage and all.”

“When did you even meet this boy?” I asked, since she seemed so convinced that she wanted him as her husband.

“Oh, I met him, like, two years ago, when he was starting as a nurse,” she smiled. “The orphanage is near my previous school, so we crossed paths back then.”

Right, of course… They probably met during her last year of elementary school, I thought. And I hated it, because it was another reason why I should have no problem with him becoming my daughter’s husband.

I just did not want her to move away from me; she was all I had besides my occasional pupils. My only option was to ask him to move in with us, despite me not wanting him home in the slightest. Much less as her husband, with them sleeping together in the same room.

But, seeing how badly my Arina wanted to marry him, I eventually conceded. After all, I could not say ‘no’ to her.

They wedded at 15, approximately the same age at which I married my wife. It was a small ceremony, and there was only family on my side to show up. Kibutsuji Muzan, my son-in-law, invited nobody. Not even anyone from the orphanage.

I still disliked him. He barely showed any emotion during the ceremony at all, despite getting tied to my dear daughter, my biggest treasure.

My daughter was joyous, the guests were happy, and the reception was lively. That boy who was now my family just stood next to my daughter as she spoke to everyone, quiet and expressionless.

Life with him was no different. He left early to work at the hospital and returned home to study right away. Apparently, he was being tutored by one of the doctors at the hospital, who gifted him all those books as well as tested his knowledge.

He was almost like a faint presence. He even managed to surprise me from time to time, so quiet that even my hashira senses did not tingle. He was very stealthy, even if unintentionally.

“Tell me, Muzan… Do you even spend time with my daughter? I always see you studying whenever you’re not working,” I commented one day as I watched him engrossed in one of those medicine books of his.

“Ogifu-san,” he bowed deeply whenever he addressed me. “I do spend time with Arina at night. If I study this hard, it is to provide a better life for us and our future family.”

“I am a former hashira, my Estate and properties will go to you the day I pass,” I clarified to him, crossing my arms over the low table.

Muzan closed the book he was studying, bowing once more before looking me in the eyes again.

“Ogifu-san, I wish not to rely on your properties for our future,” one of his hands rested atop the other as he spoke. “I wish to develop a skillset that will provide for us regardless of circumstance.”

He was quiet, he was not expressive in the slightest, but he was not spineless. Always treating me respectfully despite my continuous questioning and tests, always answering without showing the slightest trace of hesitation.

I doubted his love for my daughter, considering I had not seen them as much as hold hands. Of course, I later saw them hugging through a window, while I trained my pupils outside in the garden.

Still, I disliked him. He was not the kind, loving husband I had envisioned for her.

“Dad, I’m pregnant!” Arina happily exclaimed one day. “We are going to have a baby!”

I wanted to kick him in the balls so hard for even laying a hand on my girl. But then, of course, I remembered that the boy was her legitimate husband. Meaning there was nothing I could do about it, and a pregnancy was to be expected sooner or later.

Muzan, on his part, did not change his usual serious expression during the announcement. He held Arina’s hand back whenever she held his first, but he remained the same cold, stoic, unlikeable son-in-law that my daughter seemed to love so much.

He did not flinch at my glare, making indifferent eye contact with me as he usually did.

There is most definitely something wrong with this one, he’s sick in the head, it’s not normal to be that reactionless to everything in his life, I remember thinking to myself.

I was a former hashira, a cultivator that trained demon slayers! I could beat him to a pulp in a blink despite my missing leg! He was just a scrawny boy! And still, he never showed a hint of being intimidated by me.

And I hated it.

For the next few days after the pregnancy announcement, my son-in-law came rushing in and out of the house after his shift, carrying an absurd amount of pregnancy gadgets, genderless baby clothes, diapers, baby toys and more. Those wide-open eyes and those frantic movements of his were the most emotion I had ever seen that boy display in front of me.

“Pregnancy pillow, pregnancy kimono, pregnancy socks, post-partum absorbent underwear, breastfeeding pillow… Uh… What else…” Muzan was setting everything on the low table, where my daughter and I were seated.

She seemed delighted, her eyes practically gleaming as her husband placed the insane amount of pregnancy objects on the table.

“I bought a pregnancy tea blend from the pharmacy, good for morning sickness. I also got a roller massager, another hot water bag just in case, a cream for skin tenderness…” he kept on placing items meant for Arina and her pregnancy on the table. He had gotten many more maternity items than baby necessities, by far.

“Ogifu-san, I was wondering if I was missing anything,” Muzan scratched the side of his head awkwardly. “I have assisted pregnant women and deliveries at the hospital, but I don’t know what else pregnant women might need at home… If you don’t mind me asking, what did your late wife have during her pregnancy?”

I was taken aback by his question. The truth was that my wife had not had half the things that Muzan had gotten my daughter. She had managed with the basics, and I was non-the-wiser to pregnancy needs due to my lack of experience with pregnant women.

“I think that is more than enough,” I answered, sincerely. “Arina, what do you think?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been pregnant before,” she giggled softly, picking up some of the items and inspecting them.

“I also brought you rice crackers from the market,” Muzan finally knelt down, reaching into the smaller bag he was carrying to provide my daughter with said snack.

“Rice crackers!” she practically took the cracker and the bag from her husband’s grasp, inhaling the food like her life depended on it.

He seemed very eager and dedicated to having a family. Perhaps it was his upbringing in the orphanage, perhaps it was because he had nobody else besides us. Whatever it was, he was integrating himself into my family very slowly but surely.

“Ogifu-san, how was it? Having a baby.”

“Ogifu-san, how did you organise your sleep schedule with the baby?”

“Ogifu-san, what baby powder did you use for Arina when she was a baby?”

“Ogifu-san, how did you teach language to Arina when she was a baby?”

“Ogifu-san, how did you teach your child to read?”

Was he finally trying to get on my good side or was he unable to ask anyone else? Was he trying to use my parenting techniques or was it all an act? No matter how much or how many times he asked, I could not bring myself to lower my guard around him.

I couldn’t get myself to give him a chance even if I wanted to. Because he was weak and mostly cold, despite all his seeming mental strength.

My heart only started to soften after my grandson was born. Kibutsuji Kaizen. The continuation of the Kuwajima lineage but no longer carrying our surname. After all, that was the first time I saw Muzan’s mask crack.

I did not know who cried more that day, if my son-in-law or my newborn grandson.

Whenever Muzan was home, he had that baby wrapped to himself like an appendix, only letting go when it was time for feeding. Domestic labour? He did with the baby. Studying? He studied with the baby. Taking care of my post-partum daughter? He did so with the baby. Diaper changes and washes? He did them himself. Baby bath? He took care of it.

From what my daughter told me; he even woke up in the middle of the night with her every time the baby cried. She fed Kaizen, and he put him to sleep. He was most definitely an unconventional father, taking on many of the motherly duties despite baby Kaizen having a mom to take care of him.

That, of course, came with a downside.

He did not want to let go of the baby.

Ever.

When he was home, getting a hold of my grandson out of him was like finding gold at a coal mine. Highly unlikely. Even I had not been that attached to my own daughter when she was born. And I had been very attached.

“Could I hold him for five minutes?” I asked him on one occasion.

He turned his gaze towards me and grimaced slightly. “But it took so long, getting him into the wrap carrier.”

It was a lie, and we both knew it. He just didn’t want to let go of the baby for even a second.

“Please?” I insisted.

Muzan’s uncomfortable grimace turned more apparent the further I pressed.

“But he’s very warm and comfortable, I don’t want to move him, he might cry.”

“Please?”

Muzan just looked at me, still holding Kaizen in the baby wrap carrier. He looked down at the baby, then back up at me, then back down at the baby again.

“Uh… No, thank you.”

It was apparent that Muzan had been an orphan, because he had no idea what each parent’s role was. He was overtaking both roles while Arina slept on the living room floor, unmoving.

“You know, I do not think developing such an attachment to the father is good for the baby,” I tried to explain. “That is more of his mother’s job.”

Muzan glanced towards Arina a few feet away, sprawled over the floor with a pillow under her cheek, lightly snoring, mouth open and drool falling from the side of it. He then looked at the baby and then looked at me.

“I think his mom is taking a break from having him all day while I worked,” he deadpanned and went back to taking notes from his pharmacology book, baby still attached to himself.

“Infants do not typically spend that much time with their fathers,” I insisted, trying to bring some normalcy onto his seemingly obsessive attachment.

“But he’s my baby,” Muzan answered with his usual neutral tone again, not looking up from his book. “Your baby is sleeping over there,” he briefly pointed with his head in the direction of where Arina was.

I had no words. He was not wrong; Kaizen was his baby and Arina was my daughter. Still, his excessive attachment worried me. If the baby cried when he was present, he’d pick him up immediately, not letting him cry it out. I was slightly afraid of his methods spoiling my grandson and making him overly reliant on his father.

Still, no matter how covertly or overtly I tried to pressure him, he did not budge. He was like a huge boulder: unmoveable in will. And he would very rarely let me hold my grandson. I could only hold him while he was working at the hospital, because my daughter was the one who would allow it.

“Isn’t that great?” my daughter asked one day over tea, while I took a break from training my pupils of back then. “I’ve heard from some of my friends that their husbands won’t even bother with their babies,” Arina smiled widely as she breastfed my grandson, caressing his soft, chubby cheek. “But my husband is always taking care of both of us.”

And I knew it was the truth. However, something in me could still not bring itself to fully accept Muzan. It was irrational at that point: it was clear he loved my daughter and grandson dearly; he was hard-working, ambitious and mostly respectful of me. But my brain always kept nagging me, always trying to find something to hate about him so that maybe I wouldn’t get attached to him too.

And then something happened.

That fateful evening, I had left my pupils back at home with my daughter and son-in-law. I was headed out to buy more equipment. When I returned, I found all of my pupils brutally slaughtered. I rushed in and my eyes clouded as I saw a demon munching on my daughter’s abdomen, the tatami forever stained red.

Her eyes were open, dry, her expression terrified.

Her husband and my grandson, nowhere to be found.

I unsheathed my sword and slew the demon, my body’s muscle memory still retaining all the fighting due to my role as a mentor and trainer. But, even with the demon gone, my daughter, my miracle was no longer.

And then Muzan arrived with Kaizen wrapped snugly in the baby carrier.

The bags he was carrying from the market dropped to the floor as he took in the bloody scene before him. His eyes were wide open, but he reacted no further. He did not cry, he did not speak, he did not scream.

I wrongly took that as detachment.

“Where were you! A demon came here and killed everyone!” it was my grief speaking for me, for I was no longer myself. “You were supposed to protect her, but you’re too weak even for that!” I even slapped him across the face.

He still did not react.

And, in retrospect, I knew that I was being unfair. After all, he was not yet a demon slayer. He was not even a demon slayer trainee; he could have done nothing and would have just passed away with my daughter and grandchild had he been there.

But I was grief-stricken and could not see clearly. So, as a father-in-law, I failed him yet again.

Muzan did not shed a single tear. Not even during my daughter’s funeral. He just stood there, motionless, expressionless, reactionless.

He would not eat, he would not sleep unless he was really running out of energy, he was given time off from his job and he did not let go of baby Kaizen for an instant. He barely moved during the day unless it was to attend the baby’s necessities.

“You were too weak to protect her,” I would tell him every time my anger overcame my grief. “And you are too weak to protect him.”

I failed him. I failed him greatly as a father-in-law time and time again.

A month after Arina’s death, he finally seemed to react. Not by expressing grief over her death, but by kneeling before me and begging me to train him.

“Please, train me. I wish to become stronger to protect my son. I’ll pause my medicine studies,” he would say time and time again, even after countless refusals on my part.

Too little too late, I used to bitterly think. Every time he begged for my training, guidance and mentorship, my grief turned to anger and disdain for the young man I had been supposed to take in as my son.

 “I am sick of seeing you around,” I confessed one day, while we both quietly ate together. “You should have never married my daughter and come into this family. You should leave Kaizen with me and go.”

Back then, I was unable to see how callous and cruel my words were, or how they must have sounded to him.

“What?” his hand started shaking as he dropped the spoon onto the soup bowl.

“I never liked you,” the words came out of my lips by themselves, cold and stone hard. “I never will. Leave my grandchild with me and go, he’ll be safer that way.”

Kaizen was playing nearby on the floor, oblivious to what was going on around him. He was about 7 months old the moment I decided to wrongfully kick my son-in-law out.

“Pack your belongings and leave by next week at most,” were my final words.

The meal continued, silently. That was yet another failure as a man and father that I would have to carry for the rest of my life. Had Arina been there, she would have probably scolded me harshly over my treatment of her husband.

I should have probably seen what came next.

Stealthy as he was despite his lack of training, before the week fully passed, he disappeared without a trace. And he took my grandson with him. The only thing he left behind besides his non-essential belongings was a note.

‘Thank you for everything. May our paths cross again under better circumstances.

Kibutsuji Muzan’

I pushed him and my own grandson away, the last of the Kuwajima legacy gone because of my own cruel behaviour. For many years, I regretted all my actions, scepticism and poor treatment of the one my daughter had chosen. I thought I had lost them forever, never to be seen again.

The next time I ever saw him was in a visit to the Demon Slayer Corp headquarters. And he was the Blood Hashira.

Nezuko had finally gone inside Muzan and Kaizen’s patient room in the Butterfly Estate, together with Kuwajima Jigoro and her brother Tanjiro, who had been impatient to see the boy. The Kibutsuji father and son duo were still comatose. And, despite Kaizen being his grandson by blood, Jigoro was seated beside Muzan instead, holding one of his hands.

Their light conversation had sparked that moment, where the old man seemed compelled to confess those regret-filled instances of his life to the young girl.

“I failed him more than I had the right to, I orphaned him for the second time in his life by closing the door to understanding and reconciliation, and I left him to find a different cultivator when it should have been me,” he spoke softly. “Ever since then, I vowed to do right by him and help him whenever he needed. And right now, he needs help to wake up from that coma and fully recover.”

She didn’t know why she had been the bearer of such a personal story. She knew not what came over her, but she internalised it as her own and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Admitting one’s shame is difficult. Correcting it is miraculous. You are doing well,” she smiled down at him from her standing position.

Finally, he smiled back, unshed tears forming on his eyes.

They looked back down at Muzan to find his crimson eyes open.

Chapter Text

Wait… Doctor Kibutsuji had woken up from his coma!

“Muzan! You’re awake!” Jigoro exclaimed, tightening his grip around the hashira’s hand.

Muzan did not respond, seemingly stunned. After all, he had been out for almost an entire month. However, the state of disorientation did not last long, as his eyes widened immediately. He tried to sit up very suddenly but was stopped by both Nezuko and the old man.

“Stop, you’ll hurt yourself, and careful with your IV,” Jigoro gently pushed him back down onto the bed.

“Gh… Ghk…,” he tried to talk, but his voice was hoarse from almost a month of silence. He tried to clear his dry throat, groaning in the process, probably frustrated with the fact that neither his mouth nor the rest of his body were cooperating with him. “Kh… zn…”

“Kaizen is alive and stable,” Kuwajima asserted immediately, moving out of the way to unblock Muzan’s vision to the only other bed in the room.

Muzan slowly moved his neck to the side, squinting as he tried to make out the figure of his son sleeping nearby. His eyes started abundantly watering with relief, his breathing growing laboured as he tried to move once more.

“Stop, you’re hurt,” Jigoro prevented him from attempting to sit up again. “Kaizen is still in a coma, and you must recover first if you wish to take care of him. Kamado-san, please call Doctor Kocho into the room.”

Nezuko nodded, immediately rushing away from the room to look for the insect hashira. She found her seated amongst all the other hashira and across from Oyakata-sama, seemingly discussing something of importance. The moment she slid the door opened, the gazes of all the hashira were suddenly on her.

“Doctor Kocho, Doctor Kibutsuji woke up from his coma,” Nezuko’s voice carried a hint of urgency as she spoke.

Shinobu immediately stood up at hearing her words, rushing out of the room before anyone could even blink. Nezuko rushed after her, returning to the blood hashira’s patient room.

Her brother, Tanjiro, was still standing beside Kaizen, quietly observing the unfolding scene. Kocho Shinobu stood by Muzan, checking all the equipment as she looked down at his half-open crimson eyes.

“Muzan-san, can you hear me? Blink twice if you can,” she kept her characteristic sweet smile and tone as she talked to the other doctor.

Muzan blinked twice, attempting to talk once more.

“Sh… nobu…” he whispered weakly.

“I am so glad to see you awake and well, my dear,” she started doing some checks that Nezuko did not understand on him. “You had quite the fight with Upper Three, didn’t you?”

Muzan slowly steadied his breathing, glancing towards Kaizen before looking up at the insect hashira again.

“Do not worry about your son, he is in a stable condition,” Shinobu kept her gentle smile as she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Rather, worry about making a good recovery, yes?”

Muzan didn’t answer, but he held her gaze. Nezuko could feel it, even if the man was unable to move as he wished, he was already fully conscious, his mind working at full capacity.

“Oh, and… Congratulations on your victory,” Shinobu smiled. “I’m assuming that neurotoxin you made worked even on Upper Three… Very impressive work, doctor.”

Nezuko walked up to where Tanjiro stood, next to Kaizens’ bed. She looked down at the younger Kibutsuji’s sleeping form, then at the hashira, and then back at Tanjiro again. Her brother’s gaze was fixed on the boy just beneath them. The reason for her brother’s attachment to that boy who mostly avoided him was beyond her understanding.

Her training the next day was cancelled, since all hashira were too busy going over to check on Muzan and Kaizen. Mitsuri had decided to delay their last day of training together and so, Nezuko returned to where she felt most at ease: by Kanao’s and Aoi’s side.

“I can’t believe he woke up so soon,” Aoi wiped her tears of relief as she sat with the other two girls, clearly shocked. “He was the one carrying the most lethal injuries.”

“Muzan-san is beyond human,” Kanao agreed with a gentle voice. “His body is still in a bad condition, but his mind and consciousness push him forward.”

“He even woke up before Zenitsu, and Zenitsu did not sustain that much damage in comparison,” Aoi commented, laughing softly. “It’s a relief… I just hope Kaizen is as resilient and wakes up soon… I’ll be there to take care of him full time.”

“I still can’t believe you like him of all people,” Nezuko teased.

“What I can’t believe is that neither of you like him at all,” Aoi chuckled. “Especially you, Kanao-chan, seeing how you guys are so close to each other.”

Kanao smiled gently. “We are very close, but it is not like that…”

“You’re so close it makes me jealous sometimes,” Aoi swirled her teacup, looking down at it with a sigh. “He’s always hanging around you, hugging you, clinging to you and even using you as a pillow. You’re basically married.”

“Trust me, Aoi-chan, he really does not like me like that,” Kanao spoke in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper.

“How do you even know that?” Aoi puffed her cheeks, looking at the other girl with her arms crossed.

“We have bathed together, and it was normal,” Kanao answered with her usual soft smile.

Nezuko had to really restrain herself in order not to spit the tea that she was drinking out. BATHING TOGETHER WITH A BOY?! HOW WAS THAT NORMAL?!

Aoi choked on her tea, covering her mouth as she frantically coughed. “You- you have done WHAT with Kaizen?!” her eyes could have not been open wider, mirroring Nezuko’s own expression.

“We bathe together sometimes,” Kanao insisted, as if it was normal to just bathe with a boy, though her words did not exactly calm the atmosphere down.

“Huh?!” Aoi’s jaw might as well have been on the floor. “You- you two- have you two…?!”

Nezuko just looked wide-eyed at the young Tsuyuri. She had known she and Kaizen were close, but THAT close?!

“But you’re not even married!” Aoi nearly slammed her half-empty teacup on the table. “What if you get pregnant?”

“I don’t think I can get pregnant from taking a bath,” Kanao spoke with her neutral, soft smile. “It is like taking a bath with you, but instead of you, it’s him.”

“It’s NOTHING like taking a bath with me!” she seemed scandalised. “He’s a boy!”

“He doesn’t feel like a boy, he feels more like a pet cat,” Kanao kept her soft smile on.

“A what now?!” Aoi’s eyes could not be wider if she tried.

“A pet cat,” Nezuko echoed, half-amused, half-incredulous.

“Kanao-chan… Either you’re too innocent or Kaizen has the willpower of a Buddhist Monk,” Aoi’s jaw was wide open after she spoke.

“He doesn’t have that willpower, he just isn’t attracted to me,” Kanao answered with her characteristic neutral tone. “And I’m not attracted to him.”

“Yeah, I can clearly see you’re not attracted to him at least,” Aoi sighed softly, chuckling as she took another sip from her tea. “…what does he look like in the bath?”

“I don’t know, he looks normal,” Kanao shrugged. “His hair gets frizzy with the vapor of the bath.”

“I mean, like, does he have any scars on his body or…?”

“Alright, I think I’ve heard enough for today,” Nezuko abruptly gulped down her hot tea and stood up. “It’s time for me to leave.”

“Wait, Nezuko-chan!” Aoi exclaimed, her back straightening.

But Nezuko was no longer in the room with them, quickly walking away from what had turned into a really weird conversation. Just as she turned around the corner, though, she was greeted by a surprise.

Or, rather, she bumped into a surprise.

“Nezuko-chan!”

“Zenitsu-san! You’re awake!” she smiled widely at seeing yet another person from that train mission forsake their coma.

Zenitsu had a cast on his leg and was using a crutch but was overall not looking too bad, seemingly healing at great speed. Not as great as Inosuke’s speed, but still quickly enough.

“Kocho-san told me I’ve been out for a bit more than two weeks…” Zenitsu scratched one of his cheeks with his free hand awkwardly. “She also told me my gramps and Kaigaku are here in the Estate, so I was looking for them…”

“Oh, yeah… I’ve spoken to Kuwajima-san,” Nezuko confirmed. “The other guy didn’t talk much though,” she smiled gently.

“You know… Being in that coma was weird… Because I was unconscious, but I could hear everything people did and said around me,” Zenitsu ran his hand through his blond hair, his cheeks tinting a notable shade of pink. “I know that you’ve visited me a lot despite my less-than-ideal behaviour towards you, so… Thank you, really…”

Nezuko placed a hand on his shoulder, relieved to finally talk to him on a serious note. “You saved my brother from Inosuke back during our first mission together, and I know that you’re not a bad guy. It was just frustrating, not being treated like a person, you know,” she patted his shoulder before finally letting go.

“Yeah… I can only imagine, I am really sorry… I still have some broken ribs, so I can’t fully bow,” he said as he bowed his head. “I need to learn how to control myself, just like around Kanao-chan.”

“If you can just talk to me like this every time, we could maybe even become friends,” Nezuko smiled widely. “What do you say?”

Zenitsu lifted his head and nodded, a shy smile appearing on his lips. “I would like that… Being friends.”

“No more marriage or dating proposals, alright?” Nezuko insisted, just in case.

“No more dating or marriage proposals,” Zenitsu confirmed, leaning against his crutch. “Um… Who else is still sleeping…?” his expression turned concerned as he asked.

“The only ones still sleeping are Rengoku-san and Kaizen,” she sighed softly. “I haven’t checked on Rengoku-san, but Kanroji-san told me that he was still comatose. And Kaizen… He doesn’t look too good.”

“I hope they wake up soon, especially Kaizen,” Zenitsu sighed heavily. “He’s my family… Him and Uncle Muzan, I hope they have a good recovery.”

“I’m sure they will,” Nezuko smiled brightly, trying to lighten the mood. “Here at the Butterfly Estate, they are in the best hands.”

“Thank you…” Zenitsu sighed softly. “Anyway… I’ll keep looking for my gramps and Kaigaku. I’ll see you later,” and with that, he slowly walked further down the hallway in his crutch.

Sigh.

Well, at least we are finally on good, person-to-person terms now-

“WHY, HELLO THERE, YOUNG LADY!” a voice loudly exclaimed behind her, startling her so hard her heart felt like it was coming out of her chest, stabbed several times and going back inside.

Holy onigiri, WHO THE TAKOYAKI YELLS LIKE THAT INDOORS?!

She turned around to see Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyojuro walking with a crutch, laughing heartily as they made eye contact.

“Have you seen Muzan-san?! I need to make sure he is alive, HAHA!” as he spoke, the girl could not help but wonder if he somehow had some sort of sound amplifier inserted inside his throat.

“Uh… I… Sure, follow me,” she spoke extra quietly, hoping he would get the memo.

“SURE WILL!”

Nezuko sighed heavily. He had not read the room. She quietly guided him into the Kibutsuji patient room, praying he would not yell where people in a really bad condition were resting.

Sure enough, as soon as they both stepped into the room, Muzan directed his eyes at them from his lying position. Kaizen, on his part, was still out cold.

“Good morning, Kyoju-” the doctor tried to talk, but was immediately interrupted.

“MUZAN-SAN!! Glad to see you are alive and well!!” the flame hashira exclaimed, not really caring much about volume regulations in hospital-like rooms.

“Please, don’t-” Muzan’s voice came out barely above a whisper.

“TELL ME! Did Upper Moon Three escape the sunrise, or did he die!!”

“He died, but please-”

“I KNEW WE COULD DO IT! That’s what I call teamwork!!”

“Please, just…”

“YOU’RE NOT LOOKING TOO GOOD THOUGH, MUZAN-SAN!! Haha, did the doctor turn into the patient?!”

“I think I’m going to cry,” the blood hashira mumbled, his voice quiet.

“Cry not, Muzan-san!! For we have won against Upper Moon Three and lived to tell the tale!!” Kyojuro approached him with his crutch. “Outstanding work!!”

“Oh, no, he’s yelling in my face now,” Muzan’s soul might as well have left his body; he looked like he was dead due to Rengoku’s non-existent inside voice.

“Cheer up, Muzan-san!!”

“My head is going to explode…”

“I’LL GET YOU SOME PAINKILLERS! HAHA!”

“I’m already drugged with painkillers…” his voice was shaky, like he was really about to cry from frustration. “Why won’t you shut-?”

“You look like you need MORE painkillers!!” Rengoku insisted.

Suddenly, a pillow hit the back of Rengoku’s head. Nezuko and Rengoku turned around to see Kaizen sitting up with swollen neck and forehead veins.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP OVER HERE!” his voice came out broken and hoarse, but strong enough to draw attention.

…

Wait, DID RENGOKU’S LOUDNESS JUST WAKE KAIZEN FROM HIS COMA?!

Chapter Text

“Kaizen?! Weren’t you in a coma?!” Nezuko knew she should not have yelled, but she was too shocked to process what was happening.

Kaizen ignored her, promptly lying back down on one less pillow and closing his eyes once more.

There was a stunned silence in the room before Muzan reacted.

“Don’t let him fall back asleep!” he exclaimed in a whisper. He could not yell, and he could not move. But Rengoku got the order immediately and rushed up to the young Kibutsuji, yanking his cheek.

“KAIZEN, DON’T FALL ASLEEP AGAIN!”

“What the fuck, let me sleep!” he tried to yell out through a dry, broken voice from a nearly month-long coma.

“NO WAY!” Rengoku, with his bright smile intact, forced Kaizen up and nearly out of the bed.

“AGH, STOP, STOP, IT HURTS!” Kaizen’s voice kept breaking as he yelled, weakly trying to release himself from the hold of the flame hashira.

Suddenly, a pillow hit Rengoku straight on the face. Both Nezuko and Kyojuro turned to see the origin of the pillow, only to see Muzan sitting up with an angry expression.

“I said to keep him awake, not to move him!” he exclaimed in yet another whisper. “He’s injured, you idiotic sunflower head!”

Despite the gravity of the situation, Nezuko had to cover her mouth and divert her gaze to prevent herself from straight-up laughing. Doctor Kibutsuji’s whisper yelling was too funny. He was so angry, yet he looked extremely harmless at that moment, like a small dog barking up at them. It was a stark contrast to his usually terrifying presence.

Muzan glared at her before he looked back at Rengoku, who was also trying not to laugh as Kaizen struggled in his hold.

“It’s not funny, it’s a health hazard!” Muzan whisper-yelled yet again. “Put him back carefully!”

“You got it, Muzan-san!!” Rengoku loudly exclaimed, placing Kaizen back against the cushions. “DON’T fall back asleep, young one!!”

Kaizen just looked at him with his eyes open wide as plates, shaking in pure startle as he tried to assimilate to his current environment.

“You,” Muzan turned his gaze to Nezuko, his eyebrows scrunched down in a frown. “Stop laughing and go get Shinobu before I wipe that smile from your face.”

It was his whispery voice and the fact that he could not move yet. Nezuko tried to swallow her barely contained laughter, nodding and putting on a poker face before she left to look for Doctor Kocho.

Sure enough, she found her tending to other patients together with a few kakushi doctors and nurses.

“Make sure to bring them their meals on time, yes, Goto?” She smiled sweetly as per usual.

“Yes, Kocho-dono,” the kakushi bowed just as Nezuko reached the spot where they were standing.

“Doctor Kocho,” Nezuko bowed politely before she rose again and spoke. “Kaizen and Rengoku-san are now awake, both in the patient room of the Kibutsuji’s.”

“Is that so? Thank you for telling me, my dear,” she walked towards her and softly patted her head. “I’ll go right away. Be a sweetheart and let the girls know too.”

Right, Kanao-chan and Aoi-chan will probably want to check up on Kaizen right away.

She quickly rushed away to where they had been having that really weird conversation earlier, about Kanao sometimes bathing with Kaizen, and entered the room where they still sat together. Aoi was talking about buying new bedsheets because some of the old ones were ripping too much at the seams when Nezuko came inside.

“Oh, Nezuko-chan, you’re back!” Aoi greeted happily.

Kanao looked up at her with a small smile, bowing her head slightly in salutation.

“Girls, Kaizen just woke up from his coma, along with Rengoku-san,” Nezuko wasted no time to inform.

She did not need to say anything else. Both girls bolted up from their seats on the tatami and rushed past her, making her stumble backwards and fall on her butt.

So much for being an occasional informant, she inwardly lamented as she stood back up, rubbing the now slightly pained area.

“I’M SO SORRY FOR INTRUDING!” the unfamiliar voice of a guy yelled behind her.

Still rubbing her behind, Nezuko turned around to see a guy wearing a purple yukata, with a scar across his face and a very… interesting haircut.

Wait, isn’t this the guy I scolded in final selection for touching one of the twins?

His face was beet red as he diverted his gaze, fidgeting nervously with his own sleeves.

“You’re not intruding though…? This is a common area,” Nezuko stopped rubbing the hit area and stood straight again, placing her hands on her hips. “Who are you anyway? I think I saw you in final selection.”

“Y-you would be right!” he stuttered, laughing awkwardly and bowing. “My name is- My name is Shinazugawa Genya! W-w-what is yours?”

What was he so nervous for? Was he that anxious from the one and only time Nezuko had scolded him months prior?

“Kamado Nezuko, it is nice to meet you,” she bowed politely. “Shinazugawa? Like the wind hashira?”

“Ah, well, yes! The- the wind hashira is my brother!” Genya laughed weirdly again. Seriously, what was up with the guy?

“Oh, I can kind of see the resemblance,” Nezuko commented, walking fully outside of the common room. “Anyway, I have things to do. I’ll see you around,” and, with those last words, the young Kamado left the immediate vicinity of that weird guy who could not even say a full sentence to her without stuttering.

As she walked through the halls, she ran into the one person she had been meaning to talk to.

Tomioka Giyuu.

She had finished her training with Mitsuri and, as they had agreed, upon finishing said training, Nezuko would then train with him. She was supposed to start training with Tomioka a week ago, but due to circumstances, her training with Kanroji was extended.

Now, however, she was determined to start working with the water hashira.

“Hi, Tomioka-san! about our training…”

“We can start tomorrow,” Giyuu deadpanned, looking down at her with a neutral expression. “I have duties to attend to today.”

“Uh… Sure! Tomorrow sounds great!”

Sounds great? More like sounds grate! Because the following day, that God-forsaken training was grating her muscles and bones like there was nothing to live for tomorrow!

What had she expected? Why had she even expected that it would be less hard than her training with Kanroji. If anything, it was equally difficult! Insane physical preparation exercises, balance, weightlifting and sword coordination!

“You need to focus on your breathing and hold a plank for 5 minutes, go,” he said on one occasion as he started doing the plank right next to her.

I’M GOING TO DIE!

It was like Urokodaki’s training, except 10 times worse! Tomioka was ruthless every single session, even correcting her water breathing technique further! In his eyes, everything she did was wrong and had infinite room for improvement and, as right as he was, it did feel discouraging for the young girl.

I don’t know who’s worse… Kanroji-san with her physically impossible tasks or Tomioka-san with his critiques.

Although it was painful, she knew no hashira would be softer than either of them. Hardship was the price to pay to become the tsuguko of an elite soldier that would polish her ability.

Diamonds were always forged under great pressure after all.

Her routine suddenly became strict under Giyuu’s guidance.

In the mornings, he’d quietly go into her room with the girls and wake her up. They’d then do meditation, breathing exercises and stretches while still fasting. Then, they would have an abundant breakfast, after which they rested.

During that break time, Nezuko would hang out with now recently awoken Aoi and Kanao, who had her own training schedule with Shinobu.

After that, Giyuu’s tortuous training regime would go on until lunch, time at which she was so beaten up she could barely bring her chopsticks to her mouth. After lunch, she would take a quick nap before Tomioka woke her up again to continue their training.

In the early evening, they would finish it off with combat training, and Nezuko finally went back inside to have dinner and take a bath. She usually ate with the girls and then the three of them took a bath together to relax from the strain of the day.

Aoi would talk about her patients, complain about their lack of compliance and info-dump them on how Kaizen reacted to her care-taking that day.

Kanao would only talk about her training with Shinobu when Nezuko prompted her to share to compare methods.

Nezuko would definitely cry about how tired she was, stating her hopes that it better help her improve her abilities as a slayer.

After the bath, she would go spend some time with her brother, who was usually awake by that hour. Unfortunately, he was always hanging inside the Kibutsuji patient room, meaning she had to see Doctor Kibutsuji and his son, whom Aoi would not shut up about.

“Nezuko-chan, just who I was waiting for,” Kaizen sat up straighter as soon as she got into the room. Tanjiro had squeezed himself in his patient bed by becoming small as a child and was sitting right next to him.

“You were waiting for me?” the young Kamado raised an eyebrow, approaching the bed.

“Yeah,” Kaizen looked down towards tiny Tanjiro and then back up at her. “Please, take your demon, he won’t leave me alone.”

“Hey, that’s my older brother, not just a demon,” Nezuko scolded, briefly gazing towards Doctor Kibutsuji, who was reading a book and not paying them any mind.

Kaizen scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Whatever, girl. Personally, I like you, but I don’t like babysitting your so-called ‘older brother,’ he won’t go even if I push him away.”

“Well, he’s been coming to see you throughout your entire coma,” Nezuko stood beside the bed, caressing Tanjiro’s head softly. “He just likes spending time with you for some reason, so maybe be grateful for his unwavering support?”

“Nezuko, my baby girl… I know you love him, but he clings to me like a leech,” Kaizen pushed Tanjiro towards her. “I like my personal space, you know… And he unfortunately likes my personal space too,” he deadpanned, looking her dead in the eye. “This can’t continue.”

Tanjiro was unfazed by the push, but the young Kamado? She was seething.

Nezuko picked her shape-shifted tiny older brother up in her arms after Kaizen pushed him towards her with no regard. She knew that the young Kibutsuji was not particularly fond of Tanjiro being in his immediate vicinity. However… She would not tolerate such disrespectful treatment! No one pushed her brother like that without consequence!

“You gotta stop being such an asshole to my older brother!” she yanked his hair as she held Tanjiro with her free arm, causing the young Kibutsuji to yelp. “He’s older than you too, you know! And he’s nice to you, so you should show him some appreciation!”

“Hey!”

“You do not push my older brother like that, cloud-head doctor wannabe!” she just pulled his hair harder, her face burning up with indignation.

“Ah! Help!”

Muzan just clicked his tongue and shook his head as he turned the page, not even lifting his gaze from the book he was reading. “You had that one coming,” was his only comment.

“Yeah, you did!” Nezuko fumed, while her brother stayed in her arms, tilting his head while humming behind his muzzle.

Kaizen grabbed her wrist with his only good hand, yanking her hand from his hair with a pained expression.

“You’re nuts,” he whined, massaging his own scalp immediately after finally letting go of her wrist.

“That’ll teach you some respect,” she huffed, turning her gaze away as she now held Tanjiro with both arms. “Hmf!”

“If you kids are done flirting, I will go to sleep now,” Muzan said flatly, closing his book and placing it on the bedside table.

“We’re not flirting!” both found themselves exclaiming those words at the same time in frustration.

“Sure thing,” Muzan lay back down on the pillows, closing his eyes.

Nezuko grimaced at the thought. How could the man even suggest that! She and Kaizen were strictly platonic friends! Not even close ones!

Ew, ew, ew!

Nezuko had never in her life liked a boy, all of them were too ugly! Heck, she could not understand how any girls liked any boys or how women could like men in general. They all looked like they had crawled from hell onto their world. Why were girls supposed to marry boys if girls were prettier, more attractive and far more likeable? What was the deal with that?!

She left the room with her older brother in her arms despite the latter’s non-verbal protests. The demon boy probably wanted to stay with that loud-mouth Kibutsuji who did not appreciate him, but it was not going to happen! She took her brother to the girls’ room, where Kanao and Aoi sat together.

And, of course, she immediately told them everything that had happened, indignantly holding her brother on her lap as she sat crossed-legged on her futon.

“He’s so mean to my older brother; I just want to punch him! And I would if he wasn’t injured!” she barked out, steam practically coming out of her ears. “And then Doctor Kibutsuji goes and implies we’re flirting, hello? Are you deaf, perhaps?” she kept on fuming, much to the amusement of the other two girls.

Kanao and Aoi looked at each other before looking back at her once again, knowing very well that the young Kamado was not done in the slightest.

“Like, no, Doctor Kibutsuji, I would very much NOT like to date your ugly-ass, arrogant, living breathing existing NUISANCE of a failed attempt at a son!”

Silence stretched after that.

“…got it out of your system?” Aoi hesitantly asked.

“THAT MOTHERFUCK-”

“Clearly not.”

Chapter Text

“Have you heard of the Hinokami Kagura as a breathing style?”

That was the question Nezuko had been asking every present hashira every single day.

“I have never heard of it, sorry,” was the answer from every single one of them.

Even Oyakata-sama and his wife had never heard of it.

She tried to explain to everyone how it was a breathing-focused dance her father taught Tanjiro and that she had learnt by watching the lessons. She tried telling them that the Hinokami Kagura had really saved her back when she was fighting against Lower Moon Five.

Still, no answers from anyone. Not Oyakata-sama, not Doctor Kibutsuji, not Tomioka Giyuu and not any of the other hashira.

She sat down outside with Urokodaki, Tomioka and Doctor Kibutsuji after breakfast, explaining her dilemma. Surely, the four of them together could come up with an explanation.

“Hinokami Kagura is not a term I have heard before,” Doctor Kibutsuji was wearing his usual conical straw hat and sitting on a wheelchair that had been pushed there by Tomioka. “You’re saying it’s a dance that focuses on breathing?”

“Yeah… It helped me cut through a strong Blood Demon Art by Lower Moon Five,” Nezuko explained, causing the three older men to hum in disconcerted thought.

“And you said your father passed it down to your older brother turned demon,” Urokodaki intervened, scratching his chin under his tengu mask.

“Yes… I simply learnt because I was present and paying attention, though the lessons were not for me,” Nezuko commented, leaning back on her hands as he looked up at the sky.

“And I suppose there is no chance that your older brother can tell us,” Muzan looked at her probingly.

“I don’t know if taking off that muzzle is a good idea,” she said sheepishly. “He’s been wearing it for more than two years now.”

“Why would taking it off be a problem?” Doctor Kibutsuji insisted.

“Well… What if he suddenly attacks someone? The muzzle acts as a restriction and reminder for him,” Nezuko’s voice quieted down at the horrifying thought. She could not have her brother attack anyone.

“That’s not really a problem,” Muzan adjusted his hat. “All hashira are currently in the Butterfly Estate, anyone but Kyojuro or me could easily restrain your brother. Giyuu himself can easily hold him in case he tries anything dangerous.”

Nezuko thought back to that one time Sanemi had stabbed her brother. She did not feel comforted by Doctor Kibutsuji’s words in the slightest.

“Yeah… I don’t know about that…” she could not help the grimace that slowly formed on her face.

“I would do it myself but, as you can see, I am in no condition,” Muzan deadpanned. “Giyuu, can you restrain Tanjiro if he tries to eat anyone?”

“Yes, I can,” the water hashira said flatly.

“The hypnosis I did on him while he was asleep should work perfectly, considering he has not attacked anyone thus far,” Urokodaki added.

And so, after her usual training routine with Giyuu, that night she went into the Kibutsuji patient room. As per usual, Tanjiro was there, bugging the young Kibutsuji for hair brushing with his only good hand by shoving the brush against his cheek.

Okay, maybe Kaizen has a legitimate reason for wanting my brother to leave him alone.

She shook her head. She was in that room with a purpose that night: removing her brother’s muzzle. So, she approached Tanjiro from behind and, not without difficulty, untied it.

It was instant, his muzzle fell off of him just as he pushed the hairbrush onto Kaizen’s forehead.

There were a few moments of confusion, where Tanjiro suddenly dropped his brush and touched his face before realising the muzzle was gone. Kaizen’s eyes opened wide as he saw the bamboo piece fall from the demon’s face onto the bedsheets.

“WHOA, WHAT THE FUCK!! IT FELL OFF!” Kaizen panicked before he quickly used his good hand to shove one of his pillows into Tanjiro’s mouth.

“Kaizen, calm down, we took it off intentionally,” Doctor Kibutsuji spoke from the other bed, looking at them calmly.

“YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE?! NEXT TO MY BED?! WHAT IF HE BITES ME, OLD MAN?! THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?!”

Oh my God, both he and Zenitsu really are two loud cousins.

“That’s why Giyuu is in the room, relax,” Muzan insisted.

Finally, the young Kibutsuji stopped yelling, placing his hand on his heart and letting out a long, heavy breath. “Fuck… You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Nezuko glared at him and turned her brother around so that he would face her. She then took the pillow from his mouth and cupped his cheeks, caressing his ice-cold skin. “Nii-san, hello,” she smiled softly.

Tanjiro did not attack anyone or do any sharp movements Instead; he smiled and patted her head. It was unsettling, seeing his fanged smile for the first time. But she pushed through her discomfort and kissed his forehead.

“Nii-san, can you talk?”

Tanjiro said nothing, keeping a smile on and patting her head continuously. However, no verbal answers came out of him.

How strange… He really gave signs of understanding verbal language, but… Can he not produce it?

“…onii-chan?” she tried the more endearing name she used back when she was younger, to see if it would get him to react or say anything.

Tanjiro said nothing, but he did understand because he just started patting her head more eagerly now. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

“Nii-chan,” Nezuko spoke to him softly as she caressed his cheeks, trying to coax him to talk. “You remember the Hinokami Kagura, right?”

Tanjiro nodded eagerly, humming even though his muzzle was off and moving away from the beds. He then started performing the dance, and it was apparent that he remembered it perfectly. Though she could not identify whether her demon brother was breathing correctly for it or not.

Both Muzan and Giyuu pursed their lips, giving each other knowing glances before they looked back at her brother.

“Well, who would have thought? You are right,” Muzan commented, rubbing his chin with the side of his index. “That looks an awful lot like a breathing style more so than a dance.”

“Rengoku Shinjuro might know about it,” Giyuu finally spoke, keeping a close eye on the demon boy as he performed. “He has documentation from all the way back to the Sengoku period, when breathing styles originated.”

Muzan’s face turned from neutral to disdainful in an instant, his face scrunching up in the purest scorn.

“Right, Rengoku Shinjuro-san,” he practically spat out, as if just saying that name would bring dirt into his mouth.

Nezuko did not like Rengoku Shinjuro either, especially not after her last interaction with him. He had been incredibly rude and disrespectful towards her based on the fact that she was a girl, not to mention his clear drinking problem.

“He is currently with his son in the Estate, watching over his recovery,” Tomioka added flatly, his expression ever neutral.

“I suppose I will have to speak to him,” Muzan’s voice was drenched in disgust and… Had he just gagged?!

“Imagine having to talk to that thing,” Kaizen shuddered, hugging one of his pillows. “Couldn’t be me.”

“I know, right?” Muzan commented, looking towards his son. “He smells like he has not heard of the word ‘bath’ in his life.”

“His personality also never had a bath,” the son added to his father’s comment, his expression also turning disdainful.

“He is a triple terrible: terrible man, terrible father, terrible patient,” Doctor Kibutsuji continued, his face still scrunched.

“His parents were probably brother and sister,” the young one spoke.

“Twin brother and sister, no wonder he turned out like that,” Muzan added.

Sure, the former Flame Hashira was not particularly nice to be around, but was that down-tearing really necessary?

Wow… The Kibutsujis are massive shit talkers. And here I thought the Blood Hashira was a serious man.

“I remember when I first worked with him; I became a hashira when he was nearing his retirement,” the Blood Hashira started talking, mostly looking at Kaizen and Giyuu.

Nezuko observed him as he talked, leaning back against the wall as she watched her brother still dancing.

“He was just starting with his drinking problems back then due to the death of his wife. I felt for him, because my wife also died, but the man was a massive asshole to anyone who’d even as much as breathe near him. I remember I had to be his doctor for some time, and I told him to quit alcohol and bathe regularly several times,” Muzan shook his head in disapproval, his disdainful expression even stronger than before. “He threw a lamp at me and told me that both me and my son would die.”

“Oh my God, same,” Kaizen sat up straighter, clearly invested. “I remember that when I was a child and he came to visit us to our house, he told me that I would die and be eaten by demons in my sleep. I was 10; couldn’t sleep for 2 weeks straight.”

“I remember that; I felt tempted to feed him to our basement demons,” Muzan crossed his arms. “What a joke of a human, he might as well be a demon.”

There was a moment of silence before Giyuu finally chimed into their discussion.

“Uh… He yelled at me once,” were his only words as he looked alternatively between the three slayers.

There was another moment of silence before both Kibutsujis started dragging that not-so-poor man through the dirt, speaking animatedly as they tore him to bits and pieces.

And everyone says girls and women are mean… In this world, there are no meaner people than men.

Why did some girls even like guys? Seriously… And why did those ugly, nasty, gremlin-looking, rough-skinned arrogant guys get to marry pretty, intelligent, soft, amazing girls? Nezuko would much rather marry a girl. And she was pretty convinced everyone in the world would rather marry a girl than a guy. The whole men being with women thing seemed kind of arbitrary to her.

I can’t believe I’ll have to marry some slug in the future. Couldn’t I get together with a cute girl? Like Kanao-chan! But no, she’ll also have to get married to an ugly demon-looking ogre.

“Nezuko, I’ll talk to Rengoku-san tomorrow,” Muzan pulled her from her thoughts, their private humiliation of the former hashira seemingly over. “Either you or your brother will have to show him the Hinokami Kagura. Only then will he find the right documentation.”

“What if he refuses?” Nezuko asked sheepishly. “He was not very nice to me the only time we talked, and my brother headbutted him unconscious…”

“He is required to if any hashira asks him, since he’s still in the corp even in retirement,” Muzan informed her.

“No way, your brother headbutted that asshole?” was what Kaizen had taken away from her words. “Perhaps I misjudged him, he is a bit cool. Just a bit though.”

Seeing that her brother would not produce language, they put the bamboo muzzle back on him and called it a day. She went back into her shared room with the girls, where both seemingly slept, her mind entirely on the next day. Either she or Tanjiro would have to show that less-than-friendly man the dance.

On the one hand, she could do it herself. However, she did not know the dance well and knew that the drunken man looked down on her due to her sex. On the other hand, Tanjiro could do it. He knew the dance well and was a boy. However, him being a demon and having headbutted him meant that the man would not be amenable regardless.

She was stressing out, but she had not realised how much she was outwardly showing it until she felt warmth slip into her futon and press up against her from behind.

She lay paralysed as two warm and strong arms wrapped around her figure from behind. She knew who it was, she did not need to look back. She could feel the other girl’s chest pressing tightly against her back.

“Kanao-chan, what are you…?” she whispered, slightly taken aback. Kanao had never done that, and it was making her feel extremely flustered.

“You’re giving off anxious energy,” Kanao whispered sleepily, resting her forehead against the back of Nezuko’s neck.

Neither said anything else. Nezuko was still anxious but, if that was what anxiety brought her, she would accept and even look forward to anxiety more often.

Chapter Text

“Those earrings, those movements… Is he a Sun Breather?!” Rengoku Shinjuro slurred his question, though that was one mystery solved.

The Hinokami Kagura was another name for what was, apparently, the original breathing style! Sun Breathing! Her brother Tanjiro had performed it in front of him and the former hashira had seemingly recognised it immediately.

“Will you be able to provide us with the necessary documentation, Rengoku-san?” Muzan asked from his wheelchair, sitting at one side of the room with a twitching eyebrow.

“And why should I do that?” he hiccupped. “She won’t get anywhere with my very important documents! She’s a child and a girl!”

“Because,” Muzan intervened, glaring daggers at him. “I am the current eldest hashira, and it is an order. Non-compliance will be punished as treason,” he smiled with clenched teeth, though his patience was clearly running thin.

“Ion care what a man in a wheelchair has to say to me,” Shinjuro took another sip from the sake bottle he was carrying. “I will not compromise my family’s heritage for this girl’s bullshit. What? She’s your new wife or something?” he pointed at Muzan.

Nezuko grimaced, grossed out at the mere idea of marrying a grown, 30-year-old man.

Muzan’s neck and forehead veins swelled, his eye now very visibly twitching, his fists clenched and seemingly about to somehow get up from that wheelchair to beat the former hashira up.

He breathed in, deeply.

“Rengoku-san… You will comply immediately, or I will be forced to report you directly to Oyakata-sama,” Muzan’s smile was now twitching as well.

“Or what?” he sneered. “Your new wife will cry?”

Nezuko cringed once more at the drunk man’s insistence on pairing her up with the Blood Hashira.

Muzan turned his eyes to her and then back to Shinjuro, the tone of his voice shifting radically to an eerily calm one.

“You know, Rengoku-san,” Muzan’s forced cordial smile vanished, the light in his eyes creepily disappearing. “I am an expert at making occurrences look like accidents.”

With Muzan’s change, the room seemed to drop 20ºC in an instant; and Rengoku Shinjuro’s expression shifted, his face muscles tensing.

Doctor Kibutsuji’s voice was smooth yet cold when he spoke, his eyes never leaving the older man.

“If you make any demeaning comments about this girl again, and dare defy my authority as a hashira a single more time, I will ensure that your sons have such a spiteful image of you in their minds that they will not shed a single tear to mourn your inevitable demise.”

Only silence remained after that as Rengoku Shinjuro, drunk and shaking, fell to his hands and knees.

Doctor Kibutsuji, by means of the wheelchair, approached the man, looking down at him with the most psychotic and terrifying expression the young girl had ever seen on a human being. His face was darkened, but his eyes were bright and red as he spat his sharp words out again.

“And do you know what the best part is?” his voice was so cold it burned. “I wouldn’t even have to do much, since your sons already think so lowly of you it is embarrassing. You are but a pathetic, weak man.”

Tears started spilling uncontrolled onto the floor from the former flame hashira, his eyes leaking incessantly.

“Your eldest has no expectations of you. To him you are but a problematic addict,” Muzan shot once more. “And your youngest… He is just waiting for his drunk abusive father to rot in hell.”

Nezuko watched as the doctor stretched out his hand and forcefully grabbed the crying man’s jaw, lifting it up with sheer strength despite having been in a coma for almost an entire month.

“You will go back to your wretched house, hand me your wretched documents on Sun Breathing, and follow every single one of my orders from now on without question,” his grip on the former hashira’s jaw tightened, causing him to wince.

“Y-yes… I will…” he sobbed and gasped for air, no longer the scary, mean, drunk man Nezuko knew.

“Now… Take your disgusting booze and stop staining my home’s floor with your worthless tears,” Muzan slightly shoved his face back, taking out a handkerchief from his patient shirt pocket and wiping his hand with it. “Oh, and for the love of all that is both holy and cursed, take a fucking bath; you stink.”

Well, if Nezuko hadn’t seen everything before, she definitely had seen everything now.

Doctor Kibutsuji, one week and a half out of his coma, in a fucking wheelchair and with weakened muscles, had made a tough-looking, perfectly abled former hashira cry like a newborn baby.

He is terrifying, that is for sure.

“Nezuko,” Muzan turned his gaze towards her, though the shine in his eyes was back again, making him a little less scary.

Just a little.

“Yes, Doctor Kibutsuji?”

“Let’s leave this room. Take your brother with you, I wouldn’t want him near this drunkard,” Muzan declared, proceeding to move towards the exit door on his wheelchair.

“Oh- Yes, sir,” she complied immediately. She went towards her brother, who was still unwittingly performing the Hinokami Kagura, and grabbed his wrist, pulling him outside of the room while he still tried to complete the dance.

“Nii-san, you can stop dancing,” she elbowed his ribs, though he ignored her and kept trying to spin around like a ballerina.

“That older brother of yours is peculiar, isn’t he?” Muzan was ahead of them, moving on his wheelchair without looking back. “From the beginning, he has been bugging my son non-stop. I think he successfully traumatised him.”

“Tanjiro nii-san? Traumatising Kaizen?” Nezuko tilted her head as she kept walking behind the doctor.

“Well, Kaizen told me that ever since Tanjiro met him, he has been acting rather… bizarre,” Muzan’s tone seemed amused more so than worried. “Following him at night, getting in his futon or patient bed, watching him sleep, tracking him seemingly by scent, demanding hair brushing and continuously invading his personal space…” he finally turned to look towards them. “It’s funny, watching my son squirm, but… It would be nice if you could convince your brother to tone it down.”

“Ha… I wish it was that easy,” she sighed heavily. “I try, but he ignores me every time. I don’t know what’s going on with him, he doesn’t act like this with anyone else.”

“Well, Kaizen is starting to have nightmares where your brother is chasing him and ruining his life and, as comedic as I think it is, I am starting to get worried about his mental state,” Muzan looked forward again, getting to the nighttime garden.

Wait, did I hear that right?

Tanjiro nii-san is giving Kaizen… Nightmares?

She had to really hold back her laughter.

“Regardless,” the hashira intervened again. “When Rengoku-san delivers his documents to me, we will read them together and see if your brother, too, can understand anything.”

“Right… Thank you,” she bowed politely, now holding her brother’s hand.

“Get some rest, you will need it,” were his last words of the night.

And how right he was. Not because of her very hard training with Tomioka, but because she was called on a group mission. Or, rather, a couple’s mission.

She would be going on her first mission with Kanao.

It was a small, seemingly calm town when they arrived. Despite all the disappearances, however, Nezuko was not able to feel any demonic presences. And neither was Kanao.

“You know… every other mission I’ve been able to detect demons rather quickly, but now…” Nezuko sighed. “I don’t know. We don’t even have the crows’ help anymore, since the Demon King is apparently targeting them.”

“Yes…” Kanao sighed softly as she polished her pink sword inside their room in the wisteria house they were staying at, readying herself for the long night ahead. “For now, my older sister has told me that the crows have been instructed to hide skilfully while the communication problem gets solved.”

“Usually, crows could help us locate demons, but now… We have to find them ourselves, even if they conceal their presence,” Nezuko finished polishing her sword as well, its colour pitch black.

Kanao finished as well, sheathing her blade and standing up from the floor pillow where she was seated. “I am your superior, so please, follow my instructions carefully,” she displayed that usual gentle, almost discreet smile as she looked down at the young Kamado.

Nezuko was still a Kanoto, since she had not been sent on missions during her training with Mitsuri or with Giyuu. Her friends Zenitsu and Inosuke had been promoted to Kanoe since the Mugen train mission, and both Kaizen and Kanao were now Tsuchinoto, making both of them the highest in rank in her friend group.

“I will,” Nezuko smiled gently.

She really hoped her training with Kanroji and Tomioka would pay off during that mission. The last thing she wanted was looking incompetent in front of Kanao!

They both said their goodbyes to their host, an amenable elderly woman, gratefully took some rice balls from her for the night and went out into the cold, misty air with Tanjiro still sleeping inside the box on Nezuko’s back. Surprisingly enough, he no longer felt heavy to carry after her arduous training.

I used to kick him out of the box at night, feeling like my back was breaking, she fondly remembered.

Being able to effortlessly run through the night, keeping up with Kanao while still having his box on her back was a great sign of progress. She was young, and she sure did not have the physical strength of a male slayer, but she was slowly growing more muscular, confident and, hopefully, demon-lethal.

If I learn Sun Breathing with the help of Doctor Kibutsuji and Tomioka-san, I might be able to really grow strong enough to protect my brother.

“Nezuko-chan, I have a very bad feeling,” Kanao stopped in her tracks as they arrived near a forest, forcing Nezuko to stop suddenly as well.

The young Kamado looked at the other girl, her senses tingling alert.

“I think the demon is inside this forest,” she whispered softly. “And it might be a Lower Moon.”

“A Lower Moon?” Nezuko mouthed back. “How do you know?”

“I have a feeling,” Kanao simply answered back in a quiet whisper.

“What should we do?” Nezuko stretched her back before slightly inclining herself forward again.

Kanao was about to talk when they heard a very loud human scream coming from inside the forest. After that, there was only silence.

“The crows will call for backup if they aren’t found,” the flower breather said as she took off running into the forest, with the pink-eyed girl following shortly after.

“And if they are found?” Nezuko caught up, running beside Kanao.

“Then higher rankings will be sent back after my sister notices we’re not returning,” she said, her usually soft tone changed for one of pure determination.

Oh, so if we die, they’ll finally send higher ranked slayers, how reassuring…

What did you expect, Nezuko? You’re a demon slayer! This is what you’ve been training with Kanroji-san and Tomioka-san for!

Ah… I haven’t been on a mission in so long…

What would Tanjiro nii-san say in this situation?

She could picture her older brother back when he was a human, carrying a basket full of charcoal and displaying his usual warm, kind smile.

“It’s alright, Nezuko,” he would probably say. “You will survive; you’re the strongest girl that I know! Plus… I’m still with you! I’m inside the box on your back and I can protect you!” he then would laugh awkwardly and scratch the back of his head. “Though it is bouncy in here, not the most comfortable.”

Right… She did not know how he could even sleep while bouncing up and down with her running, jumping and later fighting. Was it demonic sleepiness or something else entirely?

“Don’t overthink it, Nezuko! You’ll survive, so act like a survivor!” she could practically hear her brother cheer her on.

Alright onii-san… Just for you, I’ll act like the survivor you need me to be.

They ran and ran, until they arrived at a clearing and, there, they saw her.

A pale woman with small horns on each side of her head, wearing a wine-coloured kimono with a white fur-lined collar. Her eyes were of a greyish purple, and there were two red lines on each of her cheeks, akin to warpaint.

In her arms, a bloody, now-dead half-eaten man who appeared to be in his early 20s.

“Demon slayers?” she let go of the man, wiping her bloody mouth with her sleeve. “But not hashira,” she smiled. “Today must be my lucky day, I am being presented with free lunch!”

She got close to Kanao in the blink of an eye.

Her left eye read Lower Four.

The demon woman’s arm flew off into the forest before she could notice, her eyes widening in shock as Kanao aimed for her neck right after Nezuko had sent that limb flying.

She was quickly away from their reach, cutting her own arm with her hands.

“Blood Demon Art: Toxic Spores!”

The air was immediately filled with dust-looking blood spores dispersing through the air. Instinctively, both Nezuko and Kanao momentarily stopped breathing and dodged the numerous spore clouds that the demon woman threw at them.

Water Breathing Sixth Form: Whirlpool.

Nezuko cut off one of the demon’s legs as she regenerated her arm.

Truly, after fighting and training with Kanroji and Tomioka for a long time, that Lower Moon almost seemed to move in slow motion. And, if Zenitsu and Inosuke had been able to harm Lower One back when they were kanoto like her, her chances to harm Lower Four were higher now.

Kanao aimed for her head once more, but she dodged and threw more of those blood spore clouds at them. They were both forced to take up some distance again to save themselves from the demon’s now relentless attacks.

“What is that box you keep carrying?” the demon woman inquired as she tried to slash Nezuko, which she quickly dodged.

“That’s my business!” she aimed for the demon’s head, her sword cutting off some of her flesh before the demon woman sent her flying against a tree with a kick.

Nezuko groaned, her vision blurry as she opened her eyes after the impact. She had hit the tree with Tanjiro’s box which, surprisingly hadn’t even cracked. Though what that meant for her was that she absorbed all the impact instead of the box.

I think some of my ribs broke…

Nezuko could see the demon approach her at great speed.

Shit, I won’t have time to stand up again!

Slash.

Kanao was there, cutting through the Lower Moon’s neck with a yell until it got stuck half-way through.

It’s my chance.

Nezuko used the fact that the demon was distracted with Kanao to start slicing from the opposite side of the neck before she had the chance to dodge.

In a quick movement, she picked up her dark blade and focused on her breathing…

Hinokami Kagura: Burning Bones, Summer Sun.

The slash immediately burnt through the Lower Moon’s neck more easily than any of the water breathing techniques she had been using to previously sever her limbs.

And, just like that, Lower Four was no more. Though…

Kanao dropped on her knees, coughing violently until blood started coming out.

Oh, no.

“K-kanao-chan,” Nezuko hurried towards her despite the sharp pain she felt on the area of her ribcage. “I think you breathed in some of those toxic spores… We need to get to the wisteria house so that their doctors can check on you.”

Kanao tried to talk, but as soon as she inhaled, she started coughing again, even more blood coming out.

No… No… What should I do? What should I do? I can’t carry her and Tanjiro nii-san at the same time.

Wait. Tanjiro nii-san can carry her!

Nezuko immediately took Tanjiro’s box off her back and opened it up. Inside, Tanjiro slept peacefully, though not for long. Nezuko practically threw him out of the box, frantically shaking him to see if he would wake.

“ONII-SAN, UP! This is an emergency!” Nezuko exclaimed as her brother tried to swat her hand away and keep his eyes closed.

This guy…

“ONII-SAN!” she breathed in, focused all her strength on her right leg, and kicked Tanjiro on the gut so hard he flew off against a nearby tree.

Finally, the demon boy woke up fully, sitting up with his eyes wide-open as he tried to figure out what the heck had just happened to him. He then spotted Nezuko and the coughing Kanao, and he rushed up to them while looking at both, as if assessing the situation.

“About time! Quick, she inhaled demon poison!” Nezuko pleaded, shaking her brother’s left shoulder.

Tanjiro placed his hand on Kanao’s shoulder and, out of nowhere, she was set on fire.

“WAH! KANAO-CHAN IS ON FIRE, WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU RECKLESS-!” Nezuko had lost her shit, shaking her older brother by the hair violently.

“Nezuko-chan…”

“I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU TO CARRY HER, NOT TO FINISH HER OFF!”

“Nezuko-chan.”

“WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO NOW, HUH?! THE CORP WILL KILL US, UROKODAKI AND TOMIOKA-SAN!”

“Nezuko!!”

The mentioned girl turned towards the origin of the voice and, sure enough, Kanao was… Standing and talking normal?

“I think your brother’s fire burnt the poison in my body, it didn’t hurt,” she calmly explained, walking up to her. “You might have inhaled spores too, so maybe you should ask him to…”

Kanao did not have time to finish the sentence before Tanjiro placed his hand on Nezuko’s head and set her on fire as well. The burning girl’s eyes opened wide, however… the purple-eyed girl had been right, the fire was not painful. When it was done burning out, she suddenly felt much better, though her ribs were still killing her.

“…Onii-chan, I am extremely sorry for kicking you and pulling your hair,” she bowed profusely, though her brother seemed completely unfazed. He just patted her head, carried her on his back and called it a day.

“W-wait, I can walk, you have to carry Kanao-chan-”

Before she could say anything else, Tanjiro shapeshifted to be bigger in size, took Kanao with one arm while Nezuko held onto his back with arms and legs for dear life, and took his own box with the other hand. As if that was nothing, he then proceeded to run back to town, where the doctor called by the hostess of the wisteria house would check up on them both.

Chapter Text

Lower Moon Four.

Lower Moon Four.

Lower Moon Four.

Lower Moon Four.

They had killed Lower Moon Four!

Nezuko was still reeling, her eyes wide open as she stared into the abyss that was the black sky above the women’s thermal waters in the wisteria house.

It was very late at night, probably a couple of hours from dawn. The young Kamado was sitting there, in the bath water after being checked on by a doctor, together with her mission companion, Tsuyuri Kanao.

Kanao was just sitting there, staring at the high bamboo wall that separated them from the men’s bath with a trembling frame and an expression that denoted what could only be classified as the purest exhaustion.

“I can’t believe we made that, its neck was so hard that I was unable to fully decapitate it,” she spoke with a low, trembling voice. “If you hadn’t been so fast and able, we would have died.”

“If you hadn’t tried to decapitate it, it would have killed me,” Nezuko laughed mirthlessly, picturing what could have been her last moments.

“And if wasn’t for your brother, that thing’s poison would have killed me after the battle anyway,” her shaking became more apparent, as if she was just now processing that… Yeah. They had fought against Lower Four and barely lived to tell the tale.

“Yeah… Tanjiro nii-san is the real saviour here,” Nezuko let out another shaky, mirthless chuckle, though her lips no longer twitched upwards.

It had been fast and dangerous, but both girls were trying to come to terms with how dangerous what they had done had been, how easily all could have gone wrong, and how they had barely made it out alive.

“Do you think we’ll get a promotion for killing a Lower Moon?” Nezuko turned her head towards Kanao, trying to make the atmosphere lighter. “I could use a raise to get my brother a softer hairbrush.”

“It would be nice, getting a promotion,” Kanao’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I could get my sister a healthy anger management book.”

Nezuko started laughing, though it was exhausted and barely joyful at all. “Hah! Doctor Kocho? Healthy anger management! Haha! What’s wrong with the hashira doctors!”

“I know, right?” Kanao also laughed joylessly, turning to look at her. “Muzan-san too, he is petty and vengeful, he could also use the anger management book.”

“Tell me about it!” Nezuko repositioned the towel that rested on her head. “He made Rengoku Shinjuro-san cry in front of me and he did not even blink.”

“And my sister once chemically castrated a kakushi that hit on her excessively,” Kanao kept laughing mirthlessly, now placing her wet hand on her forehead. “Tomioka-san had to restrain her so that she wouldn’t castrate him physically too!”

“Do you think he and Doctor Kocho have something going on between them?” Nezuko gasped for air, her head aching from all the repressed trauma and strong emotions she was letting out by means of laughter.

“They will never admit it!” Kanao wiped her mirthless laughter tears, finally taking a deep breath after some time.

…

…

“Hey, Kanao-chan.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re alive.”

“…yeah…”

…

…

“Doctor Kibutsuji covertly scolded me because my brother won’t leave Kaizen alone and is causing him nightmares.”

“Yeah… He is having nightmares about your brother following him and ruining his client deals…”

“I don’t want Doctor Kibutsuji to be mad at me, but Tanjiro is hard-headed in all senses…”

“I’ll help you keep track of your brother at night, we’ll lock him in our room so that he won’t go to the Kibutsujis’.”

“Thank you…”

…

“Why does your brother bother Kaizen anyway?”

“I don’t know, hair brushing?”

Kanao hummed in thought, scratching her chin softly, her tremors long-gone now.

“Hair brushing, huh… Maybe if we brush his hair, he won’t try to bother Kaizen anymore?”

Nezuko decided to put the idea to the test. After they got out from the bath and into their room, where Tanjiro was sitting idly, they both slowly approached him with a hairbrush in hand.

“Nii-chan,” Nezuko sweetened her voice despite her exhaustion, using the nickname she knew he loved. “Would you like me to brush your hair?”

Tanjiro looked at her, then at the hairbrush and then took the hairbrush from her hand, brushing his own hair.

Nezuko and Kanao looked at each other before Nezuko knelt next to him, trying to take the brush from his hand. “Here, let me help you,” she tried to pull the brush away from the demon’s hold, but he held on tighter and pulled it back towards himself with a slight frown.

“Nii-chan, come on, let me- let me brush your hair,” she clenched her teeth, pulling back stronger.

“Mmh!” Tanjiro pulled back strongest, ripping the brush from her hold, standing up and rushing away to brush at the opposite corner while glaring at her.

“Wow, he really is a grumpy demon,” Kanao commented, approaching him and trying to take his hairbrush again in a pointless game of push and pull.

“Honestly, he is a very kind soul,” Nezuko laughed exhaustedly, sitting on her futon. “But he did have his grumpy moments as a human too.”

Kanao managed to pull the brush away from the demon boy’s grasp, causing him to gasp behind his muzzle. The young Tsuyuri held the brush over his head, looking down at him.

“Tanjiro-kun, from now on, you should let one of us brush your hair instead of Kaizen,” Kanao spoke gently, trying to explain the situation to him. “Otherwise, your little sister might get in trouble with the big scary man.”

Tanjiro blinked a couple times before he finally gave up and knelt on the floor, allowing Kanao herself to brush his hair reluctantly.

“Also… Please, stop following him around and getting in his bed, he doesn’t appreciate it,” Kanao spoke gently as she brushed while her brother gradually relaxed.

“He won’t listen to me,” Nezuko chuckled, walking up to them and sitting right next to Kanao. “I hope he will at least listen to you.”

“I hope so too, or Kaizen will just start sleeping in our room to avoid him,” Kanao deadpanned.

“Haha, that’s funny. Him, a guy, sleeping in the girls’ room.”

But then Nezuko remembered that Kanao had said they had bathed together at least once, and it stopped being funny.

“He’ll get in my futon if that happens,” Kanao finished brushing Tanjiro’s hair. “And he moves a lot in his sleep, so… No, thanks. So I hope your brother will really stop following him.”

“Wouldn’t Aoi-chan freak out?” Nezuko tilted her head.

“Not really, and Kaizen doesn’t know that Aoi has a crush on him, so… He wouldn’t try to be considerate of her feelings either by not getting too up in my space,” the purple-eyed one left the brush on the tatami.

“How can he not know? Aoi isn’t exactly discreet,” Nezuko crawled towards her futon, getting inside and lying on her side.

“Kaizen is… Uh…” Kanao hesitated as she, too, got inside her own futon, facing Nezuko. “He only pays attention to stuff he cares about, like hair styling, insects, his illicit drug dealing business… Anything outside of that barely registers to him.”

“Aoi-chan is too good for him… Do you think Kaizen would return her feelings if he knew?” Nezuko closed her eyes as her hand stretched towards Kanao’s futon, grabbing her hand from under the covers.

“Uh… No, I don’t think so,” Kanao answered as she held her hand back, hands calloused from training closing against each other.

They kept talking for a few minutes, until Nezuko finally fell into deep slumber without even noticing. When she woke up, however, her cheek rested on something soft yet far too warm to be a pillow.

The blinds were closed, the air was cozy, her brother seemed to be sleeping inside of his box, and her warm pillow was going up and down, breathing…

Wait, what?

She abruptly sat up, her eyes wide open as she realised that she was using her friend’s chest as a pillow! Her face might as well have spontaneously combusted, because it burnt. She was mortified but, at the same time, she had been so comfortable!

Way too comfortable, Nezuko!

She looked around in the dim lighting, realising that Kanao had somehow gotten into her futon during the night, which had led her to inadvertently become Nezuko’s living pillow. Her hair was up in a loose bun, rather than her usual tight ponytail, her butterfly accessory resting on her own futon. Her mouth was slightly open, and she was drooling from the side of it onto the pillow.

To make matters worse, she smelled nice and her lips looked almost as soft as her-

Kamado Nezuko!

She patted her own cheeks, absolutely horrified by her own thoughts.

What the hell is up with you these days!

She looked back down at Kanao, her nemaki slightly dishevelled, probably from their sleeping movements. Nezuko made sure it was well-tied, her face burning as she covered Kanao again.

What am I so nervous for? We’ve slept together once before, and we bathe together all the time! I should be immune!

Nezuko was very embarrassed about all these new feelings that she had not felt in the previous two years due to training under Urokodaki and mostly sharing spaces with men. She mostly felt either indifferent or grossed out towards male slayers. During her stay in the Butterfly Estate, she had been hit on from time to time by guys other than her now friend Zenitsu and she felt nothing but contempt.

She had heard Shinobu and Mitsuri talk about men and love, she had heard the young girls talk about the occasional slayer they found cute, and she had definitely heard it from Aoi whenever she decided to run her mouth about Kaizen.

At first, she wondered if she was a late bloomer. Why did everyone like guys so much? Genuinely, what did those gorgeous girls and women see in those boys and men? Nezuko did not understand. They were not soft, they mostly saw themselves as better than women, they got better treatment for no reason, they were more violent, they made stupid choices on impulse, and they were all so entitled.

But, most of all, they were ugly and had the most visually unpleasant anatomy.

She did not understand how anyone with two braincells and eyes on their face could be into that. Were all women collectively blind or was she just a late bloomer? All her life since she was a child, she had thought that women married men out of obligation alone and didn’t actually feel attracted towards them. But now that she hung out with the girls and women of the Butterfly Estate, she had come to the realisation that they actually liked those curve-less, rough-looking humans.

Nezuko’s eyes opened wide as she came to realise that she was not a late bloomer.

She was just… Into girls.

Like men and boys were into girls. Like Zenitsu himself was into girls- maybe not that much.

She had always been, she had just never consciously thought about it before.

Wait… I actually like, like Kanao-chan.

She remained silent, looking at the blinded window through which sunlight poured into the room.

All the other girls are not blind or forced to be with men… I’M THE WEIRD ONE!

Her jaw dropped, her eyes still fixed on the window. They weren’t the crazy ones liking the ogres. SHE was supposed to like ogres too but had been cursed with good eyesight and now she was the odd one out!

She looked back down towards Kanao, who still slept like a dead body. What the hell was she supposed to do? It was not her fault that her friend was so pretty, strong and sweet to her! How was she supposed to notfall for her?!

They had been through so much together! Final selection; Kanao kicking her unconscious and breaking her jaw while trying to kill her brother; rehabilitation training; her trying to help her pick a hashira to become a tsuguko to; their time together after the Mugen Train mission mess with everyone in a coma; all their moments alone and with Aoi; the gossip; the baths; Kanao slipping into her futon now twice; and that mission in which they had almost died together.

Ah… I was doomed to fall for her from the start, wasn’t I?

Now there was just one thing left to find out… Was Kanao into ogres, or was she, too, cursed with good eyesight?

Chapter Text

Kibutsuji Kaizen.

Nezuko had liked him at first, had later gotten fed up with him and, finally, reluctantly accepted him at last.

But that acceptance was hanging by a thread because, ever since they returned from that mission and got on recovery, he was there all the time. Which would not be so bad except Nezuko wanted to be left alone with Kanao to find out if she liked girls too or not.

She had glared at him, asked him if he was going to be there all day long and even tried to roll him away from their room in his wheelchair. But the guy apparently did not understand subtle or overt social cues, sticking to Kanao like a parasite.

They are best friends, Nezuko would tell herself.

But the guy was seriously starting to get under her skin.

And the worst part.

He would not shut the hell up.

He has the audacity to complain about my brother clinging to him, but he does the same with Kanao-chan!

Her eyebrow was practically twitching as he sat with them at the kitchen over tea, drinking from his cup like he was not a massive third wheel!

“And she told me: ‘I think money can’t buy happiness,’” he made a mocking voice as he spoke, taking another sip from his cup. “Bitch, money got me a new microscope, and no shit brings happiness like a fucking brand-new microscope. Wouldn’t have been able to do that without money because my dad was all like: ‘But Kaizen, we have a microscope at home…’ but our home microscope was ass! And…”

Oh my God, when is he gonna stop talking…

Nezuko discreetly looked towards Kanao, who was just listening with her usual soft smile. How was she not fidgeting or falling asleep? Was she just going to listen to the guy talk about random non-sensical shit all day long?

She can’t not be bored out of her mind; she’s probably zoning out and nodding.

“Kaizen, shouldn’t you go check on your dad or something?” Nezuko interrupted his rant, her eyebrow twitching slightly.

“Why? My old man’s fine, he’s the Blood Hashira,” Kaizen waved his one good hand dismissively. “Plus, if I go back to him he might try to make me study again, and I can’t take notes with this hand properly.”

“What about Zenitsu?” Nezuko breathed in deeply. Surely, there had to be someone besides Kanao that Kaizen could talk to.

“He told me not to bother him because he was going to try ask a female kakushi out. Honestly, I don’t want to be there when he gets slapped again,” the golden-eyed boy shook his head. “Plus, I wanna be here with my best girl,” he smiled, blowing a kiss towards Kanao. “Love you.”

Oh, hell no. Was he into Kanao?! Did they like each other?! Was Nezuko the third wheel?!

Kanao then, much to Nezuko’s dismay, blew a kiss at the obnoxious Kibutsuji with her mostly neutral expression. “Love you too,” she said.

Oh, no, I AM THE THIRD WHEEL!

“By the way,” Kanao intervened once more, taking a sip from her tea before she spoke again. “I read on my sister’s list that Murata-san should arrive here soon.”

Immediately, Kaizen’s eyes widened in excess, and he gulped his hot tea down like it didn’t burn. “You should have said so earlier! I didn’t have time to get ready! How do I look! Is my hair too much of a mess?!”

“You look alright,” Kanao swirled her teacup.

“BYE.” Kaizen said nothing after that as he rolled away from the room on his wheelchair like the floor was lava.

“…I’m sorry, who is Murata-san?” Nezuko felt absolutely lost. Kaizen was refusing to leave at first and, suddenly, at the mention of a random guy, he left the room like they all had the plague.

“The’s the guy Kaizen- I mean, he is Kaizen’s friend,” Kanao answered, quickly gulping down some of her tea.

Kaizen had other friends besides Zenitsu and Kanao? And it was not a drug client? How come she’d never heard of him?

Regardless, she needed to analyse Kanao in order to determine whether she was into girls! And, especially, she had to make sure that Kanao was not already in love with Kaizen.

Okay… Think, Nezuko, think…

Kanao had stated that she and Kaizen had bathed together and it was not a problem because they really were not attracted to each other. The way she spoke of Kaizen was nowhere similar to the way Aoi talked about him. They had known each other since childhood, which kind of made them like siblings.

“Why’d he run away from us so fast?” Nezuko asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

Kanao’s started fidgeting with her sleeves. “Um… Murata-san is someone he… Uh… Respects a lot…?”

There was definitely something going on, because why the heck was the way Kanao spoke about that Murata guy so suspicious? Was it possible that Kanao liked Murata and used Kaizen as a sort of probe to gauge his feelings?

It was set. Nezuko needed to study that Murata guy to find out what his relationship to Kanao was!

What she learnt after observing him for a few days was:

1. His name was Miyamoto Murata.
2. He was old as hell compared to her, his 16 years of age up against her almost but not yet 15.
3. He was a Kanoe like Zenitsu, Inosuke and, most recently, her. She had been promoted for killing Lower Four with Kanao’s help!
4. He was not exactly the kindest to people of Lower Rank than him who treated him as an equal.
5. He was uglier than a wound left by a rusty nail into a person’s face.

If Kanao really liked that guy, she had really bad taste. Respectfully.

However, during her observation period which might or might not have been classified as stalking, neither the guy nor Kaizen mentioned Kanao once. Which made her think that Murata-san might not have any intentions towards Kanao, until one day her name left his lips.

“By the way, did Kanao-san say anything about it?” Murata asked as he sat outside with Kaizen, under the shade of a tree, unable to see Nezuko hiding within its branches.

Kanao? About it? About what?

Perhaps Murata had given Kaizen something to give to Kanao in his stead? Was he courting her in secret and Nezuko had been left out of the loop?

“Uhhuuuhhhhhhuhuhuhhhhhuhhhh…” Kaizen leaned back on his wheelchair, crossing his good arm under the broken one.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Murata was sitting cross-legged on the floor, across from Kaizen.

Thankfully, neither of them was looking up onto the branches.

“She said she thinks it’s not a good idea because my dad is always nearby, but, like… I can’t exactly leave the Estate while I’m in a wheelchair,” Kaizen’s voice answered with a hint of hesitation.

What were they talking about? And why did they need Doctor Kibutsuji to be out of the picture?

“I’m still a little mortified that you told her,” Murata shook his head in seeming disbelief.

“I mean; I guess I get why? So, I’m sorry about that,” Kaizen scratched the side of his head. “But, like, we’re safe, you know. She’s exactly the same as us and I know she won’t tell. Not when I know what she’s up to.”

Wait… Was it not about Murata courting Kanao at all? Were they trying to blackmail her or something? That was way worse! Nezuko would much rather have that uggo be nice to her!

“And what is she up to?” Murata asked, curiosity dressing his voice.

“Can’t exactly tell you the details,” Kaizen waved his hand. “But she’s testing out some waters, if you catch my drift.”

Testing out some waters? What waters? What drift? And why was Kaizen being so cryptic?

“Like the waters you can’t test because of your broken bones?” Murata teased, laughing heartily.

“Oh my God,” Kaizen laughed, throwing the conical straw hat that hung from his wheelchair straight at the other guy’s face. “Shut up, someone might hear us. And you better hope it’s not my dad or we’re dead.”

What the hell are they even talking about anymore? Why did they talk in riddles or something? And why could Doctor Kibutsuji not be involved? Was it related to Kaizen’s illicit drug business? Was Murata working with him? Was Kanao somehow also involved?

You shouldn’t be so nosy, she reminded herself.

But, considering the fact that Kanao could be getting herself into something dangerous with those two… She could not sit idly.

“And do you think Kanao-san’s tested waters are hot or cold?” Murata fidgeted with the conical hat, looking up at the guy seated in the wheelchair once more.

“Oh, they’re scalding,” Kaizen smirked. “I got no proof, but I got no doubts either.”

Scalding. Testing waters. Kanao being the same as them, thus not telling. Murata being mortified about whatever Kaizen, Kanao and he are involved in. Doctor Kibutsuji’s required absence.

Nezuko’s brain was now working overtime. What were they all up to and why was she being left out of it? And, most of all, why was Kanao involved at all? What was she not telling her? Why had she acted so weird when talking about Murata days prior?

She spent the afternoon pacing around the house, trying to figure out what might be going on, if Murata was into Kanao, and what they were all on about. Why was Kanao ‘like them’? And what ‘scalding’ hot waters was she testing?

She started to guess…

The first theory was that Murata was secretly courting Kanao, and Kaizen supported it.

The second one was that the three of them were all in Kaizen’s drug dealing business.

The third one was that the three of them were in a weird three-way relationship, which honestly made Nezuko shiver in disgust.

“Nezuko-chan…” a soft voice nearly pulled her from her thoughts, though not quite.

The fourth one was that they were conspiring against Doctor Kibutsuji in some way.

“Nezuko-chan?”

The fifth one was that they were both trying to matchmake Kanao to another guy.

“Nezuko…”

The sixth one was that Kaizen knew something and was blackmailing her so that she wouldn’t talk about stuff related to his possible illegal business venture with Murata.

Suddenly, she felt a touch on her shoulder and, sure enough, Kanao was there.

Should I ask her? Should I not?

There was no way. If they were being so secretive, Kanao would deny anything she asked. She needed to find a discreet way to fish out the information without alerting her, Kaizen, Murata or Doctor Kibutsuji.

“You look… Troubled,” Kanao observed with her usual gentle smile. “Are you alright?”

Yeah, totally! I just found out you’re in on something with Kaizen and the other guy and I have no idea what it is! Also, do you like girls?

“I haven’t slept well, that’s all,” Nezuko chuckled. “I’m just waiting for my ribs to recover enough to start rehab training and resume my training with Tomioka-san.”

“Oh… Would you like to take a nap? I’ll go with you,” Kanao spoke softly, linking her arm with one of Nezuko’s.

Haha… I couldn’t sleep even if I tried, trying to figure you out.

“Sure, let’s go take a nap.”

So, in an instant, there they were, both lying in their futons in the middle of the afternoon, both in recovery and both staring at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Nezuko really wanted to slide into Kanao’s futon, just like the other girl had already done twice. However, she was not sure to what extent Kanao would feel her personal space invaded, or if she was allowed to do the same as the young Tsuyuri on the whole bed sharing thing.

Come on, Nezuko… She has gotten into your futon, it won’t hurt to do it yourself!

Before she could move, though, Aoi abruptly opened the door; angrily walking inside, folding out her futon and lying on top of it with her clothes on, not even getting under the sheets. She groaned loudly into the pillow and punched the tatami, so Nezuko decided to ask her what was going on.

“Uh… You… Okay there?”

“It’s the guy with the boar mask, he finally left for a mission today and he makes me SO mad! He unhinged one of our main doors!” she groaned into the pillow and sat up, immediately punching the soft object.

Right, Inosuke did have very strange impulsive tendencies that often resulted in property damage. Nezuko could understand her frustration.

“Oh, that’s… Not good,” she answered softly, slowly sitting up.

“Where the hell did that guy come from!” Aoi grabbed the pillow and bit into eat like a feral beast, barely holding it together. “He is so uncivilised! Where did he leave his manners, consideration AND BRAINCELLS?!”

He probably never had those; Nezuko inwardly laughed to herself at the thought. After all, the guy had practically raised himself with wild animals.

Aoi wasted no time, smashing her pillow against her futon and pulling her own hair in frustration. “IF I CATCH HIM RIGHT NOW, I WILL-”

The young Kanzaki proceeded to vividly explain and describe extremely bloody situations that only the worst of demons or maybe even the Blood Hashira could have probably thought of. The graphical detail of the hypothetical violence outburst shook both Nezuko and Kanao to the point where neither of them were in the mood for talking or even sleeping anymore.

Aoi proceeded to pass out immediately after.

“I think I don’t want to sleep anymore,” Nezuko mumbled.

“Yeah… Me neither…” Kanao answered, her eyes unusually widely open.

“Should we, like… go out for a walk or something?”

“…let’s do that, yes.”

Chapter Text

Doctor Kibutsuji looked very excited, and if that wasn’t a bad omen, Nezuko did not know what would be.

She did not hate him by any means; in fact, he was helping her and was being really nice to her those days. But he was never happy, never excited. He always had the most boring serious expression on his face, which briefly changed to one of anger on occasions.

So, when she saw the typically terrifying man smiling like a happy child with flushed cheeks and a previously unseen shine in his eyes, she could immediately feel the atmosphere turn into something beyond ominous.

Someone is either dying or getting fired today.

It wasn’t just her that was unsettled. Even Kaizen, his own son, looked weirded out when his father squeezed him into a vice-like hug out of nowhere now that they were both able to carefully walk without wheelchairs.

“Today is the day!” had been Muzan’s words as he hugged his son so strong he turned purple, kissedhis cheek and walked away merrily with his one crutch.

‘What the fuck,’ Kaizen mouthed as he rubbed his cheek with eyes wide open, though no sounds really escaped his mouth.

The day went by, but the situation was no less bizarre by the hour.

“…okay, is anyone going to tell me what the hell is happening today?” Nezuko finally asked Kanao, Kaizen and Aoi after Muzan’s strange behaviour had continued throughout the rest of the day.

“You know, I had always prayed for Muzan-san’s happiness, but I think I take it back,” Aoi whispered shakily, looking straight at the table where they were seated.

Kanao did not say a word.

Zenitsu suddenly burst into the room, eyes wide open in horror. “Why is Uncle Muzan in a good mood?”

All eyes turned to the one person closest to the blood hashira.

“Why are you all looking at me? I don’t know,” Kaizen answered, raising his hands in surrender.

“Because you’re his son?” Nezuko deadpanned. “You know him better than all of us, when and why does he get that giddy?

“He doesn’t,” Kaizen shook his head frantically before he stopped to think. “Actually, he kind of does when we’re back at the Kibutsuji Estate and he feels like torturing the demons we have in our basement. Other than that, he only ever gets excited about hazardous parcels.”

“Hazardous parcels like…?” Aoi gently asked.

“Like Live venomous snakes,” Kaizen scratched his cheek. “He was pretty excited about our last venomous snakes.”

“…okay, Kaizen. Why does your dad purchase venomous snakes?” Nezuko’s jaw would have dropped to hell if it could.

“We milk their venom for anti-demon poison and for experiments with the demons in our basement,” Kaizen waved his hand dismissively. “But guys, I have no idea what he’s so happy about today.”

“Knowing him, it can’t be any good!” Zenitsu pulled on his own hair, shaing his head dramatically. “Someone is dying today for sure!”

“Why does everything that seemingly brings him joy sound either sadistic or dangerous?” Aoi observed as Kanao, who sat between her and Nezuko, patted her back.

“We don’t know? Big deal,” Nezuko shrugged. “Kaizen can just directly ask him, and we’ll all know soon enough.”

“What? You want me to go and ask him?” Kaizen shook his head quickly. “Are you crazy? He’ll crush my bones and kiss my face, and I do not want to live through such trauma ever again.”

“Oh, come on,” Nezuko crossed her arms. “Don’t be a wuss. He’ll hug you and kiss your cheek like a normal dad, so what? We should all be aware of what’s actually going on.”

“Uh… No, thank you. I don’t want his mouth bacteria to make me break out,” Kaizen crossed his arms.

“Oh my God,” Nezuko groaned, covering her face and screaming into her hands, mumbling a prayer right after. “May the Hinokami arm me with patience, because if he arms me with strength, I will crack his skull open like an egg.”

“I’m sensing aggressive vibes from you, sis,” Kaizen squinted slightly while looking at her.

“Get up and ask your father,” Nezuko deadpanned, looking at him dead in the eye with the promise of turning him to a cracked egg lingering.

“Ugh, fine,” Kaizen sucked his lips in and stood up, leaving the room.

“…okay, can I say that-?” Zenitsu started but was swiftly interrupted by the young Kamado.

“If anyone says another word in the next 10 minutes, I will snap, so bear that in mind,” Nezuko’s eye twitched slightly, her patience quickly running thin.

Everyone remained silent and still except for Kanao, who wrapped her arms around Nezuko’s; linking them and slowly resting her cheek on her shoulder. The pink-eyed girl’s body automatically relaxed at the contact, though she said nothing about it.

The moment Kaizen came back with an answer, she could finally allow herself to either relax or properly prepare herself for catastrophe. There was just one problem.

Kaizen was not returning.

Had he run away or was his dad keeping him hostage?

Oh my God… Do I have to do everything myself around this house?

With Kanao holding onto her arm and walking beside her, Nezuko walked towards the Kibutsuji patient room. She opened without knocking and caught the duo giggling like psychopathic maniacs while looking at each other. Though it didn’t last long since, the moment they noticed her, both cleared their throats and put on a serious expression again, as if hiding something.

Now, this is very weird.

“May I ask why you stopped talking?” Nezuko smiled as politely as she could, since Doctor Kibutsuji was still her scary superior.

Both father and son looked at each other and then back at Nezuko and Kanao with the blankest expressions they had ever seen before. The long, uncomfortable silence stretched until Muzan finally decided to talk.

“Close the door.”

Before Nezuko could move, Kanao had already let go of her arm, closing the door herself before returning to the young Kamado’s side.

Just then, Muzan and Kaizen smiled again, bringing out a bunch of books that the pink-eyed girl was not familiar with. They had no covers and no titles, and they seemed very antique.

“They finally arrived today,” Muzan carefully opened one of the books again. “The Sun Breathing documents that are in the custody of the Rengoku family. I have always wanted to read these, but Oyakata-sama had not given me permission until now.”

“Why would he not give you permission before, Doctor Kibutsuji?” Nezuko tilted her head, finding room on the bed and sitting with them.

“Uh…”

“He threatened Rengoku Shinjuro-san with cutting his balls off with his sword back when he was a new hashira,” Kaizen covered his mouth, stifling a laugh and earning a smack to the back of his head by his father.

“What I meant to say is that, now that you have been established as a Sun Breather, we were granted access to these documents,” Muzan smiled so brightly both girls were instantly blinded.

Is this why he was so interested in helping me? To read these documents?

Of course it was, why was she even questioning it? She just had to take one look at his uncannily enthusiastic face to know the answer.

“And why were you granted access to documents meant for me, Doctor? If you don’t mind me asking,” Nezuko questioned as she felt Kanao’s arm wrap around hers once more.

“Because,” he gestured vaguely with his hand, “I will be the one assisting you as the eldest hashira. And you are not a tsuguko yet, so I am adopting you temporarily.”

Nezuko was convinced that he was trying to smile to her in a friendly manner but, the more she looked at him, the uneasier she felt. Why was he so scary when he smiled? She’d just rather have him be serious as usual.

“Hey, sister,” Kaizen waved his hand at her with his usual shit-eating grin.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“You’re not helping or ‘adopting’ me though,” she pointed at the young Kibutsuji with a twitching eyebrow. “Why are you involved in all this?”

“Because,” Kaizen gestured vaguely with his hand as well, mirroring his father’s mannerisms, “I am his tsuguko, and this is valuable learning experience for me.”

“Exactly,” Muzan confirmed, patting his son’s head proudly. “These are rather valuable, you see. I couldn’t have my tsuguko miss on all this crucial information.”

Nezuko looked towards Kanao, whose soft smile and mostly neutral expression did not vary for a second even at the absurdity of the situation. She then looked back towards both Kibutsujis.

“Uh… I mean this in the most respectful way,” Nezuko started, chuckling nervously. “I may not be a tsuguko yet, but I am training under Tomioka-san and might become his tsuguko soon.”

“Oh, I know,” Muzan opened one of the books, his eyes roaming over the content. “I talked to him first, so do not worry your fuzzy head,” Muzan giggled a little maniacally as he ruffled her hair out of fucking nowhere.

When is he going back to normal?! Why is he touching me?!

After leaving that room with Kanao, Nezuko’s head was practically about to explode.

“Did you see that?” she commented incredulously as she brushed her hair in exasperation.

“Yeah… Very unusual from Muzan-san,” Kanao spoke softly, quietly braiding the already brushed side of Nezuko’s hair. “I think he likes you.”

“Eww, what the hell!” her eyes widened in horror at the idea. Had Shinjuro been right all along about Muzan and her as a married couple?! Was that what was happening?!

“Not- not like that,” Kanao quietly corrected her trail of thought, tying her braid with a pink butterfly accessory. “Muzan-san is not like that, he likes you like he might like me or Zenitsu,” she added, starting to braid the other side of her hair.

“Oh, thank God-”

“I also think he believes you and Kaizen like each other. He thinks of you as a possible future daughter-in-law” Kanao added, much to Nezuko’s absolute disgust.

“Why would he even think that?” Nezuko’s face scrunched up in disgust as Kanao braided her hair delicately. “I would much rather lose an arm than marry his gross, obnoxious son. Respectfully, I know he’s your best friend.”

“I don’t know, that is what he told me,” Kanao shrugged, tying up the end of the braid with another pink butterfly accessory.

“Wait, he told you that?!” the young Kamado’s eyes widened once more as she abruptly turned to look at Kanao.

“Um… Kind of…”

I was helping him carry some equipment to the Kibutsuji Estate, since he can’t do it alone because he is still using a crutch.

“Thank you, Kanao,” he said as we walked. “Kanae and Shinobu raised you well, you are very helpful.”

I bowed slightly as we walked as a thank you for his compliment. After all, he rarely gives any praise to anyone. And all of a sudden, as we got to his house and started organising everything, he asked me what I thought of you. Of course, I was honest and told him how great and strong you are despite everything you have been through.

“I think she and Kaizen might like each other,” he theorised. “They seem to get along very well, and she is very patient with him despite his constant pushing,” was what he said.

Of course, I knew the truth. Kaizen likes you platonically, and you are not very fond of his teasing. I didn’t say anything though, hoping to hear more of his funny theory.

He said that there was something definitely going on between you two, and that there were sparks of something every time he saw you interact.

“There is some sort of chemistry between them that I haven’t seen my son share with anyone else,” were his exact words.

“She would be a good wife for Kaizen, she is a good kid, and he could use her example,” was also something he later said when we were returning home. “I bet she would not let him get away with acting impulsively.”

I just nodded, not daring voice my real thoughts.

“Oh, great. So, he wants me to discipline his child because he can’t do it himself,” was Nezuko’s conclusion, her jaw practically hitting the floor.

Marriage with men was really an act of thankless labour. Why was she seen as a corrector, educator and possible wife for a boy she could just occasionally stand?! And she could only stand him because he was her crush’s best friend!

If I was a boy and Kaizen was a girl, this would not be happening, she bitterly thought to herself.

“It’s not that; he just admires your inner strength and discipline and… Yeah, now that I think about it, that’s why he sees you as a possible daughter-in-law,” Kanao started off passionate but ended up deadpanning.

Ugh, I hate men!

“Also, what chemistry and what sparks is he talking about?” Nezuko took Kanao’s shoulders and gently shook her.

“I think he interprets your bickering as chemistry,” Kanao took a hold of Nezuko’s wrists, which caused her to stop the shaking. “Relax, you don’t have to marry Kaizen.”

“No… I only have to deal with the scariest hashira wanting to matchmake us now,” Nezuko chuckled mirthlessly.

Her father and older brother were the only good ones she knew. Why was every male outside of her family so demanding and gross!

I really hope Kanao is into girls, because I am not marrying a guy.

Chapter Text

After Muzan finally relinquished the documents to her, Nezuko took them into the girls’ room, where she and Kanao could finally read them on their own.

And yes, of course Kanao was going to read those documents with her. She was her closet friend in that God-forsaken hospital-estate full of boys who tried to hit on them every now and then.

Regardless. It was her time to shine.

It was time to read the first document: the Diary of Tsugikuni Michikatsu.

There was just one problem. She had heard that name somewhere, but she did not remember who the fuck that man had been.

“Uh… Kanao-chan, do you remember who this name belonged to?” Nezuko smiled sheepishly as she looked towards the girl sitting next to her.

“He was the second breath user, I think… The first Moon Hashira,” she answered, gently caressing the young Kamado’s back.

Nezuko nodded and, with that information in mind, she got to opening the document, reading all the entries and scanning for relevant information on her breathing style.

Dear diary,

Today my brother Yoriichi and I found out a relevant piece of information about the Demon King from Oyakata-sama. He is currently very sick and will probably pass away soon, which is most likely why he decided to confide in us about the curse that the males of his family carry with them.

I am documenting this for the general knowledge of future slayers that might come across Him, hopefully finding use to the story that I am about to reveal.

Almost 500 years ago, during the Heian period, the Ubuyashiki family ruled most of the land in our area. They were close to the Imperial Family and had unimaginable power, which granted them all their hearts, minds and souls could ever desire. As happens with most noblemen even today, the sense of untouchability, greed and filth of the mind invaded the branch with highest status the most.

There was a doctor, whose name I know not, for I have not been told. Said doctor was treating an illness for a young member of the Ubuyashiki family. It was an incurable disease, an untreatable illness that caused rot to the very bones of the carrier.

All hope was lost when, finally, the treatment developed by that doctor was effective enough to both cure and reverse the effects of the previously undefeated illness. However, instead of showing gratitude and respect to that doctor, the young Ubuyashiki member committed unspeakable acts of unforgivable violence against said doctor’s honour and integrity.

There was a trial but, naturally, the power of the Ubuyashiki clan saved the young man and condemned the doctor as dishonourable and as a liar. It was not long before the medic attempted to end everything with a self-ingested poisonous concoction.

However, upon consuming said poison, death was not brought upon the doctor. Instead, a rebirth into demonhood occurred.

In divine punishment for giving birth to the Demon King, the males of the Ubuyashiki clan, including the man that had committed the heinous act, were cursed to die young, sick and in agony. Only if the Evil born from their acts was defeated, would the males of the line live again.

Dear Diary,

Today my brother and I finally came across the Demon King. We were walking together towards a mission that had been given to us when we saw Him. His presence seemed like that of a human’s, except for the unnatural colour of His sickly pale skin.

He was of very short stature. His short hair was of a deep brown colour, and His eyes were of a shineless purple with no visible pupils. Despite this, His gaze was gentler than any eyes I had ever seen. He wore a dark purple kimono, and He was alone.

‘I wish not to engage in combat with you, demon slayers,’ were His first words.

His presence was like the water inside a lake: seemingly calm on the surface yet harbouring deep power beneath. He was neither hostile nor afraid of me and my brother. However, we could both feel what he was. We could both see him in the transparent world.

He had 7 hearts and 5 brains throughout his body, all flowing around beneath His flesh. It became quite evident that, strangely enough, He lacked any genitalia from either sex. His muscles were of high density, and his seemingly small and delicate hand carried an unusual power.

Before I could process the occurrence unfolding before my very eyes, my brother attacked and nearly slayed the terrifyingly fast demon. I was barely able to dodge His attacks and, as non-hostile as he had seemed, I knew that if He lay any hits on me, I would surely die.

Yoriichi was about to finish Him off when he stopped to ask Him a few questions, wondering why He took lives and if he found it fun.

Sun Breathing had left the Demon King unable to regenerate. However, He used his last bit of power to create an illusion and flee by exploding into uncountable tiny pieces of flesh.

We are currently searching for Him, but we have been unsuccessful so far. His flesh pieces seem to have left the area in different directions at a speed we can no longer trace or follow.

None of the other entries contained any relevant information about Sun Breathing or the Demon King.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Nezuko squinted while looking at the diary, as if doing that would reveal any more information that the one she had just read. “So the Ubuyashiki clan earned its damnation for hurting a doctor that cured them and now we are all left to deal with the consequences.”

“That is one way to put it,” Kanao scratched the side of her head with her index finger.

“My family is dead, and my older brother is a demon because of the Ubuyashiki clan and because of the stupid Demon King with a supposed ‘gentle gaze’ or something,” Nezuko squinted harder, trying to understand her own situation in the middle of that mess she had been dragged into.

“Essentially, yes,” Kanao grimaced slightly, patting Nezuko’s back.

“And instead of just killing each other, the Demon King turned my brother into a monster and keeps creating demons that eat people; while the Ubuyashiki clan accepts literal children as soldiers to fight their war,” Nezuko added yet again, her forehead veins swelling as her brain powered through her conclusion.

“…You know, if you put it like that, it sounds really bad,” Kanao said, closing the diary.

“It is really bad, Kanao-chan,” Nezuko looked into the other girl’s eyes, her own wide open.

“…I guess it is really bad,” the young Tsuyuri finally conceded.

Nezuko looked at the document and then at Kanao, who looked back at her with a strangely intense expression. It was not her usual calm and unassuming gaze, the younger girl felt as though there was an electric current that struck them both at that very moment.

The girl with pink eyes took a moment to look down at Kanao’s lips. Her upper lip was pale and on the thinner side, yet her lower lip seemed plump and held a bit more colour; helped by the cherry-flavoured lip balms that Doctor Kocho made for the girls in the Estate. It looked beautiful, and heat instantly rose to her cheeks when the idea of kissing her crossed her mind.

She looked up again and caught Kanao’s gaze going back up towards hers. Was she looking down too? For what reason? Could she feel the same? The air around them felt more electric than a bolt, and Kanao’s deep, intense eyes were making her heartbeat faster.

On impulse, Nezuko leaned forward slightly but was immediately interrupted and pulled out of her haze when the door abruptly opened to her unofficial future brother-in-law stand-in.

“Kanao-chan! I was looking for you throughout the entire house!” Kaizen rushed in at the speed of light, dropping on his knees next to her and wrapping his arms around her heftily.

Kanao’s expression lost its intensity, growing deadpan as she was half-squished to death by the son of that house’s devil.

“Hi, Kaizen,” she mumbled.

Nezuko couldn’t even hide her glare towards the guy. When he turned to look at her, he must have noticed because he raised an eyebrow at her and then looked towards Kanao.

“…Oh my, my, my,” he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. “Am I perhaps interrupting something? Because-”

He spoke no further, for the young Tsuyuri smacked the back of his head so hard he face-planted on the floor.

“Shut up, Kaizen,” she spoke with a smile, though her teeth were clenched in tension.

Nezuko’s heart suddenly dropped. She had almost kissed Kanao! And if she had, Kaizen could have walked in and seen it! Not that he mattered, since Nezuko had leverage over him with her knowledge of his illicit drug business, but what if anyone other than him had entered and caught her kissing Kanao!

“Oh, by the way,” Kanao spoke again, looking straight at her. “Have you decided yet? Who your Master is going to be.”

All rage left the young Kamado’s body, her lips pursing and her eyes narrowing in thought at the question. After recovering from her mission with Kanao against Lower Moon Four, she had resumed her training with Giyuu, which would come to an end just the next day.

And then, she would have to decide whose tsuguko she would become, between the Love Hashira and the Water Hashira. Once her choice was made, there would be no going back, and she would officially start to live with her Master and follow their training regime strictly.

“I… Honestly, I love Kanroji-san,” Nezuko chuckled softly. “But I think Tomioka-san might be the best option for me, being a water breather and all.”

Kanao nodded in thought just as Kaizen seemingly revived and lifted himself off the tatami, sitting on his knees.

“Yeah, you should totally choose him! He’s the best, he won’t hug you without permission and his house is so relaxing,” he annoyingly leaned his head against Kanao’s shoulder, which the girl did not seem to mind.

“His house is relaxing?” Nezuko raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you’re getting from this difficult choice?”

“No offence, but Kanroji-san fucks up my hair whenever she sees me, she’ll hug me for no reason and- ugh, she’ll force-feed you even if it’s the last thing she does,” he rolled his eyes, very annoyingly hugging the purple-eyed girl from the side. “Giyuu-san though? No unsolicited touching, no force-feeding and his house is huge yet super-empty, it’s got that minimalism look going on,” he flashed Nezuko his classic shit-eating grin, though at that point she had started to think that was just his default expression.

Kanao, much to the other girl’s dismay, comfortably placed her arm around the boy’s shoulders, leaning her cheek against his head.

“I also think that Tomioka-san is a good option for you,” she spoke softly, smiling sweetly at her. “He probably works well with your breathing style as well as your personality. I noticed during our mission together that you’ve grown so strong and fast just by following his training regime.”

“Oh, you noticed?” Nezuko smiled sheepishly.

It was true. Training with Mitsuri had been hard and definitely pushed her forward. However, Giyuu’s more personalised and progressive approach had caused her to almost inadvertently polish her skills to the point where she could tag-team a Lower Moon demon with just one battle companion.

Her breathing technique had improved, her sword technique had improved, her state of mind had improved with the help of those meditations and, most of all, her physical strength had reached a point she never thought she would.

Back when she started her training with Urokodaki more than 2 years prior, she had thought that slicing the boulder would be her maximum strength level. After all, she did not know what could denote strength more than that accomplishment; even defeating Sabito had seemed impossible at the time.

However, now… After defeating a Lower Moon…

She felt unstoppable. And it had been mostly thanks to Tomioka.

“It was hard not to notice,” Kanao’s cheeks flushed as she looked down at her own hands. “Even your frame seems heftier now.”

“Ooh, Kanao-chan! It seems like someone’s been staring too much during b-” Kaizen started talking but was unable to finish his sentence as he got Kanao’s palm covering his mouth in a second.

“Wow… Well, in that case,” Nezuko smiled shyly, ignoring the guy in the room with them. “I think I’ll go for Tomioka-san then, thank you for noticing.”

“I think it would be the best for you, you are doing so well,” Kanao awkwardly fidgeted with her ponytail, her cheeks still flushed.

Kaizen removed Kanao’s hand from his mouth, taking her pretty hand into his own disgustingly masculine and veiny one.

“Okay, stupidity aside, have you guys read the documents yet?” Kaizen’s face underwent a sharp shift from jest to seriousness.

“We were at it until you got in here,” Nezuko deadpanned, looking down at the books beside them. “So far, we’ve only read the diary of Tsugikuni Michikatsu.”

“Well, you should read the other documents, which are more related to Sun Breathing,” Kaizen commented. “My dad and Giyuu-san have already looked into them and are working on a training methodology.”

“Oh, are they already at it?” Nezuko picked up the other documents.

“Yeah,” Kaizen picked up the diary of Tsugikuni Michikatsu, reading through its antique pages with care. “To think this is the only information available to us on the Demon King…”

“A guy who got messed with by a group of powerful nobles,” Nezuko scratched her head in thought. “With supposed gentle eyes, though I don’t know about that.”

Kaizen remained quiet for some time, something very rare coming from him. He then looked up at both Nezuko and Kanao, scratching the side of his head.

“You know… My dad thinks the Demon King is not even a man, based on this document.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nezuko tilted her head slightly. She could have sworn the manuscript was speaking of a guy who was a doctor.

“If you read through the passages directly mentioning the Demon King, ‘his’ sex is not really specified,” the young Kibutsuji looked down at the manuscript once more.

“He is literally described as a man of short height, what are you talking about?” Nezuko turned the pages and pointed at the exact passage.

“It’s also said that they used this transparent world technique thingy and they noticed that ‘he’ had no genitalia,” Kaizen answered.

“So what? Demons are shapeshifters, he could have just shapeshifted those parts to disappear,” the young Kamado looked through the lines with a frown.

“Exactly,” Kaizen tapped the line with his index knuckle. “Which means it could be a woman shapeshifting to look like a male.”

“It is not once mentioned that the doctor was a woman,” Nezuko countered, re-reading the entry where the Demon King was first talked about.

“That’s because what happened is never explicitly stated, but you need to read between the lines,” the young Kibutsuji took hold of the antique diary and read the lines out loud. “The young Ubuyashiki member committed unspeakable acts of unforgivable violence against said doctor’s honour and integrity.”

Nezuko listened quietly, trying to picture the scene with the doctor being a woman instead of some guy.

“There was a trial but, naturally, the power of the Ubuyashiki clan saved the young man and condemned the doctor as dishonourable and as a liar,” Kaizen finished reading aloud.

And suddenly, the seemingly pointless origin story of the Demon King took on a new, much darker and much more plausible turn. Suddenly, it made a lot more sense why a nobleman would harm the doctor who cured him. No one would normally attempt against a doctor’s ‘honour and integrity,’ especially if they were cured by them unless…

Unless the doctor was a woman.

Chapter Text

“So, we might have to look for a woman,” Nezuko gestured vaguely with her right hand.

“No, we are not looking for the Demon King,” Muzan answered, crossing his arms. “Even if said king is a woman, that makes no difference. I was only speculating due to the strange storytelling in the diary.”

Nezuko was sitting at the garden with Muzan and Giyuu after finally getting through all the documents, ready to begin revision and instruction. The Doctor, as per usual whenever the sun was up and he was outdoors, wore a conical straw hat that shielded his face from the sun. The Water Hashira sat on his knees silently, dressed in his uniform and haori.

“Wouldn’t looking for the main enemy be our priority?” the young Kamado inquired. “What if I find the Demon King in person? I feel like I have the obligation to attack him! Or her…”

“Foolish child, if you come across the Demon King, you should retreat,” Muzan suddenly knuckled the back of her head. “Do you have no basic survival instinct?”

“Hey!” she rubbed the back of her head. Why was he treating her like he treated Kaizen or Zenitsu?! “What was that for?”

“To get some common sense into your thick skull, Nezuko,” Muzan simply answered, his eyes narrowing slightly. “From what I heard, you were almost killed by Lower Moon Four. What makes you think you could face an entity with strength superior to both Lower and Upper Moon demons?”

“I- uh-”

“Let me put it another way for you. Kyojuro and I almost got killed by Upper Moon Three; and we are two hashira,” his voice was low and quiet, his expression serious. “Kaizen, Zenitsu and Inosuke almost diedagainst Lower Moon One too. Re-think your actions should you encounter the Demon King.”

“Yeah, but in the diary the Demon King was unable to regenerate after being hit by Sun Breathing; and I am a Sun Breather too!” Nezuko argued.

“Yes, because the one to do it was the first and only Sun Hashira: the original breath user,” the doctor retorted. “You are a 14-year-old girl who indirectly learnt a probably modified dance version of Sun Breathing by watching lessons intended for your brother who can’t even speak at the moment,” he practically crushed her down with his brutal assessment.

Ouch!

It was as though a thousand rocks had been suddenly dropped on her head!

He breathed in, clasping his hands together before he spoke again. “Look, I understand. The Demon King killed your family and turned your only surviving brother into a demon. You want to kill him and end demons.” He then placed his pale and heavy hand on her shoulder. “But please, use your brain.”

His words were both comforting and highly condescending at the same time. Who else but Doctor Kibutsuji?

“I-”

“Regardless. What I wish to discuss today are your living arrangements,” the pale man interrupted. “Until we have fully studied Sun Breathing and developed an instruction method, you two shall live in the Kibutsuji Estate in order not to overcrowd this one,” He ordered, more so than declaring.

Wait, we won’t be moving to Tomioka-san’s home yet? What does he have to say about this?

Nezuko turned her gaze towards the water hashira, expecting him to outright refuse.

“Okay,” said Giyuu, with his usual blank expression.

“Delightful,” Muzan adjusted his hat. “Because you are becoming Giyuu’s tsuguko, right?” he raised a questioning eyebrow.

How does he know? Right, Kaizen probably told him.

“Y-yes, I will,” Nezuko nodded, nervously holding the hem of her skirt.

“Good,” the blood hashira answered. “Make sure to always listen to his every instruction from now on,” he smiled softly as he stretched his arm to pat Giyuu’s back. “He is one of the most capable hashira.”

Nezuko looked towards Giyuu and- was he blushing?!

And just when she thought she had seen it all, Muzan’s expression returned to his usual serious one and he started patting, patting the literal Water Hashira’s head as if he was a child being told he’s a good boy!

And Giyuu was just accepting it!

How bizarre…

Though, it did make sense for them to get along considering the fact that both were trained under Urokodaki, and Kaizen had mentioned staying over at Giyuu’s house a few times.

Are they friends or something?

Nezuko, being Nezuko, naturally did not withhold her curiosity. Later during the day, when she was alone with Giyuu after their training, she decided to finally ask.

“Tomioka-san, are you friends with Doctor Kibutsuji?” she took the direct approach, which worked best with her introverted master.

They were seated outside, the cool night air hitting their skin as they talked.

“…friends?” he scratched the side of his head. “I suppose he is like an older brother to me.”

That man? Like an older brother? Allow me do doubt it!

“Is that so?” Nezuko sat straight as she listened to him.

“Um… Well, yes. I met him when I first arrived at the Ubuyashiki home,” Giyuu stretched his back. “I was 10 years old at the time, and he was 20…”

“It is not big by any means, but it is my home,” had been Urokodaki’s first words to me at the time when we first arrived to his mountain house. “There are two other boys and a young man living here too, so I hope you can get along.”

When I went inside the house, having dinner was a boy my age and a young child, who immediately clung to Urokodaki-san’s leg on arrival.

“Grandpa! I want red mask!” the young child yelled as he grabbed onto the older man’s trousers.

“No. My mask is not a toy, Kaizen,” he said in exasperation, which earnt him a bite to the calf from that wild kid that was Muzan-san’s son when he was four.

My jaw dropped, and the other boy just looked at the scene with a wide smile, as if that was the usual.

“Kaizen! Stop! Don’t bite!” Urokodaki-san knuckled his head, earning us a whole other problem: loud crying. I had never heard such a loud crier in my entire life.

“Hey, new guy!” the boy my age waved his hand with a friendly smile. “Come here, sit with me!”

His eyes were of a misty blue colour, and his hair was a light orange colour. He had a scar across his right cheek and, as soon as I sat across from him, he eagerly introduced himself.

“Hi! I’m Sabito, and that little guy is my little brother Kaizen!” he exclaimed happily.

“Wait, wait, hold up,” Nezuko interrupted the story, her eyes widening. “A guy your age named Sabitowho had a scar across his right cheek, light orange hair and blue eyes?”

“Yes, he was my best friend back when he was alive-”

“Whoa! Stop right there!” Nezuko gestured wildly at him. “He’s not alive?!”

“He was killed 8 years ago,” Giyuu frowned slightly.

“Not possible.”

“What do you mean not possible? He died, he was killed by a demon who had hands for a body who-”

“The hand demon?!”

“…Nezuko, you are respectfully scaring me.”

“Tomioka-san!” Nezuko straightened her back even more. “We killed that demon! Kaizen, Kanao, Zenitsu and I killed it!”

“Oh, um…”

“You mean to tell me that thing actually killed Sabito?!”

 Giyuu’s expression seemed bothered, though he did not voice it.

“There’s no way!” Nezuko shook her head frantically. “Because if Sabito is dead, who the fuck trained me to slice that boulder!”

“What- what are you talking about?” Giyuu’s confused frown deepened.

“Sabito, a 13-year-old-looking boy who would not stop talking about ‘being a real man,’ trained me to slice a ginormous boulder that Urokodaki-san told me was a requirement for me to be sent to final selection!”

“Wait… 13-year-old looking boy? Talking about ‘being a real man’?” Tomioka’s eyes could not have gotten wider if they tried, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. “There- there is no way you could have known that about his personality!”

“Well, he trained me and beat me up many times!” Nezuko stood up, feeling a sense of urgency.

“How is that possible!” Giyuu stood up as well. “He died! I know he died! Did he get turned into a demon and not age?!”

“He did not look or feel like a demon,” Nezuko shook her head frantically. “Do you think I could have seen his ghost?!”

“…I’ll have to say yes to that, because there is no rational explanation…” Giyuu slowly sat back down, as did the girl. “That is very odd… The whole ‘being a real man’ nonsense was his whole thing… There is no way…”

After some silence and coming to terms with the fact that she had been, in fact, trained by a ghost, Giyuu continued to tell her about the time when he met Muzan.

“Hi! I’m Sabito, and that little guy is my little brother Kaizen!” he exclaimed happily.

“Hi… I’m Tomioka Giyuu,” I bowed politely. I was still in deep shock after de death of my sister and was not feeling very sociable.

Still, I used the situation to distract myself from what had happened.

“Is uh… Is your little brother usually this noisy?” I asked, wondering if I would ever know silence inside my new home.

“Haha, you can bet he is,” Sabito chuckled, covering his mouth slightly. “His dad is good at shutting him up, but he got sent on a mission like 5 days ago and hasn’t returned yet.”

“Oh… That must be the other guy that lives here,” I looked down at the tatami floor while Kaizen’s wails perforated my eardrums.

“Go sit at the corner and think about what you’ve done!” Urokodaki hastily dragged the child towards the corner and attempted to make him sit there, facing it.

However, with the audacity of a nobleman, the kid now angrily bit into Urokodaki’s hand.

“That’s it, you little-!” before he could say anything else, the door opened. Standing there was a young man with the Demon Slayer Corp uniform, a conical straw hat, a black haori, a sheathed sword and prominent dark circles under his eyes.

His eyes were the first thing that struck me, being eerily red. I had never seen anyone with irises the colour of blood. His skin also appeared to be thin and very pale, denoting someone who did not go out much when the sun was out.

“I’m home,” his voice sounded more like a wheeze and, as soon as he took off his shoes and hat, and stepped inside, he fell face-first on the floor, immediately passing out.

“Muzan!” Urokodaki-san immediately made him lie on his side rather than face-down, checking his vitals and trying to wake him up.

“Daddy!” Kaizen, rather than looking alarmed, rushed up to where his dad lay unconscious and pretended to pass out face-down too, right on top of him, playing dead.

“How weird, he hadn’t passed out in a while,” Sabito said nonchalantly, as if seeing an unconscious man on his doorstep was just the usual.

Urokodaki-san managed to drag the man further into the house, placing him right next to us. He then closed the door and sat beside the unconscious figure, taking off his mask and looking down at him with concern.

Kaizen surprisingly stopped yelling and wailing, sitting beside his passed-out father and staring at his face like it was the most interesting activity in the entire house.

“Well, this is Kibutsuji Muzan,” Urokodaki-san spoke directly to me once more. “He is an active demon slayer, and he used to be my pupil.

It struck me that the red-eyed man lying unconscious before me was one to bring demise to those creatures I had thought unbeatable at the time. He looked so unassuming, even with the sword strapped to his belt.

“Daddy?” Kaizen started pinching and touching his face with his tiny hands.

He looked even more harmless while he slept with a child using his face as a toy.

At the time, Muzan-san was a kinoe, just one rank below being a hashira. And Sabito held him in very high regard, as he embodied everything he thought being a ‘real man’ entailed. He was tall, strong and had a demon kill count so high that Sabito was angry that he had not been promoted to a hashira yet.

“One would think he was sent to fight an Upper Moon, he looks dead,” Sabito spoke without thinking about his words. It was only after he said it that he realised what had come out of his mouth, covering it with his hand immediately.

It was an instant reaction, Kaizen’s head snapped towards him, his eyes wide with the sort of dread one would not ever expect or wish to see on a child barely out of his toddler stage.

“Sabito!” Urokodaki-san scolded, shooting him a disapproving glare. “What is the first rule of this house!”

“Muzan-san is immortal and we should never say otherwise…”

The young child started crying almost immediately, helplessly clinging onto the unconscious figure, sobbing bitterly and hyperventilating. It broke my heart because my sister had recently sacrificed herself for my sake, protecting me from a demon attack. Just before her wedding day, too.

I didn’t know what possessed me at that moment but, I finally looked grief eye to eye and sat right where the crying child was. I sat him on one of my legs, took his tiny hand and placed it right in front of his father’s nose.

“It’s okay,” I spoke softly. “See? He’s still breathing, that means he is still alive, he’s just sleeping.”

Probably the words I wish someone had told me when my sister was killed. Probably what I wished my situation was back at the time.

Just then, as I consoled the young child, Muzan-san opened his blood-coloured eyes for the first time since I had moved in that home. He seemed disoriented at first, directing his gaze nowhere in particular. But then he looked up at Kaizen, who was still crying as I held his hand close to his father’s nose. He then looked up at me and realised that I, a complete stranger, was holding his kid.

Using a burst of energy he had not seemed to have, he pushed himself to sit up and immediately took the crying child from my arms, giving me a strange, wide-eyed paranoid look.

“This child is Tomioka Giyuu,” I felt Urokodaki-san’s hand on my shoulder as he sat beside me. “He just lost his sister to a demon attack and will be living with us from now on.”

I had never felt so studied in my life; he appeared to be reading my very soul with his psychedelic-coloured eyes. It took a couple of minutes for him to finally relax and loosen his grip on his child, whose crying had subsided at knowing him wide awake.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Muzan spoke dryly, directing his gaze down towards his child immediately after. “Hey, why are you crying?” he lifted the kid up to his eye level. “I was just taking a nap.”

“I- I thinked you dead,” Kaizen hiccupped, still crying softly, his breathing irregular and laboured.

“Hey, now, what do you mean?” Muzan opened up the small cloth bag that was tied to the side of his belt. “Daddy’s invincible, remember? I am immortal,” he sat the child on his lap and pulled out a half-cracked rice cracker. “I brought you some rice crackers from the market.”

The young child sniffled, looking at the rice crackers and then up at his father.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he gently coaxed his mouth open, placing the rice cracker in the boy’s mouth slowly.

Still, he did not bite, staring up at his father with glassy eyes.

“Hey… Come on, they’re really good. If you don’t want them, I’ll give them to your grandpa,” he took the rice cracker from Kaizen’s mouth.

The young child finally reacted, taking the snack from his dad’s hand and biting a huge chunk out of it.

Muzan-san did not say another word to me that day but, after my first night of training and dodging traps at the mountain had passed, he was outside and up early, waiting for me.

“I’m sorry for acting so cold towards you the other day, I was exhausted,” he said as he handed me a bottle of water. “Urokodaki-san told me everything… Thank you for trying to ease my son’s mood.”

“Oh… It’s… It was nothing, really,” I sat down on my knees. I was bruised and injured from all those traps I had barely survived in the mountain.

“Here, let me look at that,” he knelt in front of me with a first aid kit I had not noticed him carrying.

“Oh, uh…”

“I’m a nurse, working on becoming a doctor,” he said, slowly cleaning and tending to my visible wounds. “I know what I’m doing, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you…” I said, unsure.

“I’m sorry about your sister,” he spoke again as he checked for more injuries and bruises on my torso. “It must have been difficult for you, Giyuu-kun.”

“I… I guess…” her death was fresh on my mind, but at that point, I had already cried way too many tears. I was focused on my new goal of becoming a demon slayer so that other people would not have to suffer the same fate.

“I know my words might not be of any consolation right now,” he said as he cured a superficial injury on my chest. “But you will find a new family between these walls.”

I said nothing, allowing him to cure me with precision.

“How old are you?” he asked as he placed some bandages on me.

“I’m 10…”

“I see… You’re just a kid,” he patted my head softly as he finished bandaging me and helped me close my kimono. “You seem like somebody who has seen too much for his age.”

I did not answer. At the time, I didn’t know what to say about that comment of his.

“Let’s go back inside, I prepared you some food and a bath. Be quiet though, the kids are sleeping.”

Every morning that he was home he would consistently wake up early just to receive me after my nighttime training. He would treat my wounds, bring me water, make me food and prepare a bath. On top of that, he would then prepare the futon where I would sleep. Some days, if he was not studying or playing with Kaizen in the main room, he would even give me tips and help me and Sabito train himself.

He got called on a few more missions and, after approximately three months, he returned with a uniform that had golden buttons instead of the regular ones. I did not understand what that meant at the time, but Urokodaki-san nearly tripped over air the moment Muzan-san came in.

“Muzan, you did it-!” Urokodaki-san started.

“No, I have no time,” he quickly rushed up towards his books, placing them in his bag hastily. “National med exams are next week in Tokyo, I have to go, getting a license depends on this, bye!”

Good thing Kaizen had been napping, because his dad left immediately after setting foot in the house without sparing anyone a single glance.

Shortly after he got his medical license, he bid his goodbyes, took his son and left to found the Kibutsuji Estate. We exchanged many letters, where he gave us advice to polish our technique and, later on, to pass final selection.

‘There is a creepy hand demon that targets Urokodaki-san’s pupils. Avoid it at all costs and do not disclose your master’s name. It has been there for a while, and I narrowly dodged it during my own final selection. Don’t play hero and make sure to return home alive.’

Still… Sabito unfortunately passed away fighting against it, playing hero and saving somebody else.

While we awaited my sword, Urokodaki-san took me to the Kibutsuji Estate so that my wounds could get proper treatment. At the time, I was struck with survivor’s guilt. After all, I had passed final selection unfairly: protected by Sabito and the others while the strongest of us two had passed away.

“It should have been me…” I mumbled as he checked my heartbeat with his stethoscope.

“It’s no use, thinking about what could or should have been,” he said as he pulled the machine away, taking notes in his notebook.

“I didn’t pass, not truly,” my voice was shaking slightly when I spoke, tears spilling involuntarily from my cheeks. “He was better than me, so much more talented.”

“Final selection is not about being the strongest,” Muzan returned with a pill and a glass of water, handing them to me. “It is about surviving for 7 days in a demon-infested forest. If you survive, you pass. If you die, you fail,” he simply stated.

“But he was…”

“You passed the exam, that is all that matters,” Muzan-san placed his hand on my head. “Sabito’s talent stopped mattering the moment he died. That is the reality of being a demon slayer.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do… I can never measure up to him,” I mumbled, keeping my head low as I swallowed the pill he had given me.

“You can, and you will,” he gently lifted my chin to make eye contact, his blood-red eyes piercing through my soul. “You don’t have a choice, the only way from here is forward.”

“I…”

“There are forces I believe are stronger than love. One of them is guilt, and the other one is spite,” he slowly let go of my face. “You will take your guilt and your spite and transmute them into enough power to become the next Water Hashira.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works…”

“Well… It worked for me; I became a hashira out of guilt and spite,” he declared as he patted my shoulders. “And if I could do it while having to raise Kaizen, you can surely achieve it. You have enough of that to fuel you after all.”

“…”

“I’m not taking any tsuguko, but if you wish to grow stronger, you can live here and train under me,” he offered, sitting beside me on the patient bed. “And if you ever have any health concerns, you know the doors of my house are always open to you.”

At the time, I did not think myself deserving of his offer, so I never moved into the Kibutsuji Estate. I did allow myself to be occasionally trained and assessed by him when I visited for health reasons though. He was always there for me after all, even if he was not the warmest person in the world. Not that I would complain, since I am aware of my own lack of overt warmth.

He was right. At the end of the day, guilt and spite did push me hard enough to become the next Water Hashira.

Nezuko looked at him as he finished opening up about his relationship to the Blood Hashira, his sister’s and Sabito’s death. She took a moment to really take in what she had heard, to soak in that very personal story.

“Tomioka-san… Do you still believe it? That guilt and spite are stronger than love.”

“I don’t know if they are stronger,” he answered, clasping his hands together in thought. “But I do know that they exist and can be used as fuel when nothing else is holding up.”

“I think… I think there is something else,” Nezuko contemplated her own journey. Sure: love, guilt and spite fueled her journey too, there was no denying it. However, there was something more that pushed her forward.

As Giyuu turned his eyes to hers, she gave him a soft, determined smile.

“The main fuel that glues everything together for us… I believe it is hope.”

Chapter Text

“Nezuko, would you mind bringing me my notebook from the Butterfly Estate? It has a black leather covered and my name is written on the first page.”

She had already been Giyuu’s tsuguko for a month now, living with him in the Kibutsuji Estate. They had been training hard every day, following their usual regime and even going out to patrol the town at night from time to time.

If she was being honest, living there was much more peaceful and less overstimulating than living in the patient and kakushi-filled Butterfly Estate. It was very crowded there and, even if she loved sharing a room with the girls, having her very own room beat anything else.

So they were living right in the Kibutsuji Estate instead of in Tomioka’s house because of two main reasons: Muzan wanted her brother nearby for tests and blood draws, and he also wanted the Sun Breathing documents that had been lent to them by the Rengoku family to be available to him, so that he could study them.

“Yes, of course.”

Muzan had just asked her for his notebook while he sat with Giyuu, studying the documents and adjusting her training plan. She left the premises of the Kibutsuji Estate and walked towards the Butterfly one. She knew that Shinobu was absent because she was running some errands. That was why it should not have surprised her much when she arrived to a complete and utter disaster happening at the very main door.

“Stop squirming, you just received orders from a superior.”

Uzui Tengen, the sound hashira, was holding onto Aoi and one of the young girls, attempting to kidnap them! Kanao was pulling on his uniform, but it was no use! The man was not letting go.

“H-hey!” Nezuko rushed up to them, helping Kanao pull on his uniform. “What the hell are you doing, creepy man! Let go of them!”

The little girl was crying her eyes out, and Aoi was squirming as hard as she could.

“Girls, help!” she managed to hold onto Nezuko’s pink haori, which she had made from her old kimono.

“Let go! They clearly don’t want to go with you!” Nezuko pulled harder, though the man was as unmoveable as a boulder. “Hey!!”

“I am a hashira!” the Uzui guy angrily exclaimed. “I need female corp members for a mission, and I don’t need permission to take anyone that’s not a tsuguko!”

“You’re not a hashira, you’re a pervert!” Nezuko yelled, trying to yank the little girl from his arms first.

Soon, Kaizen had seemed to hear them, because he rushed up to where they were with wide eyes. “Hey, what the fuck! Let go of them, you stealthless ninja!”

“What did you just call me?!” Tengen angrily asked. “Like I said, I need female corp members! And if they are not tsuguko, I can take them!”

“Kaizen…” Aoi started sobbing as she tried to stretch her hand towards him.

Kaizen grabbed her hand and tried to pull her from his hold.

“Check the uniforms, you barely covert homosexual! Naho-chan isn’t even a member of the corp!” Kaizen yelled back at him. “And Aoi-chan isn’t even a slayer, she’s a nurse!”

“I AM NOT A COVERT HOMOSEXUAL, I HAVE THREE WIVES!” the sound hashira yelled, clearly provoked. He then noticed that Naho was not wearing the uniform and let go of her, dropping her to the floor but keeping Aoi. “And this one doesn’t have a kakushi uniform, I can take her for the mission and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

“She’s not experienced fighting demons; you can’t take her!” Nezuko countered. “Take me instead!”

“I can’t take you, short pink fluff! You’re a tsuguko, just like the quiet one!” he yelled, jumping atop the main door to escape with Aoi.

Kaizen immediately jumped after him, taking hold of Aoi’s arm and trying to take her from the hashira’s hold. “Let go of Aoi-chan, you sicko! She’s gonna die if you bring her on a mission! Can’t you see she doesn’t even have a sword?! Take us instead!”

“You insolent brat!” Uzui used his free hand to punch Kaizen’s head angrily. “I said I can’t just take tsuguko! And you’re a boy! I need girls!”

“Why don’t you ask Shinobu-san and Kanroji-san then?!” Nezuko yelled from under the door. “They’re women, and they are strong enough!”

“They’re busy, and I need the female corp members for yesterday!” he yelled back, as he fought against Kaizen trying to rip Aoi from his hold. “And you, stop it!” he punched Kaizen’s head again.

“Well, if you need us so bad, ask permission from our masters and we will go with you!” Nezuko huffed, crossing her arms.

“I don’t have time for such nonsense!” Tengen yelled back. “The life of my wives is in danger, I need people now!”

“We can go!” Inosuke yelled, rushing up to them while dragging Zenitsu. “We don’t have Masters! We can tag along!”

Tengen stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly in thought before he finally let go of Aoi unexpectedly. Kaizen, who was pulling her arms, fell backwards on top of the wall, with Aoi falling on top of him with a loud thud, from pure inertia.

“I really don’t have time for this… I’ll take ALL OF YOU without the permission of your masters, they be damned! I’ll face the consequences later!” he declared. “Get ready and come with me!”

That was how somehow, Nezuko ended up with all her friends in a place she had not even thought she’d ever be. The Red-Light District. It was so full of people she could throw up! It was a good thing that Tanjiro was sleeping in his box, or else he would have been overwhelmed too.

They were all sitting in a carriage with Tengen: Nezuko and Kaizen at each side of Kanao, and Zenitsu and Inosuke at each side of Uzui.

“W-whoa! So many pretty ladies!” Zenitsu was practically bleeding from his nose all over his already red face.

“This place smells weird!” Inosuke observed.

Kaizen looked around while holding Kanao’s hand, his eyes shining brightly as if he had struck gold.

“The business potential of this district is unlimited,” he was starting to look really creepy, his cheeks flushing red and his eyes practically displaying hearts. “I could even buy an insect taxidermy kit with all the bank I could make.”

“Why would you want to buy that, you weirdo? Just look at the insects as they are outside while they’re alive,” Nezuko wrapped an arm around Kanao, pulling her towards herself with a huff.

“Some beauty is worth preserving at any price,” he covered his mouth, giggling eerily.

“Right…” Nezuko separated his hand from Kanao’s, taking both of the girl’s hands with her free one while glaring daggers at him.

“Hey, give that back,” he linked his arm with Kanao’s, pulling the girl towards himself.

“No way, you’re acting all freaky about some stupid insects, go grab a spider,” she pulled back, using both her arms to keep Kanao on her side.

Kaizen’s mouth dropped as he loudly scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Excuse you! I do not have a thing for insects!” he hugged the girl and pulled with both his arms, struggling against Nezuko as his voice grew tighter. “Also, for your information, spiders are not even insects, they’re technically arachnids.”

“No one cares,” Nezuko’s voice was strained as she pulled on the love of her life with all her might.

“Hey! You two back there, shut up!” Uzui turned his head angrily, glaring at them. “And you!” he smacked Zenitsu’s head. “You’re too young to be staring at those women!”

“Wah! You have to let me go! I’ve never seen so many beautiful women together in one place!” Zenitsu cried, nearly jumping to get out of the carriage, but instantly caught by the hashira in charge.

“I said no!”

When they finally made it to the local wisteria house, sat with the wind hashira, and Zenitsu came to terms with the fact that the guy had three wives, the plan of action was finally revealed.

“My wives are infiltrated in three different houses, and I’m going to infiltrate you three,” he pointed at Nezuko, Kanao and Inosuke, “into each of those houses so that you may find them.”

“Uh… But I’m not a girl,” Inosuke scratched his nose.

“And you don’t sound like one either! But you have a feminine enough face to pass as one if you shut the hell up! So don’t even try talking!” Uzui crossed his arms. “Kaizen. Since you’re a tsuchinoto and you’re known to be very fast, you’ll stay here and guard the demon!” he pointed straight at Tanjiro’s box. “Zenitsu, you will come in patrol with me every night.”

Kaizen’s reaction was immediate. “Huh?! You’re shitting me, right?! Do I really have to stay here and babysit the demon?!”

“To be fair, Tanjiro nii-san really seems to like you,” Nezuko scratched the side of her head. “Take good care of him,” she chuckled.

“It is set then,” Tengen nodded. “Kaizen, you’ll watch the demon.”

“I’m- I’m not babysitting him again!” Kaizen shook his head frantically. “Please, don’t make me do this!”

“You’ll do whatever I tell you, stop questioning my orders!” Tengen angrily punched Kaizen in the stomac so hard he passed out. “Any other smart comments?!”

“Yeah, aren’t your wives dead by now if they’re no longer answering?” Inosuke inquired, earning another air-knocking punch to the gut.

The only ones who remained awake and intact were Zenitsu and the two girls, who looked at the floor in terror of the sound hashira’s short temper.

Before they knew it, each of them was dressed in pretty kimonos, sold to a different house each, on the lookout for Tengen’s wives and, possibly, a demon too. Thankfully, Nezuko at least, was not tasked with speaking to customers or training for it yet. Instead, she mainly did heavy work and cleaning duties.

The number of boxes she was capable of carrying surprised all the girls she was living with, which was funny to her because, as young and normal as she looked, she was still a warrior.

Ha… Good thing the Madame hasn’t seen my muscle mass or the huge scar across my back, she’d be mad…

The bad news was that she had not heard a single word about Suma. Even when for an entire week she asked the other girls, lying that Suma was her cousin, no one knew where she could have gone.

“This is bad,” she said to Inosuke the next morning, sighing heavily. “She’s nowhere to be found.”

“Yeah, I can find no wife of his either,” he sratched the inside of his ear. “Anyway, I’m telling you, there’s a demon in my house! You have to come tonight!”

“Wait, we have to wait for Kanao too,” Nezuko looked at him. “It is weird that she hasn’t come yet.”

“Who cares! Like I say, the demon is at my house! Do you even listen, Nizuka!”

“It’s Nezuko! And I heard you! I’m just saying that Kanao-chan could be in serious trouble!” she knuckled his head so hard he stopped yelling.

“Okay…” he rubbed his head. “We’ll look for her too, jeez…”

Kanao never showed up, so Nezuko decided to send a letter to Tengen by means of her crow. In the letter, she explained Kanao’s absence, Inosuke’s theory and the possibility of the demon being in either of those houses.

That night, Nezuko set out on her search, donning her sword, the Demon Slayer Uniform and sneaking out of the house while no one else was in with her. She did not have to look for long, almost immediately coming across a black-haired woman who was almost naked and trying to eat a girl.

Unfortunately, it was not just any demon. Her eyes read…

Upper Six.

“Hey! Let go of her!” Nezuko unsheathed her sword.

“Ah… I can tell you’re not a hashira,” the demoness turned her gaze to her. “You’re weak.”

The young Kamado did not have time to dodge in the slightest as, before she knew it, she had been sent flying against a house, breaking the wall and landing inside.

She’s fast… How am I supposed to respond to that speed?

She could feel the dread creeping in her bones, yet she decided to push it down. After all, Nezuko was a demon slayer and the tsuguko of the Water Hashira. She would have to fight no matter her rival’s speed; she did not have a choice.

Come on, Nezuko… Stand up, fight back…

In an instant, her sword was clashing against the demon’s attacks; endless and stronger by the second. She was pleasantly surprised by her ability to keep up, but she could not lower her guard. She still needed to know where Kanao was!

Kanao-chan…

“Such a shame, really,” the demon said. “You’re not even ugly, you could have had a good life,” she smiled. “Oh, well… Perish alongside the rest of them.”

As a man came yelling at them to shut up, the attack was directed at him. Nezuko barely had enough time to place herself in front of the man, partially blocking it yet getting a very bad cut on her chest and stomach. All the houses behind her were destroyed, people getting crushed by them immediately.

In a blur, while Upper Six finished executing her attack, Kaizen was on the air behind her, his blade cutting through her neck before… It turned into a sash too?!

“Oh, shit-!” He was promptly sent flying against a nearby house.

“Kaizen! She’s Upper Six, be careful!”

Wait, if Kaizen is here and he was the one in charge of watching Tanjiro nii-san… That means…

Tanjiro nii-san is here too!

Before anyone could even blink, Tanjiro had already headbutted Daki to the floor, stepping on her neck repeatedly to try and decapitate her. He failed though, as he was quickly dismembered and sent flying across several buildings.

“Onii-chan!” Nezuko yelled, but the demon moon was gone, rushing after him.

Kaizen rushed towards here she was, bleeding from the side of his head. “Nezuko-chan! Are you alright?” he checked up on her, immediately noticing how she was bleeding through her torso. “That’s not good…”

“Kaizen, that woman is Upper Moon Six, we have to go after her before she hurts anyone else,” Nezuko started running, her speed soon matched by the boy’s.

“Where is Kanao? Have you seen her?” he asked while they ran, swords unsheathed. “My situation update is that Zenitsu went with Uzui-san to look for the Inosuke and the demon. And your brother was the one to drag me to this fight, he must have felt the situation.”

“My situation is that Kanao is missing and this demon is very dangerous, we need backup,” Nezuko jumped from one roof to the next. “I hope she’s alright…”

“Me too… Look, there they are!” Kaizen pointed towards an illuminated area.

Tanjiro was… looking really strange. His forehead had grown a horn and… Why did he look like a buff adult?! But there was something else. His muzzle was gone, and he was drooling…

Oh, no…

“Kaizen, run! He’s going to attack them!” Nezuko was the first one to leave, sheathing her sword and arriving just in time to use her sheathed blade as a muzzle; forcefully preventing him from biting anyone.

Unfortunately, though, he was too strong and was getting away from her hold!

“Hey, hammerhead!” Kaizen yelled, quickly sitting behind her and helping her hold the sword. “Stop acting like an actual demon! Jesus, what’s wrong with him?”

But as they tried to force Tanjiro back into a normal state, the Upper Moon caught up to them. She looked horrible, her hair was suddenly white and it was clear she had been severely burnt by Tanjiro’s Blood Demon Art.

“This is it for you. Goodbye,” she said but, before she could kill them and the civilians in that room, Uzui jumped in and knelt down to check up on them.

“Didn’t I order you to watch the demon, Kibutsuji? Why is he like this?”

“Hell if I know, he was kicked halfway through town by that woman and I lost him,” Kaizen used her head to briefly point at the demon moon.

“You’re a hashira, right? My Lord will be most pleased with your demise,” the demon spoke.

“I’m not talking to you, you’re not even strong enough to be an Upper Moon,” Tengen answered, keeping his eyes on the two young slayers and on Tanjiro. “Well, you gotta sing to him or something, get him to fall asleep.”

“Sing? Are you fucking nuts?” Kaizen’s voice was strained as he struggled to hold Tanjiro back together with Nezuko.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” the Upper Moon exploded in a yelling fit.

“Oh, shut up,” Tengen finally turned around to face her. “You’ve lost, you should just accept that and die.”

And just as she said that, her head fell off onto her own hands. She dropped on her knees, holding it in utter shock.

“Where the hell are Zenitsu and Inosuke?” Kaizen asked once more, ignoring the now-beheaded Upper Moon.

“And Kanao-chan! Do we know anything about her?” Nezuko groaned as her brother kept struggling against them.

“The three of them should be on their way here,” the hashira waved his hand dismissively. “They’re all alive and well, as well as my wives.”

She would have breathed a sigh of relief if she did not have to hold onto her brother for dear life.

“One little orange was sitting on a tree,” she started barely singing one of the many lullabies that her mother used to sing to them. “Is caught by a monkey who must peel, peel, peel…”

“Try hitting him on the head, it might be more effective,” Kaizen groaned as he pulled back against another one of Tanjiro’s powerful attempts to release himself. “My hands are getting sweaty and I might slip, seriously.”

Tanjiro kicked the ground, causing the three of them to break through a wall out onto the street, almost letting go of the sheathed sword.

“Two little apples sitting on a tree,” she continued singing despite everything. “Are caught by a monkey who must eat, eat, eat…”

 Out of nowhere, her brother stopped struggling and started crying like a baby, regressing to his child form and falling asleep shortly after. Nezuko picked him up in her arms, caressing his back softly and thinking about returning him to the box located in the Wisteria house when, suddenly…

There was another Upper Six demon fighting with Uzui?!

Kanao, Zenitsu and Inosuke had just arrived in the battlefield too, but they were fighting against the demon woman, who had somehow reattached her head!

I need to help Uzui-san!

“Kaizen, protect him!” she placed the small child-sized frame of sleeping Tanjiro in the boy’s arms, quickly rushing away to help the Sound Hashira.

“H-huh?! Again?! You can’t be serious!” he yelled angrily from behind her, but she was already diving nose-deep into the battle. “I’m a demon slayer, not a demon nanny!”

The battle against the two demon siblings was brutal. Uzui lost a hand and an eye; Nezuko was poisoned by him and almost killed repeatedly; and one of Tengen’s wives was almost killed: saved by Nezuko by mere lucky chance.

However, there was something even worse going on.

Apparently, the crazy, air-head demon woman had a grudge against Tanjiro for beating her earlier. Unfortunately, that resulted in her chasing after Kaizen, who was holding him and fleeing the area to protect him. Zenitsu, Inosuke and Kanao rushed after her, but Nezuko could not do anything as she was stuck with the creepy guy and the Sound Hashira.

I really hope Tanjiro nii-san will be alright…

It all went like a blur. They were lucky enough that, in the end, they managed to decapitate both demon siblings at the same time, thus ending the fight once and for all.

Upper Six was down.

And both her and Uzui had ended up poisoned, which her brother promptly cured with his Blood Demon Art upon awakening.

But even if they had won a single battle, the war was far from over…

“YOU- YOU TOOK MY SON WHERE?!”

It would continue back home, and with enemies they were not legally allowed to eliminate.

Chapter Text

“I can’t BELIEVE that you took my 15-year-old son to the Red-Light district! You know what that can do to a teenage boy’s brain!” Doctor Kibutsuji had not been the slightest bit happy upon their return, immediately jumping into a confrontation with the newly retired Sound Hashira.

“I- It was for my wives! I had to save them! And he offered!” Tengen tried to defend himself as he tried to back away in his wheelchair.

“Did you hit your head before taking my child to a district of whorehouses, you disgraceful wretch?!”

Nezuko sat by Tomioka, not daring to say a single word to intervene in the conversation.

“It was for a good reason!” Tengen argued back, though his bravado was not as strong as it had been during the mission. “And, like I said, he offered!”

“I don’t give a flying dragon fuck if my impulsive teenage son who lacks vision offered!” Muzan pulled on his own hair, his eyes wide as plates as he looked down at the ex-hashira. “You’re the adult, you should know better than to take my child to those whorehouses! All because you’re stupid enough to send your non demon slayer wives on a fucking demon slaying mission!”

“I-”

“And he’s my tsuguko! You shouldn’t have taken him without my permission anyway!” Muzan exclaimed again, letting go of his hair as he started rapidly pacing around the room they were in.

“Muzan-san, it was an emergency! Plus, your son is alive and well, and I didn’t sell him to any of the houses like I did the girls and the boar head!” Tengen answered yet again, though he appeared to be shrinking on his wheelchair by the minute.

There was a moment of stunned silence, where Muzan’s jaw dropped and no further words came out of his mouth for a couple of seconds. He then looked straight at Nezuko and then back towards Tengen, his left eye twitching slightly. Finally, he reacted by picking up a hand-sized wooden box and throwing it right at Tengen’s face, almost hitting him.

“You sold the girls and the boar kid to actual whorehouses?!” his neck and forehead veins swelled as he got ready to throw a different object.

“It was for infiltration purposes, no one touched them!” Uzui quickly defended himself. “And stop throwing shit at me! Members of the Corp are not supposed to fight each other!”

“Members of the Corp are also not supposed to take other people’s tsuguko! And you took three of those and took them to the- to the fucking prostitution district to sell them and nearly get them killed by Upper Moon Six!” Muzan threw another wooden box at the former hashira, who barely blocked it with his forearms.

“You’re supposed to be my doctor, why are you attacking me?! We killed Upper Six thanks to my plan!” Tengen frantically moved away from the Blood Hashira as fast as he could. “I didn’t just take your son; it was nothing personal against him or you!”

“Right…” Muzan’s eye twitched yet again. “You also took my nephew Zenitsu, the savage boy, my almost-daughter Kanao, and this poor 14-year-old child,” Doctor Kibutsuji added, pointing his hand towards Nezuko as he mentioned her age.

“It is not as bad as you’re making it to be, jeez…” Tengen scratched the back of his head with his only remaining hand. “Plus, she probably got her period and all, she’s plenty of old enough…”

“…Okay, you do know that the beginning of puberty does not mark the beginning of adulthood, right?” Doctor Kibutsuji said after taking a very, very deep breath.

“What?”

“…Hadn’t you thought of asking Shinobu and Mitsuri for help?” the crimson-eyed man seemed absolutely flabbergasted by the former hashira’s poor planning and execution. “They are adult women and also hashira… They would have probably been far more helpful than your wives and all the kids you took.”

“…there was no time,” Uzui tried to make that excuse, even though he could have spoken to the two female hashira right away before even sending his wives.

Nezuko turned her gaze towards Giyuu, who was silently observing the interaction with the most neutral of expressions, as he usually did.

“…I’m sorry, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that YOU TOOK MY SON TO-”

And the argument proceeded to go on for what felt like an eternity. Nezuko stopped listening halfway through, and she was pretty sure that Doctor Kibutsuji would have a sore throat from yelling so much, considering he usually never yelled.

“Wow, I can’t believe Muzan-san actually yelled,” was the first thing Kanao said when Nezuko retold her what had occurred.

“Trust me, it was a good thing you were not there, he was terrifying… Plus, I found out that he sees you as a daughter of sorts,” Nezuko sighed heavily as she rested her back against the patient bedframe.

She and Kanao were both injured from the battle with Upper Six and, thankfully, Shinobu had agreed to their request of being placed in the same bedroom. That way they would not be sleeping with the male patients and could keep each other company.

“He’s always been kind to me…” the purple-eyed girl spoke softly, fidgeting with her bedsheets as she looked down at her own lap. “But he’s not very warm, so I didn’t know he felt that way about me.”

“Well… Respectfully, he lost his horses when Uzui-san said he sold us to the entertainment district, so… there’s that,” the young Kamado’s eyes remained fixed on the other girl as she looked down in seeming fluster.

“It… It is good to know…” the young Tsuyuri balled the sheets in her fists, still not looking at Nezuko.

What is going on with her today? She hasn’t said much since we arrived from that mission…

Unless something is bothering her.

With the little strength she had, Nezuko got out of her bed and slowly made her way to the other girl’s, squeezing herself in and getting under her covers too. Kanao did not say or do anything, except moving the slightest bit to the side to give the young Kamado some room.

“Kanao-chan… You seem down, are you alright?” Nezuko inquired as softly as her voice would allow her, wrapping one arm around the other girl’s shoulders.

The purple-eyed girl did not answer for a couple of minutes, leaning her head against the younger girl’s shoulder and closing her eyes in apparent exhaustion. It took her some time to finally break the silence.

“It’s just… I got captured so fast by that thing… I could have easily died without anyone even knowing… Without you even knowing…” she slowly turned her head to look at me. “All because I was unwise enough to follow him into that mission where tsuguko were not even an option for him…”

“I see…” Nezuko wrapped both her arms around the older girl, resting her cheek on her head. “Don’t overthink it, alright? We’re all alive and well, and that’s all that matters… We’re here together right now, aren’t we?”

Kanao remained silent for a moment before slowly moving her head to look up at the pink-eyed girl. Time seemed to freeze as they looked each other in the eyes: purple and pink clashing together into a beautiful magenta. It was as they could read each other’s souls and it was almost like they were looking at each other for the first time ever.

Without thinking about it for a second, the young Kamado leaned in and abruptly closed the distance between them, joining their lips into a soft, chaste kiss. It was short but intense, and when they pulled away and looked at each other again, they knew that things between them would never be the same again.

Much to Nezuko’s surprise, Kanao was quick to pull her back into another inexperienced yet slightly longer kiss. They both wrapped their arms around each other and were only interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

They shot apart and quickly turned to look at the door, to find Kaizen staring at them with his eyes wide open.

Oh, no…

Kanao seemed surprising unfazed, even waving her hand at him. Was she not aware that they had just gotten caught kissing?!

The young Kibutsuji was quick to come into the room and close the door behind himself; his stunned expression acquiring an unexplainable brightness as a wide smile dressed his face.

“My girl, you did not!” he covered his mouth, looking straight at Kanao and mostly ignoring Nezuko’s presence.

“I did,” Kanao answered, smiling wider than usual.

Huh?

“No way!” Kaizen rushed up to the purple-eyed girl, taking a hold of her hands.

“Yes way,” she giggled softly, shaking his hands in hers.

“Aaaaagh, you’re insane!” Kaizen giggled too, jumping up and down in place.

Okay, what is going on?!

“I am, I am so insane,” Kanao squeezed Kaizen’s hands hard, her cheeks flushing a noticeable pink.

“That’s my girl!” the guy literally proceeded to squeeze Kanao into his arms, kissing her cheek uncomfortably loudly.

Oh, no… Is he trying to steal her from me?!

“What are you…?” the pink-eyed girl started but was swiftly interrupted by the doctor’s son.

“Oh, yeah. Hi, Nezuko. Forgot you were there for a second,” he deadpanned, still holding Kanao too close for the young Kamado’s liking.

How could you forget? I’m literally in Kanao’s bed, 10cm away from you at most!

Wait, does that mean he didn’t see us kiss?

“I was wondering when you girls would finally break the tension,” he added, rolling his eyes with a playful smile as he finally let go of the young Tsuyuri. “It was getting painful to watch, you know.”

Nezuko just blinked, completely stunned.

“You… You knew…? How did you-?” she did not have time to finish her sentence because, as per usual, the annoying guy that was Kanao’s best friend interrupted her.

“Girl, isn’t it obvious?” he raised a playful eyebrow, displaying his usual smug, shit-eating grin. “Kanao told me she was into you from day one; she wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

“I- what?!” Nezuko could not help it, her face turned red instantly at the sole concept of Kanao talking about her crush on her to anyone at all!

Kanao, probably feeling exposed, hit the back of Kaizen’s head while covering her face with one of her hands, looking anywhere but at Nezuko in fluster.

“Also,” he kept talking, unfazed by the hit. “Nezuko-chan, you are not precisely what one would call ‘discreet’, you know,” his eyes narrowed slightly, though his smile was still there. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you look at her. One would have to be blind not to see it.”

“H-huh?” the young Kamado could not believe what she was hearing. Had she been that obvious all along?!

“Does- does anyone else know?” she panickily asked, hoping that the answer would be a rotund ‘no.’

“Uh… Murata-san, probably?” Kaizen said as he scratched the side of his head.

Murata-san? That was Kaizen’s friend, the one she had briefly spied on a long time ago, thinking he might be interested in Kanao. Luckily, it had not been the case at all. He just hung out with the young Kibutsuji for the most part.

“Why does Murata-san know…?” Nezuko frowned slightly.

“I told him,” Kaizen deadpanned, not caring that he had basically outed them both as girls who were into other girls to some guy!

“Why- why would you tell him that?” Nezuko grabbed the collar of his hospital pyjama shirt, pulling him closer to her.

Kanao tried to stop her from grabbing onto the boy, but her question would not go unanswered.

“It’s- it’s okay,” Kanao spoke softly, trying to de-escalate the situation. “Murata-san won’t say anything…”

But that did not calm Nezuko’s nerves in the slightest. Why would that stranger know about their mutual feelings and say nothing?!

“Hey, relax,” Kaizen grabbed Nezuko’s wrist, easily prying her hand from his collar. “He won’t out you. I told him because he’s my boyfriend.”

“…Oh…”

“Takes one to know one, darling,” he let go of her wrist, wrapping his arm around Kanao once more. “You did so good! You’re so brave,” he giggled, squishing her cheeks with one hand. “And I’m so happy for you two.”

“Thank you, Kai,” Kanao smiled gently, hugging him from the side.

Nezuko, on her part, was just glad that everything had gone well, and that they hadn’t gotten caught by anyone else. They would need to be really careful from that moment on.

The door abruptly opened, and Doctor Kibutsuji stood there with an unreadable expression. His eyes landed on Kanao and Nezuko for a moment before he directed his gaze to his son.

“Kaizen… If you have time to get cozy with the girls, you have time to study,” Muzan frowned, crossing his arms. “Out. Now.”

“…Oh, no… My head hurts a lot,” Kaizen rubbed the side of his head, where he was wearing a bandage. “Oh, no… So painful…”

Muzan looked at him with the most unamused expression ever seen on a man. He then approached him and looked at his head injury, inspecting it and his son’s face with a sharp eye.

“You should go rest in bed…” the crimson-eyed man commented, tracing his hand through the bandage.

“Oh, yeah, I should do that…”

“And read the Epidemiology manual while you sit in bed, I’ll quiz you when I return.”

“…what if I don’t want to…?”

“I’ll kick your ass so hard you’ll get a free trip to Beijing,” Muzan finally changed his expression, an uncanny smile dressing his face. “How lucky you’ll be.”

“…bye, everyone!” Kaizen exclaimed, abruptly letting go of Kanao and rushing away from the room.

Muzan just turned around and left the room without saying anything to them.

Oh, well.

“…so… Are we dating now or…?” Nezuko scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously after the whole situation.

“U-uh… Yeah, if- if you want to…” Kanao answered in a tiny voice, her cheeks red as she looked down at her hands bunching the bedsheets in them.

“I- I would love to,” Nezuko cleared her throat, patting her own cheeks softly before speaking again. “It is set, then.”

Chapter Text

Sunshine and rainbows, green fields and blooming flowers, a new spring!

It was pushing winter, but that was how Nezuko felt because she now had a very beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, strong and admirable girlfriend. There was no bringing her down from her high!

“You should consult with me next time before leaving on a mission, since you are my tsuguko now…”

Not even if Tomioka Giyuu was reprimanding her for leaving on Tengen’s mission while giving her the most disappointed yet deadpan look in the entire universe.

“Sorry, Master! I acted recklessly,” Nezuko bowed deeply, trying to at least seem a bit sorry. Inside, though? She was practically vibrating with excitement.

She was still recovering from her mission against Upper Moon Six; the skin below her chin still had stitches and she was practically high on painkillers all day long. Her ribs were also broken, and she had sprained her wrist mid-battle too.

But it was fine. She would overcome that and more because she now had Kanao by her side!

Non-platonically.

So far, only Kaizen, that Murata guy and her older brother Tanjiro knew of their relationship. And, so far, those were the only people she considered safe. Anyone else? A liability.

Doctor Kibutsuji? There was no way she would ever tell him.

Doctor Kocho? Absolutely not!

Her master Tomioka-san? She doubted he would care, but she was not about to out herself to him. Especially not when he was friends with Doctor Kibutsuji.

Aoi? She was a good friend, but Nezuko had a feeling that she would be weird about it.

The rest of the butterfly girls? Yeah, it was not happening anytime soon.

They had to be very discreet and very careful. No kissing in unlocked rooms, no getting too close in public and, most definitely, not accidentally referencing their relationship in casual conversation with third parties.

But it was so hard. All the time, she just wanted to hug, kiss and be overall affectionate with Kanao! How would she manage to permanently mask her feelings from everyone?!

“Just get a hobby,” Kaizen deadpanned as they later talked inside his and his father’s, his nose half-buried in his epidemiology manual. “Or study something, I assure you you’ll have no time to think about your partner.”

She had gone to him for advice because he had been so good at hiding his relationship with Murata that she had not even suspected that they were together. And, considering that perceptive Doctor Kibutsuji unfortunately looked at them like a possible match, he did not know either.

And she wanted that stealth.

“Ugh, I don’t think I can do that,” she groaned into her hands, giggling to herself and shaking her head frantically.

“Just talk to my dad and tell him you want to study medicine or infirmary,” the boy looked up from his book, giving her an unamused look. “He’ll make it his personal mission to get you into medical school with honours, even if you’re a girl. You won’t sleep, you won’t get time to yourself, and you will most definitely not have time to be thinking and talking about her.”

“No, thank you… Also, why would he try to get me into medical school,” Nezuko chuckled uncomfortably.

“He likes you. A lot,” Kaizen rubbed his eyes, forcing his eyelids open with his indexes and thumbs. “He thinks you’re very competent and strong-willed and, unfortunately, that means he wants you to marry me and ‘set me straight’ or something.”

Nezuko grimaced at the words, crossing her arms and feeling a very unpleasant shiver drag its way up and down her spine like sandpaper. “I suspected that much… But hearing you actually say it just confirms my fears…”

“He doesn’t bug me much with marriage, he wants my studies to come first,” Kaizen chuckled bitterly as he looked back down at the manual he was studying. “But oh, boy… Whenever you come up in a conversation, you’re somehow the one girl I should get tied to.”

“…yikes…”

The boy abruptly flipped his manual on the table and covered his face with his hands, whining loudly and lying back down on the tatami. “I just want to catch bugs and do crime! Why am I even sitting here reading that crap! Ugh!!!” he groaned again and started banging his forehead against the floor. “I can’t! Take this! Any! More!”

Nezuko blinked, looking at the older boy loudly banging his head against the tatami, clearly having lost the little marbles he had.

“Uh… You okay there…?” she tentatively asked, the conversation about stealthy relationships completely derailed.

“I’VE SLEPT THREE HOURS!! AND I’VE BEEN STUDYING FOR SIX AND I STILL CAN’T REMEMBER HALF THE SHIT I’VE BEEN READING!” he yelled and, after that scream, he proceeded to let out the most haunted, potent, horrific blood-curling screech the young Kamado had ever heard in her almost 15 years of life.

“Uh… Breathe in maybe…?”

“DON’T ‘BREATHE IN’ ME!” he sat up from the floor and pointed at her aggressively.

Before she could say anything else, the door opened and a very confused Muzan came inside, looking alternatively between them.

“What’s with all the yelling?” he asked, clearly unaware of what was going on. “Our patients are trying to rest, be quiet.”

Oh, great, he’s here…

“Whoever wrote this shit book can shove it up his ass!” Kaizen threw his hands in the air, not caring that Doctor Kibutsuji had literally just instructed them to shut up and let everyone rest.

“Kaizen, inside voice,” Muzan whispered loudly, trying to get him to quiet down.

“I’M GOING TO INSIDE VOICE YOUR NECK!” he yelled even louder.

Why would you yell at Doctor Kibutsuji like that?! Do you have a death wish, bug boy?!

The crimson-eyed hashira just looked at him with a wide-eyed, stunned expression.

“I swear, I am going to KILL MYSELF AND BRING EVERY FUCKING MANUAL WRITER DOWN WITH ME!” Kaizen continued screaming, now punching the floor. “I’ll bring them all down! Yeah! HAHAHAHAHA!”

Yup, he’s definitely lost it… And here I had come for some solid advice…

Muzan opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, still looking utterly stunned and taken off-guard. He covered his mouth with his fingers, staring at his son and trying to figure out how to handle him without casualties.

Kaizen kept laughing maniacally, any hint of thought and reason completely gone. All that was left was a vessel full of undirected sleep deprivation and rage.

“Hey, Kaizen…” Muzan’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant as he spoke. “Do you want to come see the newly hatched caterpillars…?”

“I’M GOING TO SQUISH THOSE LITTLE SHITS!”

Bug boy not wanting to see the bugs? Big yikes!

Muzan sucked his own lips in, clearly unequipped to handle the situation. He had probably thought that the bugs would take him out of his meltdown.

“You can’t yell in here, there are patients resting-”

“I DON’T GIVE A FU-UUUUUCK-uh!” Kaizen whined, covering his face again and lying on his back. “I hate everything and everyone!”

The blood hashira sighed heavily, massaging his temples and shaking his head. “You’re acting ridiculous, son. You’re 15 years old, act like it.”

I want to leave so bad, but I’m afraid to move and get noticed!

“Do you know what’s ridiculous?! Expecting me to study 6 chapters of this shit by tomorrow!” Kaizen took the manual, closed it and threw it straight at his father’s face.

Muzan easily caught it with one hand, his hashira reflexes so on point they basically made him immune to human attacks. “You are more than capable of studying 6 chapters of this, you have a privileged mind. You just need to calm down and get to it; it’s not that hard.”

“I’m running on 3 hours of sleep because you quizzed me on human anatomy until God-knows how long into the night! And- and you just want me to just- calm down and study like some sort of superhuman!” the golden-eyed one laughed maniacally, holding onto the low table as if to ground himself.

God, I don’t want to get noticed and involved in this…

Nezuko was as tense as ever; still high on her new romance but trying to remain low-key so that maybe, Doctor Kibutsuji would not perceive her enough.

“Yes, I expect you to push through,” Muzan crossed his arms, thankfully not even directing his gaze towards the girl. “You’ve been through worse, I don’t know why you are throwing a tantrum. Back when I was around your age, I worked, studied and took care of you.”

“It’s not my fucking fault you’re nuts!” Kaizen flipped the table, causing the girl to flinch. “You’re so perfect all the time! It’s driving me up the wall, but you just have to keep pushing!”

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God… Should I make a run for it?

She gave a side glance towards the door. It was right there, her ticket to freedom from that situation! But her body was paralysed in pure fear at the palpable and escalated tension inside that room.

Come on… Just go!

“Behave yourself!” Muzan walked up to where the two adolescents sat, taking a hold of Kaizen’s wrists. “I will not tolerate you throwing furniture around, you’re not a savage!”

If only Kanao came in and saved me…

“That’s all you care about; about me living up to some stupidly perfect unattainable standard!” Kaizen tried to pull and release his wrists from his father’s hold, failing miserably.

“That is not true and you know it, stop putting words in my mouth,” Muzan held on tighter, pulling against every pull from his son. “I don’t care if you have dementia praecox; you go yell outside, punch a tree and come back to study when you’re back to using your brain.”

“Let go of me!” Kaizen finally pulled so hard he released his wrists from his father’s grasp. “You have the tact and emotional range of a dull rock; I am so done with this brain-wrecking bullshit!”

“Kaizen,” the doctor’s eyes narrowed in a warning glare.

“Ugh! I hate you so much!” the boy stood up and left, storming off and leaving the door open on his way out, nearly pushing a poor kakushi that was just passing by with some bedsheets.

 What the hell, Kaizen! why’d you leave me alone with your father, you traitorous bastard!

She slowly glanced towards Muzan as he groaned into his hands, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. She was hoping that he would leave so that she could leave as if nothing had happened.

“I am sorry you had to see that,” the man, unfortunately, directed his crimson gaze towards her. “Are you alright? Did the table hit you?”

Awkward much? Yeah! She wanted the land to swallow her whole and erase her memories from that moment!

“I’m fine, thank you…” the girl answered in a small voice, not knowing where to hide or how to excuse herself to leave.

Nezuko scratched her cheek awkwardly, not knowing what to do with herself. Should she leave? Should she talk to him? Should she attempt to mediate the situation?

“He isn’t always like this, don’t mind him too much,” he ran his hand through the side of his head, combing his head with his long, pale fingers as he let out a soft sigh.

Sigh.

“Muzan-san… I mean this with all due respect, but… Kaizen is clearly overwhelmed…” she knew that she was risking it by subtly criticising his approach but, at that point, she was in too deep just by having witnessed their argument.

“I guess he should sleep more,” he commented sighing once more.

“No offence… Kaizen feels that you are very strict and demanding,” Nezuko forced a polite smile, though inside she was shaking like a leaf at his possible reaction.

“Pfft, I am not strict. If anything, I am very lenient,” he scoffed, crossing his arms. “The only thing I ask of him is that he studies a good profession to ensure his future. I am not asking for his labour or anything of the sort.”

Is this man delusional? Is that what it is?

Nezuko rolled her eyes internally, wondering what Tanjiro would do or say in her place. Her older brother was very good at both mediation and bringing out a more emotional side from other people.

Both Muzan-san and Kaizen have helped me a lot… Plus, Kaizen said his father likes me… Maybe I could return the favour to them.

Her older brother was much more unafraid of challenging authority figures, that was for sure. He would have probably said something like: ‘Muzan-san, you are pushing your son past his limits, which are different to yours.’ And he’d probably say it with that compassionate smile of his too.

But Nezuko was not Tanjiro. She had neither the guts nor the compassion to speak bluntly to him and lay out the problem as it was.

“Muzan-san, what makes you think you’re lenient? Respectfully,” Nezuko quietly asked.

“Well, for starters, he didn’t begin working before the age of 15,” the crimson-eyed man set the low table properly again and sat in front of the young girl. “I let him go out on dates, and I never really hit him that much throughout his life. All of those are very lenient, if you ask me.”

“Okay…?”

“Plus, I defend him if someone tries to bully him or take advantage of him,” he added. “I even do his hair and all… I am leniency incarnate.”

This man is definitely delusional… Leniency incarnate? Seriously?

“All I ask of him,” he continued, “is that he studies medicine so that he can make plenty of money to live a comfortable life in the future.”

“That is… Understandable… But, haven’t you thought of… Reducing the academic load?” she grimaced slightly as she asked, somewhat fearing punishment from her daring attitude.

“Kaizen is very intelligent, he can handle it,” Muzan waved his hand dismissively. “He can handle anything, really. No matter what gets thrown at him, he always succeeds. I have no reason to be concerned.”

Yeah, because his previous meltdown is nothing to be concerned about…

“He was not exactly ‘handling it’ two minutes ago,” she pointed out with a quiet voice, hoping it would not cause too much of a reaction.

“He’s fine, he’ll get over it,” Doctor Kibutsuji sighed softly. “He’s stronger, smarter, and far more skilled than I ever was at his age… He’ll get over it.”

Chapter Text

She thought that was it. After that uncomfortable conversation with the prideful Doctor Kibutsuji, who refused to see his wrongdoings and apologise, she finally went back to Kanao.

And it was nice for a while.

They had time to talk about their days, share some sword training technique tips and even kiss while no one was close to coming inside their room. They mostly spent their afternoon cuddling in a comfortable silence, since they could not get started with rehabilitation training just yet.

But, of course, their peace could only last so long.

The following day, after taking a nap together in each other’s arms, a knock on their door interrupted their post-sleep cuddle session. Surprisingly enough, that Murata guy who always acted so smug around people of lower rank came into their room uncalled for.

God, something about that guy just feels plain wrong…

“Kanao-san, you have to help me,” he rushed up to the bed where they were both still in a half-sitting position, their eyes puffy from sleep and exhaustion.

Kanao did not answer, she just looked at the boy in silence, expecting him to explain himself first.

“What could possibly be so important?” Nezuko turned her head towards him, slightly annoyed and put off by his unwanted presence.

“Kaizen is acting crazy,” he hastily raised his hands in disbelief.

“Yeah, and the sky is blue,” the young Kamado deadpanned. She had known the young Kibutsuji long enough to know that ‘crazy’ was his default.

Murata crossed his arms, glaring daggers at her before looking back at her girlfriend.

“He has been biting his med manuals like a feral cat, and he is very irritable,” he leaned closer to the quiet Tsuyuri, his gaze too intense for the pink-eyed girl’s liking. “He won’t even catch bugs or make drugs anymore; and he loses his shit at anyone who tries to interact with him.”

Nezuko pushed him back by the chest so that he would give Kanao some personal space. After all, even if she was not saying anything, she was clearly very uncomfortable with having her space being invaded by some guy. Even if the guy was her best friend’s partner.

“He argued with Doctor Kibutsuji, that’s probably the reason why,” Nezuko answered, a bit more hastily than she would have liked.

Ever since she lost her family and started working at that God-forsaken Corp, her personality had but hardened to the point she barely was that sweet, young girl. But situations like those, especially with invasive male colleagues, were the ones who forced that change so abruptly.

“He argued with his dad?” Murata raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised.

“What, he didn’t tell you?” Nezuko snapped back, wrapping her arms tighter around her girlfriend’s side.

“He either mumbles nonsense, asks to be alone or gets crazy angry, how was I supposed to know?” he glared daggers at the pink-eyed girl once more, but she remained steady and unflinching. “Kanao-san, I need your help to get through to him. He loves you and admires you more than anyone else, I think he’ll listen to you.”

Nezuko turned her gaze towards her quiet girlfriend, who looked pensively at the black-haired guy. Needless to say, he did not seem too pleased with having to ask her for help, especially since Kanao outranked him both in the Corp and in Kaizen’s life.

“I’ll talk to him,” were the young Tsuyuri’s first words ever since Murata had come into the room.

“Good, because he’s driving me nuts,” the boy huffed, crossing his arms as a flicker of concern crossed his expression. “Please, talk to him soon,” were his last words before he finally left their room.

Kanao sighed softly right after he left, her shoulders relaxing slightly into the other girl’s hold; gesture which did not go unnoticed by the younger girl.

“Are you okay?” Nezuko asked, caressing her girlfriend’s arm softly, seeking eye contact.

Kanao breathed in deeply, exhaled slowly and looked at her in the eye, taking a hold of one of her hands. “I am… Concerned,” she spoke softly, bringing Nezuko’s pale hand to her lips and giving its back a gentle kiss.

The girl’s cheeks flushed slightly at the sweet gesture. “About Kaizen and his dad’s argument?” she asked quietly, reading in for any stress in the older one’s visage.

“Kaizen has been having trouble with Muzan-san’s strictness for a very long time… But it is not just that,” she confessed, changing her position so that she could rest her cheek on Nezuko’s chest. “He has also been having trouble with Murata-san.”

“Oh… I couldn’t tell,” the younger girl was genuinely surprised.

“Don’t tell anyone but, from what Kaizen has told me, he believes that Murata-san has become overwhelming and jealous,” she said quietly, closing her eyes in her post-nap daze. “Kaizen is very… Independent, like a black cat. He gets a little spooked by overt affection and can only handle it if he’s the one initiating.”

“Yeah, he does have a knack for initiating it with you alone, too,” the young Kamado chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood.

“He trusts me more than anyone else,” Kanao admitted. “And I don’t overwhelm him with affection, so he naturally feels drawn to me. But for that reason, Murata-san is not very fond of me,” she sighed yet again. “He’s jealous of our bond, even though he knows it is platonic.”

“Yeah… He was giving off a weird vibe,” Nezuko commented, caressing the other girl’s back with her fingertips and taking in the scent of her hair.

“He tries to overcompensate by holding onto Kaizen tighter, which actually causes him to withdraw. The more Kaizen withdraws, the tighter Murata-san holds on,” Kanao played with the fabric of Nezuko’s pyjama shirt. “It’s a vicious cycle and, whenever Kaizen tries to ask him for some space, Murata-san feels personally attacked and makes a whole deal out of it.”

“I see…” Nezuko nodded ahead, listening to her intently. “I hate seeing you stressed out over this… Plus, these conflicts are affecting the overall atmosphere of the Estate… For starters, do you know anyone who could make Muzan-san listen?” the pink-eyed girl inquired, determined to take the weight off Kanao’s shoulders. “Like Kuwajima-san, for example…”

“I doubt he’d listen to Kuwajima-san,” Kanao opened her eyes, looking up at her. “But I think he would most definitely listen to Urokodaki-san.”

Right, Urokodaki-san…

Nezuko knew that, after fleeing Kuwajima-san’s home with baby Kaizen, Muzan was trained in demon slaying by Urokodaki-san. He lived with the former water hashira until Kaizen was close to five years old, and the older man was probably looked up to as a mentor and care-taker figure for both Kibutsujis.

So, in an attempt to soothe Kanao’s heart, the next thing she knew is that she had sent a letter to her mentor and, days later, was having tea with him down in the nearby town.

“So,” the former water hashira spoke. “Kaizen is going insane because Muzan is pushing him past his limits, and Muzan refuses to see the error in his ways and correct himself accordingly.”

“Yes, that is exactly what is going on, thank you,” the young Kamado sighed heavily, leaning back on the bench where they were seated in exasperation. “I was wondering if maybe you could help resolve this issue, since I know that Muzan-san respects you.”

He hummed in thought, scratching his cheek with his index and taking a few seconds to think his answer through. He stretched his back before looking back at the young girl. His expression was invisible and unreadable, hidden behind his usual red tengu mask.

“Getting him to loosen up on Kaizen’s training and academic regime might be an impossible task, even for me,” he commented, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave his head the slightest tilt. “He does it out of love, because he wants to ensure that Kaizen is the strongest and has a successful future ahead.”

“He forces him to be a demon slayer and study medicine out of love?” Nezuko raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. After all, the Blood hashira’s actions were in direct contradiction to his supposed paternal love.

“It makes sense if you know Muzan,” Urokodaki rested his hands on his lap. “I can tell you a thing or two about him. Maybe then we can think of a way to soften him up.”

People do not normally take kindly to those who exhibit difference from the norm. It could be something as simple as the way one talks, or the way one walks. Either way, if the difference is prominent enough, it will eventually be pointed out. And that pointing can often lead to both isolation and bullying.

For Kibutsuji Muzan, it was his eye colour.

He was born without eye pigmentation; thus he has no colour in his irises. That crimson red you see are simply his blood vessels and their red hue, giving the impression of deep red eyes.

This horrified his birth parents, since red is the colour of the devil and death. They mistook him for a demon, the devil’s spawn. And so, they abandoned him in the city’s orphanage.

Unfortunately for him, though, his parents were not the only ones who mistook him for a demonic creature. The caretakers at his facility singled him out for the same reason and led by example, so did the other children who lived there.

It did not help that the lack of pigmentation in his eyes made him extremely photosensitive, preventing him from going outside to play during the day.

You can imagine what those cruel kids and adults had to say about his inability to go out in the sun normally. He was called a vampire, a demon, a monster of sorts. And dehumanisation, sadly, always becomes the justifier for violence.

“Watch out for the cursed one!” Would yell the other children.

“You had it coming!” They’d scream after ganging up on him and beating him to a pulp.

“Haha, demons hate the light, don’t they?” They’d laugh as they forced him to open his eyes under the sunlight unprotected.

“You stink!” They’d cover their noses after throwing dirty water on him, the smell clinging no matter how many baths he took.

“You’re weak,” They’d confidently say as they tossed him around.

“You won’t need this,” They’d take away his food by force without a second thought.

The adults around him did nothing to prevent it. If anything, they encouraged it and, sometimes, participated in it.

The only thing Muzan had over all of them was his intelligence.

He was the first one to learn how to read. He knew the most characters. He was a natural with mathematics. And then History. And then chemistry. He was the most articulate with his words, and he was resourceful enough to convince the scornful adults in that hellhole to place him in a nursing apprenticeship by age 10.

Muzan was small, scrawny and could barely tolerate any light sources. But his strength did not rely in the physical but the mental and the intellect. He believed that was enough for him and, if he made it out of the orphanage, he would not ever have to endure violence again.

And he did manage to find a way to avoid violence as much as he could. He gave his all to the nursing apprenticeship, spending most of his day working and learning at the hospital until he was certified as a nurse. After his certification, he worked for hours on end to avoid going back to his home; to the point where he befriended one of the doctors and started getting tutored by him to prepare him in the profession.

He even met the girl who would later become his wife at that very hospital. She had dislocated her shoulder and had gone to the Emergency Room, where Muzan was quick and efficient at relocating it.

“Wow! You’re so cute! How old are you? You look about my age!” the girl with golden eyes and curly hair smiled at him friendlily. Though, of course, Muzan knew not of friendship at that time.

“I’m 13,” he deadpanned, unamused. Of course, he assumed that he was being pranked, as had been attempted before by other children at the orphanage. “You are good to go.”

“13? We’re the same age! We have so much in common! Isn’t that crazy? Hm?”

“You are good to go.”

“What is your name?”

“You are good to go, thank you.”

“Where do you live? We could meet up at the park sometime,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Thank you, you are good to go.”

“Do you come here a lot?”

“I work here. Thank you. Goodbye.”

“You work here?! You have a job?! How cool is that?! You could even treat me to rice crackers!”

“Goodbye, thank you. Next, please!”

The next patient approached, but the girl just would not take the hint and go. So, naturally, Muzan took it upon himself to slowly push her out of the room, not caring that she was a girl in the slightest.

“This is not over! I’ll see you soon!” she yelled as he finally pushed her out and closed the door in her face.

He really did not want her to come back. Naturally, she returned a couple days later. During his lunch break, too. She managed to find the staff room and simply waltzed inside like it belonged to her.

“There you are! You gotta tell me your name now!” she sat beside him, as the other nurses looked at their interaction; most likely perplexed.

“This is- You can’t be here, you need to leave,” Muzan tried to reason with her, but she refused.

“No way! Because I met my future husband two days ago and I need to know what name to put in our marriage certificate,” she giggled, earning a couple of chuckles from the other nurses in the room.

“Huh?” Muzan just frowned, holding his lunch so tight one would think it owed him money. “Please, stop sputtering such nonsense. This is a staff area; you can’t be here.”

“Yadda yadda. What’s your name?” she pulled out her tongue, causing the young boy to grimace.

“Please, leave.”

“His name is Kibutsuji Muzan!” answered one of the other nurses, who was observing the entire scene between amusement and giggles with the others.

“Kibutsuji Muzan? What a beautiful name!” the girl exclaimed sitting even closer to him. “My name is Kuwajima Arina! But you can call me Ari-chan!”

Muzan looked at her, completely flabbergasted before he finally gathered his bearings and answered.

“Kuwajima-san…”

“Ari-chan!”

“Kuwajima-san. Please, take your leave, I am trying to eat.”

“I bet I could make you a way better lunch box!”

His eyebrow was twitching by that point. He had never encountered a person so persistent in learning about him. Especially not one who acted in such a suspiciously friendly manner.

“I do not doubt it. Please, leave.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have really beautiful eyes?” she fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously. “They look like rubies.”

“…alright, that is quite enough,” Muzan swiftly stood up and left the staff area; donning his conical hat to go outside and eat his lunch elsewhere.

“Hey! Muzan-kun! Oi! Muzan-kun! Muzan! Mu-kun?” she followed him, sitting with him outside as he tried to eat.

He practically forced his lunch down his throat, on the verge of crying as he hoped and prayed that she would leave soon.

She did not, in fact, leave soon.

In fact, she became so persistent that she started pestering him every single day of the week. The other nurses seemed to enjoy the situation, too, since they just allowed the girl in and even gave her some food.

“Muzan-kun,” she sat beside him one day, leaning towards him and staring up too intensely. “You should totally get me some rice crackers from the market; they are really good!”

“Why would I buy you anything? I barely know you,” he ate his lunch with a slight frown, trying to ignore his usual unwanted visitor.

“Because you’re a boy and I’m a girl? And we’re going to get married,” she insisted, poking his arm.

“Here we go again… We are not getting married,” he answered, slightly annoyed. “And you should stop stalking me, it’s weird.”

“I’m not ‘stalking’ you,” she made a silly voice while saying the word, clearly not taking the situation seriously. “I’m out husband hunting! And you’re my prey,” she winked, blowing a kiss at him.

Muzan’s eye twitched as he slowly turned his head to look at her, unbelieving of both her denial and insistence.

“You are stalking me,” he corrected. “And I believe it would be good if you ‘hunt’ elsewhere, thank you very much.”

“No way! You’re so handsome, I have never seen a guy like you before!” she insisted, completely dismissing his request for her absence.

“W-what are you talking about?” he sputtered, sitting farther from her almost as reflex. “L-leave me alone, you weirdo! You’re stressing me out!”

“You’re blushing!” she exclaimed as she sat closer yet again. “He’s blushing!” she repeated, looking around at the other nurses and smiling happily.

“He is blushing!” answered one of them, giggling with the others as they enjoyed the show.

“I-,” he stood up, holding onto his empty container. “You’ve been coming here for weeks, can- can you not?!” he shakily pointed a finger at her. “Why- why do you have the need to humiliate me like this?!”

“Hey! Don’t point, it’s rude,” she stood up too, lowering his finger with her own hand. “I’m not trying to humiliate anyone! Like I said, you’re so handsome and hard-working,” she grinned. “You’re the perfect husband candidate.”

“Why do you keep insisting on that?” he panickily looked around, but nobody would intervene to help him.

“It’s fine! My dad is super rich; you won’t even have to buy a house!” she shamelessly declared. “You can move in with us!”

“H-huh?”

“I followed you the other day and discovered that you live in the orphanage! So, you know… We should totally get married so you can move into my house! It’s probably better anyway,” she covered her mouth and giggled playfully.

“You- you followed me to my house?! You really are a stalker!”

“Future wife!”

“Textbook stalker!”

Two years later, they married and started living in the Kuwajima Estate. Though Muzan knew from day one that his father-in-law was not particularly fond of him.

It was devastating, really. He had finally escaped the orphanage and, for the first time in years, he started living in a place that was not violent to him, that did not steal from him, that did not publicly humiliate him. And by his side, he finally had someone who became his first ever family; someone who somehow loved him. And someone he loved back with everything he had.

Sure, his father-in-law might not have liked him, but he did not care. He had planned on winning him over throughout the years. And when he had his baby boy, he saw a chance to give him everything he himself didn’t have.

A family, regular meals, stability, protection and his very presence.

Sadly, fate sometimes strikes in the most gruesome of manners. And that young wife of his was murdered by demons not two years into their marriage.

He was lucky he had gone out with Kaizen. His baby had been saved by sheer luck of destiny. But his life partner was forever gone.

“You were supposed to protect her, but you’re too week even for that!” Jigoro yelled in his grief, striking Muzan across the face with his open hand.

“You were too weak to protect her. And you are too weak to protect him,” Kuwajima would tell him every single day.

Weak. That word that had haunted him since his earliest days finally engraved itself in his mind forever to stay. Too weak to defend himself, too weak to fight back, and too weak to protect his family.

In the end, Muzan finally broke and pleaded and begged to be trained by Jigoro so that he could grow strong enough to protect the last bit of his family: his son Kaizen.

Kuwajima refused to train him, told him to leave the house and to leave Kaizen with him.

Muzan, in turn, refused to orphan his son and fled the Kuwajima Estate in search of a different Demon Slayer cultivator. That’s when we crossed paths for the first time.

He had spoken to many demon slayers, seeking them in the Wisteria Houses. And by repeatedly asking for a cultivator, he heard of me and showed up at my house. At the time, I had recently taken in a young girl called Makomo. She was the one who saw him first and invited him inside after seeing that he was carrying a baby.

He was merely 16 years old back then, and Kaizen was around 8 months old.

He got down on his knees and begged me to take him in, as if I could have the heart say ‘no’ to such a young boy carrying an infant.

I could tell that he had gone through the horrors of encountering a demon. My first assumption had been that his parents were killed and only he and his little brother survived.

You can imagine my surprise when he finally told me that he had been married to my old friend’s daughter, and that the infant was their son. He kept what he told me surface-level. He simply said that a demon killed his wife and his father-in-law kicked him out. He said it with a very serious expression too, clearly trying to keep himself together. The depths of his eyes and the scent emanating from his body and emotions, though, told a different story.

I could smell his grief, his guilt, his shame and his unwavering love and determination for that infant very clearly. Right then, I knew that he would become one of the strongest and most fearsome demon slayers to ever exist.

Because if there is something stronger than revenge, it is a parent’s fierce love and protection.

He was going to be my pupil, sure. But he was also a father and getting him separated from his baby for training was not precisely easy. He could not train with the child, so I split the day between training him and Makomo. She took care of Kaizen during his training, and he retook the care during hers.

Physically, he was weak and scrawny in comparison to other boys his age I had trained. But he had the mental fortitude and resilience of 300 men, and his determination could have probably put world leaders to shame. Due to this, he learnt Water Breathing faster than any of my other pupils despite his weaker build.

“I want Kaizen to be stronger, smarter and better than me,” was something he used to say.

Naturally, after such circumstances, he would want Kaizen to be physically strong, mentally indestructible and intellectually superior. He wants his son to avoid the hard times he went through and, in attempting so, he is inadvertently smothering him past his limits.

So, tell me, Nezuko… Do you have any ideas on how to solve that?

Chapter Text

I have to do everything myself around here.

That was what Nezuko thought as she returned to the Butterfly Estate beside Urokodaki himself. She did not feel ready or responsible for the conflicts affecting the Kibutsuji family in the slightest. But whatever the hell happened in that family affected Kanao’s mood and heart, and she was not about to let her girlfriend suffer.

Even if that meant getting into the unstable and toxic family dynamics of those mentally ill people.

It’s for Kanao, Nezuko… Deal with Doctor Kibutsuji, then with Murata-san and then Kaizen will stop dampening her mood with his problems.

Upon entry into the garden, they crossed paths with Doctor Kibutsuji, who was on his way to his own Estate for supply collection.

“Urokodaki-san?” he rushed towards them, his conical straw hat bouncing slightly on his head until he came to a stop. “What a surprise, what brings you here? Would you like some tea?” he bowed deeply in greeting.

“Muzan,” the former Water Hashira acknowledged, placing his hand on the conical hat as soon as the taller man rose again. “I came here for a visit. Please, don’t worry and keep working, Nezuko will be the one to help me today.”

“Right,” Muzan answered, allowing the older man to touch him. “If you wish to see Kaizen, he is studying inside our room. He has been acting rebellious these days, so please watch out and forgive him for his adolescent moodiness.”

“That’s alright, I’ll go check up on him,” the older man let go of the doctor’s head, placing his hands on his hips. “He has always been a stubborn one, since the apple never falls far from the tree.”

Muzan chuckled slightly. “I suppose he does take after me, doesn’t he? Regardless,” he bowed deeply again. “I must take my leave for now, I will join you later.”

“Of course, my child. You can go, I won’t disappear,” the older man patted his shoulder.

They both watched as Doctor Kibutsuji left in a hurry before walking towards the main house once more.

He really respects Urokodaki, huh…

After knowing what she now knew about Muzan, his life and how he and Urokodaki had met, it was no wonder. Perhaps he was the only key to solve the Kibutsuji father-son problem and ease the loads on Kanao’s heart.

The things I will do for you, Kanao-chan…

They walked directly towards the Kibutsujis’ bedroom and, sure enough, inside was Kaizen. He was lying face-down on the floor, with his head propped over his shoulders as he stared at an open book with wide-open eyes.

“What are you reading, son?” Urokodaki stepped into the room, sitting beside him.

Kaizen snapped back into reality, quickly sitting upright with wide-open eyes. “Water Gramps?! What are you doing here? And, most importantly: did you bring me food?”

Nezuko closed the door, deciding not to intervene as she gave them some privacy. Instead, she would go check on Kanao and see how she was doing. She went inside their shared patient room, but she was not there.

How weird…

She then proceeded to look inside her brother’s room, where he slept while the sun was out. There was no trace of Kanao there either, just her older brother lying inside a futon and sleeping like a dead body.

She was not in the kitchen, not in the bathrooms, not in the basement and not in any of the training or resting rooms. The last place she had not checked was Doctor Kocho’s lab, which was restricted access. At that point, it was the only place where she had not looked.

But, before she could even get close to the door, she was stopped by a familiar face. A familiar face with an equally familiar and awful haircut.

This guy… He’s Shinazugawa’s younger brother, right? The younger brother of the Wind Hashira.

“N-nezuko-san,” he spoke, his face as red and his voice as shaky as usual. “H-how- uh… What a coincidence seeing you here again,” he laughed awkwardly, his breathing slightly irregular.

What’s the deal with this guy? He always looks like he’s about to explode…

“Well, I am injured, that’s why I’m here,” Nezuko smiled politely, though she did not wish to engage with him further. “Shinazugawa-san, right?”

“I- I- yeah,” he gulped. “Shinazugawa Genya…”

“Right, Genya-san, the Wind Hashira’s younger brother,” Nezuko smiled.

She was about to say her goodbyes when he spoke again, asking her a question about her schedule.

“Are- when- When are you free?” he seemed like he could not get any redder, and Nezuko thought that something was definitely wrong with him.

This guy probably has the flu or something… I don’t want to catch that.

“I mean, it’s not like I have much to do, being injured and all,” she chuckled softly.

“O-oh, um- Would you- would you like to- Uhh… You know, downtown…”

“Hey!”

Genya could not finish his sentence, as they were interrupted by another one of the injured assholes. Murata was not even trying to seem nice for the sake of diplomacy, crossing his arms as he looked down at her.

“You, do you know where Kaizen is?” he asked, his voice as brusque as it could get.

We’re the same rank, why is he acting all high and mighty?

“He’s busy with a guest, I don’t think it’s the best time to talk to him,” Nezuko answered with equal harshness, crossing her arms. “And watch your tone, we’re equals.”

Genya looked alternatively between them in confusion, his cheeks still flushed pink but his eyes narrowing slightly at the interaction.

“With a guest?” he scoffed, incredulously. “Who could even be visiting him? He has no casual friends out of this Estate.”

This guy has some serious issues…

“He’s with Urokodaki-san, his ‘water grandpa,’ so relax,” the young Kamado answered sharply, her eyebrows slowly turning to a frown.

Murata’s frown loosened, as well as his crossed arms as they fell to his sides. All his face muscles seemed to relax before he eventually smiled, laughing like he had not just acted like a rabid dog over nothing.

“Oh, his grandpa!” Murata chuckled, clasping his hands together. “That checks out!”

Sometimes, I am a bit of an insecure partner… But this guy takes first place.

“Why would you talk to her like that though?” Genya intervened, clenching his fists and looking down at the black-haired guy.

“That’s my business!” Murata got defensive, immediately frowning again. “What’s your rank? Huh?”

“I’m a kanoto. How does that matter though? You were being an ass!” Genya finally exploded, though his face was no longer red as a tomato.

“Well, I’m a kanoe,” Murata added, glaring at him so hard that, if glares could kill Genya would have died 2000 times in a row. “Which means I’m your senior. So shut up and mind your own!”

“I don’t give a fuck you’re my senior! You disrespected Nezuko-san!”

“And I don’t give a fuck that you don’t give a fuck!”

Nezuko stopped listening to them, slowly backing away to get out of that situation. She was just looking for her girlfriend, how the fuck had she ended up in a stupid boy fight?

Thank God my partner is a girl… I could never put up with boys’ antics…

She felt as though her older brother Tanjiro, and her late father Tanjuro were the two only masculine beings that used more than two braincells at a time. All her life, she had misguidedly thought that most men were gentle and kind like them.

Oh, well. The more you know.

As it turned out, it was quite the opposite.

Women were her only salvation. And her specific salvation was still nowhere to be found. She was either inside the lab or God-knew where. And she could not return to the lab, because those two idiots were probably still arguing by the door and she did not want to deal with them.

Just when all hope was lost, she finally crossed paths with Aoi. Surely, if anyone knew where Kanao might be, it would be her!

Nezuko practically teleported to where the girl was, startling her and causing her to nearly drop all the bedsheets she was carrying in the process.

“Aoi-chan!”

“Nezuko-chan! You- you scared me half to death!” she scolded, frowning as she held the bedsheets. “What even was that? Just approach me like a normal person, jeez!”

The young Kamado chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head as she realised how she had come across. She straightened her pyjamas and bowed respectfully to apologise for her own recklessness.

“Sorry, Aoi-chan,” she rose right after, looking at the other girl with bright pink eyes. “I was just wondering if you know where Kanao might be.”

The blue-eyed girl tilted her head slightly, looking up towards the ceiling in thought. “Huh… Where Kanao-chan might be…” her eyes narrowed slightly as she probably tried to recall her location. “Have you checked Kaizen’s room? She’s probably with him because he’s having a hard time with his dad these days.”

“She’s not there,” Nezuko shook her head, crossing her arms as she tried to picture where she could have gone. “Kaizen is with Urokodaki-san, my former mentor.”

Aoi frowned slightly, trying to figure out where else the young Tsuyuri might be. “Not there, huh… Oh, wait,” she hit her palm with the lower side of her fist. “Of course, how could I forget? She left with Shinobu-san this morning for rehabilitation training, since she is mostly cured now. Where to? Who knows.”

She’s not home? What am I supposed to do today then?

“…could you rehabilitate me?” she fluttered her eyelashes, only for Aoi to giggle in return.

“Shinobu-san said you’re not ready yet. You should take it easy and be careful instead of giving people the scares of their lives,” she shook her head in disapproval, though she was clearly enjoying the banter.

So, Doctor Kocho had decided that she was not ready yet…

Doctor Kibutsuji is stricter with training, maybe he’ll give me permission to start rehabilitation training?

“Of course, let’s start training right away!” Muzan exclaimed with a cheerful smile later in the day as she requested to start rehabilitation.

“Really?” Nezuko looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Finally! Something to do besides resting.

“Of course! Your ribs are still broken, your wrist is sprained and you still have a head injury! It’s the perfect moment to-! Do you filter anything through your brain before letting it leave your mouth?” his faux friendliness was immediately replaced by his usual deadpan, if not slightly condescending expression.

“…is that a yes?” she asked with a slight grimace, though she already knew the answer.

“No. You are to rest and recover so that you can start your rehabilitation training sooner,” he crossed his arms, looking down at her with a slight frown. “If you’re so bored, I can get you on Kaizen’s study plan. No time for boredom there.”

“…I think I’ll pass…”

“That’s what I thought,” his eyes narrowed slightly. “By the way, there is something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

Nezuko immediately tensed up. Something Doctor Kibutsuji had been meaning to tell her? That could not possibly be good. Was it a proposal for her to marry her lousy son? A proposal for her to get into med school? Bad news related to Sun Breathing? A scolding for some mistake she had made. Perhaps he’d found out about Kaizen’s illegal drug business?

“What- what is it?” she asked, clutching her bedsheets as she looked up into his psychedelic eyes.

“We have finished and are testing the first prototype of the anti-demon drug on the demons from my basement, and it is humanizing them to some extent,” Muzan commented, uncrossing his arms and placing them on his hips. “When we fully manage to turn a few of those demons back into humans, we’ll try the drug on your brother to turn him back too.”

Wait, that’s very good news!

“Really?” she looked up at him, her eyes glimmering with the light of hope.

“Yes. We are still clinically testing them on other demons,” Muzan waved his hand dismissively. “But we are making quick progress, so I believe me and Shinobu will soon finish the adequate formula-”

“THANK YOU SO SO MUCH, I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH!” she exclaimed in a sudden burst of hope and gratitude, mindlessly pulling the Blood Hashira into the tightest hug she could give.

“Oh- Uh… Are we hugging now? Okay…” he just stood there, looking down at her with a reluctant expression before he finally started patting her back. “That is a long hug, huh?” After seeing that she would not be letting go anytime soon, the doctor gave in with a heavy sigh and loosely hugged her back. “There, there, kid…” he said as he patted her back het again. “You know, you can let go anytime you want… Like, right now for example?”

“…”

“No? Okay…”

Chapter Text

“This is… Unexpected,” were Kanao’s words as she walked into the room where she and Nezuko slept at night, only to find the young Kamado sitting on the bed with Kaizen snuggled in her arms.

Truly, both girls knew that Nezuko’s feelings for Kaizen ranged between mild annoyance and a certain level of endearment. But to find them tucked together like they were the best of friends was something nobody would have expected.

To explain how they had ended up like that, one would have to roll back to the early morning, time at which most patients were blissfully asleep.

That morning, Nezuko had woken up early because she was sleeping in the same bed as Kanao and, as much as she loved the other girl, she was suffocating in the body heat and thick covers. So, to cool down before going back to bed, —because, of course, she could not just go lie down in her own bed like a normal person— she decided to quietly stroll around the Estate’s hallways.

And, as expected, Doctor Kibutsuji and his son were in the kitchen, preparing some plates for breakfast. Back when she started her training with Giyuu and they still stayed at the Butterfly Estate together, they had always crossed paths with the Kibutsujis in the early morning. They were usually just there, quietly preparing breakfast and not talking much.

Muzan looked as fresh as ever, but Kaizen’s face was more or less akin to that of a corpse. His face was pale, he had pronounced dark circles under his eyes, and his visage told a tale of sleep deprivation and academic hell.

“Nezuko, you’re awake,” Muzan greeted, turning his blood gaze towards her. “Shinobu told me you’re menstruating. Would you like to eat something and have some painkillers?”

Her face flushed red. Why would Shinobu-san tell him about her period?! He was a grown man! How embarrassing! And he talked about it as if it was nothing! In front of his male son, too!

Not that Kaizen reacted much anyway, he looked dead.

“I- I- I-”

“I’ll take that as a yes. Taking painkillers is more beneficial when you do it before the pain strikes,” his expression was neutral as he took out some plates for her.

“I would take the entire container of painkillers…” the young Kibutsuji muttered in his half-asleep state.

“Oh, Kaizen, please,” Muzan shook his head, finally done making all the different foods as he got to plating everything. “Stop being so dramatic this early in the morning, the green tea should wake you right up.”

Kaizen just covered his face with his hands, groaning into them like that would get him out of his brutal training and academic regime.

“Come on, help me take these plates and the tea so that we can go sit down,” he said as he took a few plates on a tray and left towards the room next door, where there were low tables meant for eating.

“Yes, sir…” Kaizen mumbled, placing more plates and the kettle on another tray as he slowly walked towards the other room.

Nezuko took the last tray and walked to the other room, slightly concerned about the young Kibutsuji but even more concerned about Muzan making any other period comments. She sat down with them and the three of them properly set the table for breakfast before thanking God for the food and digging in.

“There has been a rise in supposed murders near the Capital,” Muzan commented, serving the tea for everyone before setting the kettle back in place. “But considering the state of the corpses, the Demon Slayer Corp has reasons to believe they are tied to demons.”

“Oh, to be a corpse… I’m so jealous…” Kaizen muttered under his breath, taking a sip from his tea. “I can’t wait for my eternal rest.”

“Kaizen, that is not funny,” Muzan scolded him lightly, placing extra food on his plate. “Drop the death jokes.”

Am I the only one getting concerned about all these suicidal jokes?

“Jokes, right…” he picked up his chopsticks very slowly.

The doctor just sighed, shaking his head in exasperation as he took a bite from his food. “I am saying this because you might be sent to the capital on a mission. And, if you go there, I will be going as well. I must drop by the central university to read a few studies that have recently arrived from The Netherlands.”

“You’re coming with me? How great…” Kaizen answered sarcastically, even in his sleepy state. “Are you going to make me study while I’m on missions now too?”

“Watch your words with me, young man,” Muzan sighed heavily. “I am your father, and I am telling you that you need to gather your bearings and drop that horrible attitude you’ve been having these days.”

“I can’t,” Kaizen shook his head and stood up abruptly. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this anymore. I am going to lose my shit if I stay here.”

“Kaizen, what are you doing? Sit back down,” Muzan ordered, but his zombie-son was not in the mood to obey, it seemed.

“I’m taking today off, and I am going to sleep like a fucking corpse,” Kaizen pointed an accusatory finger towards his father. “And you are going to let me, because I will do something crazy if you don’t.”

“Kaizen, sit back down this instant. You have duties to attend to and you do not get a pass for terrible behaviour.”

Oh my God, they’re arguing again… I hope Urokodaki-san is awake! He always wakes up at the crack of dawn and he’s staying over! Where the hell is he?

As if summoned by the pearly gates of the heavens themselves, the doors opened and Urokodaki came inside, his mask off as he wrapped his arm around Kaizen from behind with a grave expression.

“Kaizen, son. You don’t look too good, go back to sleep this instant,” he practically ordered, his ocean blue eyes scanning the young Kibutsuji’s expression. “I’ll save your breakfast for you.”

Kaizen immediately left and, before Nezuko had the chance to attempt to excuse herself, Urokodaki was already behind Muzan at great speed. His hand was fast but lethal, his knuckles landing right on the crown of the doctor’s head with enough force to make a concerning sound.

“What are you even thinking, Muzan? You’re acting insane,” the older man scolded, pulling on the blood hashira’s head as he forced him to look up.

“Ouch… Urokodaki-san, please, stop that,” Muzan grabbed onto the older man’s wrist, attempting to pry his hands off his hair.

He received another knock to the head in response, the older man frowning as he hit the hashira’s head once more. “You deserve a hundred more of those, but I have neither the will nor the time to hit you properly.”

Nezuko looked down, straight at her breakfast. She felt as though she should not have witnessed Doctor Kibutsuji getting scolded like a child.

Muzan sighed, rubbing the crown of his head as Urokodaki took his sit across from him, beside Nezuko. “What was that for?” he asked, his voice holding a hint of complaint.

“For someone so intelligent, you are acting stupid,” Urokodaki harshly declared. “Can you not recognise someone at their breaking point?”

“Kaizen is not at his breaking point, what are you talking about?” Muzan crossed his arms. “He hasn’t been sent to any missions in a while, he’s been home, he’s been fed and he’s been both physically and mentally active.”

“It is very clear that you have been pushing him beyond his possibilities for a long time, he’s burning out,” Urokodaki crossed his arms as well.

“He can’t possibly be burning out from just a bit of training and studying,” Muzan argued back, sighing heavily. “He has much more stamina and academic formation than I did at his age, not to mention his mental strength. He’s just being dramatic and is not in a situation that calls for struggle.”

“You sure are one featherbrained man,” Urokodaki angrily scolded. “Even I don’t psychologically beat and pressure my pupils like that. I am strict, and I pressure them because they might die if they go to final selection unprepared. But even your timetable when training with me was far more lenient, because proper rest aids survival and recovery.”

“But-”

“And that was me as a mentor,” Urokodaki swiftly interrupted the doctor. He was probably the only man in that building who could do so without consequence. “You are not simply a mentor; Kaizen is not simply your tsuguko. You are his father; his only parent at that.”

“I know that,” Muzan answered, swirling his cup of tea, his brows furrowing slightly.

“Just because Kaizen is 15 now does not mean he stopped being your child. It does not work like that with parenthood,” Urokodaki scolded him once more. “What you say and do will always hold an unfair amount of power over him. Because children tend to want their parents’ love and approval. So, you need to watch what you say and how you say it.”

Muzan sighed heavily, shaking his head as he took a sip from his tea. “As if… Kaizen hasn’t listened to me a day in his life. Even less since he turned 13.”

“You are wrong,” Urokodaki answered harshly. “I’ve known that kid since he was in diapers, and he listens to you more than to anyone else.” His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the younger man intensely. “That boy loves you more than anyone else, and he looks up to you. If you give him the impression that you only care about his progress and achievements, that can be considered psychological torture.”

Nezuko awkwardly drank her tea. A part of her wanted to flee the situation but, the part that wanted to reassure Kanao that things were slowly getting fixed for her best friend, did not allow her to.

“That is not true, and he knows it,” Muzan answered, shaking his head. Though his expression denoted the slightest bit of insecurity.

“Does he, though? Because that was not what he told me yesterday,” Urokodaki answered. “He feels like nothing he does is ever enough and wrongly feels that you do not care about him beyond what he can do. Perhaps you should tone it down,” he leaned back slightly, his arms still crossed over his chest.

“That was not what I intended,” Muzan ran a hand through his hair, letting go of his chopsticks fully.

“What is intended does not matter if what is perceived differs,” Urokodaki concluded. “Let him rest, son. But after that, you should talk to him. And do not try to order him around or make him study, for God’s sake.”

Muzan, surprisingly, lowered his gaze towards his plate, not daring to argue back again. Had Urokodaki managed to do the impossible? Had he managed to get through that man’s thick skull?

“Okay… I will…”

Urokodaki-san, this country should make gold statues of you!

By the time Nezuko went back to bed, Kanao had already left for training with Shinobu. She had not even had the chance to kiss her goodbye!

Ah… I’ll guess I have to use it… My own bed.

Nezuko blindly walked towards her own bed in the dark room and, when she got inside, she noticed that there was a whole person on one side of it! She somehow managed not to jump in fear as the guy in that bed —because it was a guy— suddenly hugged her.

“Shhh… Don’t say anything, I’m hiding from my dad…” the already-familiar voice whispered.

Now all she was left to wonder was… Why the fuck was Kaizen in her bed?

“I think he wants to talk to you, Urokodaki-san already scolded him for being too harsh,” Nezuko whispered back.

“Mm… Don’t wanna…” Kaizen shook his head, his arms around her tightening. “I’m not feeling well and Kanao is gone, just stay here with me…”

Nezuko sighed, patting the boy’s back softly. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable with Murata-san?” she whispered as the guy just nuzzled his head onto her chest like it was the usual.

“No, he stresses me out…” he mumbled. “You’re nice and sweet, that’s why Kanao likes you… And it’s why I like you too…”

“You’re making it sound an awful lot like a love confession,” she deadpanned.

“Ew, no,” he answered immediately. “I don’t swing that way, sister.”

“Just making sure,” she chuckled, running her palm on top of his curly hair. “You can stay here, don’t worry… But I need to sleep, so stop talking.”

“Yeah… I need to sleep too,” he answered, resting his cheek against her chest. “Don’t talk to me either.”

They fell asleep and, little after they woke up was when Kanao came back from training and saw them together in the same bed.

“This is… Unexpected,” Kanao said, blankly.

“Unexpected is one way to put it,” Kaizen spoke hoarsely before clearing his throat. “No wonder why you’re dating this girl, she’s a perfectly warm pillow.”

“Of course you’d get in my girl’s bed instead of going to your annoying boyfriend,” Kanao deadpanned.

“Hey, Murata is not annoying,” Kaizen sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes. “He just talks a lot… All the time… And he’d have probably questioned me non-stop about my argument with my dad… Other than that, he’s a solid guy.”

Kanao smiled softly, getting inside the room and walking closer to them, taking Nezuko’s hand in hers.

“Wait, don’t take her yet,” Kaizen lay back down, wrapping his arms around Nezuko again. “Let me have her for a little longer, she’s so comfy!”

“Go find comfort elsewhere,” Kanao stuck her tongue out playfully.

“Over my cold, dead body,” Kaizen held on tighter.

Great… Now I’m one of Bug Boy’s comfort people…

Oh, well.

Chapter Text

Perhaps oh, not so well after all.

Not that she minded Kaizen much, she had coexisted with him for months and was already used to his eccentric, if insane personality. He chased bugs, created and sold drugs, took over her girlfriend Kanao and clung to her like his life depended on it and, most recently, started clinging to Nezuko herself for no reason.

“I’m telling you; my dad has been acting weird for a few days now. He smiles at me for no reason, and he even hugged me the other day!” he expressively exclaimed as they strolled through the garden, arm-in-arm.

“It does sound like Urokodaki-san got to him,” Nezuko commented with a soft smile as they walked together.

“Got to him? Got to him? He murdered him and brought back a strange soul into my father’s body,” the boy grimaced. “He hugged me and told me to take today off. Like, what? Since when does the almighty Blood Hashira, Doctor Kibutsuji Muzan, allow rest?! I feel like he thinks I’m too stupid to keep up with him now and has given up on me or something!”

“He’s probably just trying to be a good dad,” Nezuko shook her head in slight exasperation. “You’re reading too much into it.”

“He hugged me on purpose, for no reason. Isn’t it suspicious? Maybe he’s trying to get me to lower my guard and it’s part of our training,” the guy just looked even more stressed than when his dad had been overworking him.

“Urokodaki-san told him to treat you kindly and let you rest, it really is not that deep,” Nezuko patted his arm gently. “You should relax and let your dad be a dad without making it weird.”

“Right…”

But, even if she did not mind Kaizen much specifically, he came with problems attached to himself. Problems that were starting to filter into her life! And no, it was not Doctor Kibutsuji, surprisingly enough.

“Kaizen! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

If glares held the power to kill, Nezuko would have been obliterated about a thousand times. As soon as Murata had come into the room, she received a look so dirty it bordered on something akin to the living conditions of pigs.

So, this must be what Kanao meant by Murata not being too fond of her.

And now that she was experiencing it first hand, it pissed her off even more. Not for herself, no. It was that guy’s audacity to give those death glares to her precious queen!

“Oh, hey,” Kaizen smiled, still holding on to Nezuko and completely ignoring the death glare she was receiving. “I was just chilling with my girl over here,” he casually commented, though it clearly made the other guy angry.

WORDING, KAIZEN! WOR-DING!

“Right… And have you thought about hanging out with me too?” he crossed his arms, clearly unhappy with the situation.

“I thought you were sleeping, so I was going to hang out with you later,” Kaizen casually stated, still holding onto her. “My dad gave me today off, so I’m taking it easy.”

“Well, I am awake,” Murata strode in front of Kaizen, looking down at the shorter boy with his arms crossed.

Kaizen looked up at him with his unwavering grin, unflinching and unintimidated by the display. “Yeah, I can clearly see that.”

Nezuko looked at the exchange, slightly horrified and uncomfortable. She could not imagine making such an aggressive approach towards Kanao or vice versa. There was definitely something very wrong with those two.

“So?” the taller boy frowned, not backing away from their personal space in the slightest as he stared down at the young Kibutsuji.

“So… I’ll see you later? After I’m done speaking with my friend? About friend stuff?” Kaizen answered back, still not backing away in the slightest.

“How about you come with me now?” the older guy pressed, taking a hold of Kaizen’s shoulders.

Kaizen’s grin was kept intact on his face despite the situation. “I will spend time with you after I am done talking with Nezuko-chan. Give it half an hour or so,” he answered, finally letting go of her and resting his hands on the other guy’s wrists.

“Come on…” Murata groaned, letting go of Kaizen’s shoulders, grabbing one of his wrists and attempting to pull him along.

Kaizen brusquely released his wrist from the older guy’s hold, his grin vanishing completely in an instant. He let his arms fall to his sides, and his eyes adopted the same warning glare that Nezuko had seen on Doctor Kibutsuji more than once.

“I said no,” his tone, too, turned cold, losing all its usual expressivity.

Murata must have felt it in his spine, because his expression switched from anger to tension in a split second.

Kaizen sighed heavily, massaging his sinuses and closing his eyes. He breathed in deeply and looked at Murata again, his expression more relaxed than earlier.

“I did not say that I wouldn’t spend time with you. I’ll do it after I’m done with my friend. You can’t expect me to drop all my social interactions every time,” his voice was calmer too.

“Fine, whatever,” he huffed, turning around to leave them alone once again.

“…shouldn’t you… Like… Try to solve this?” Nezuko scratched the back of her head.

“No. He is always doing the same thing,” the young Kibutsuji crossed his arms, sighing once again before he turned back to look at her. “I used to cave at the beginning of our relationship, but he keeps ignoring my boundaries every single time.”

There was definitely something wrong with them. Was it because they were guys? Was that the reason they were so aggressive? She could not imagine ever being in a situation like that with Kanao.

“Maybe he just needs some reassurance?” she tried to help, though, all things considered, she was not entirely convinced that the two guys should even be together in the first place.

“I have tried to reassure him time and time again,” the golden-eyed boy linked his arm with Nezuko’s again, resuming their walk. “It’s useless, because he wants all my time whenever he comes here. And I can’t do that; I’ve already told him. I have a life outside our relationship. A very busy one, at that.”

She went back to Kanao after they finished their conversation, finding her in their patient room and rushing to sit with her.

“I think they should break up,” were Kanao’s words as she looked deep into Nezuko’s pink eyes. “I don’t dislike Murata-san. In fact, I wish him well,” she smiled gently, her voice low as she spoke. “He’s probably been suffering for a long time, that’s why he seems so on edge.”

“I never thought to see it that way,” Nezuko took the other girl’s cool hand in her own warm one. “He just seemed so angry.”

“I feel a little bad for him, even when he gives me dirty looks,” the purple-eyed girl rested her cheek against the younger one’s shoulder. “Kaizen is always busy, and he’s not what one would call a romantic… Murata-san should break up with him if he wants more passion, but he won’t.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Nezuko wrapped her arm around the other girl, pulling her into a side hug as they sat on the bed. “I’m still kind of mad at him, though… For looking at you badly.”

Kanao laughed gently. “That’s okay, I don’t take it personally… I just hope they’ll break up soon so that Kaizen will stop complaining about feeling suffocated and such.”

“He sure does love a good complaint,” Nezuko sighed softly, rolling her eyes and leaning in to kiss the other girl’s cheek. “At least I have you…”

They spent the rest of the day together, enjoying the time they had. After all, once Nezuko was fully recovered, their life would get extremely active and they would have less time together once more.

And, sure enough, time slid through their fingers like sand. The young Kamado was soon recovered, back to living at the Kibutsuji Estate, and back to her hard training with Giyuu.

All the drama she had witnessed inside the Butterfly Estate became but a distant echo of what free time used to feel like. Now, she was back on her meditation, fasting, and extreme exercise regime.

Together with the help of Giyuu and, occasionally, Doctor Kibutsuji, she worked and polished on her Sun Breathing technique. From time to time, she made Tanjiro perform the Hinokami Kagura, just as a refresher of her memory.

She left on a few missions in-between, slaying lower-level demons with an ease she had not experienced before. But again, after fighting against Lower and Upper Moons, was it really a wonder the rest seemed weak?

Her world became dull and, with no further news of the anti-demon drug, she wondered if the light at the end of the tunnel would ever come.

And it did, somewhat.

Her monotonous streak came to an end when her sword broke during training. And, since her swordsmith was not replying to any of her letters, she decided to embark on a ‘mission’ to his village.

She was carried by different Kakushi, her eyes closed and ears covered. And, once she got there, she was met with a full surprise!

Kanao was there! Together with Kaizen and Doctor Kibutsuji… But she was there! They hadn’t seen each other in a very long time!

“Kanao-chan!” she greeted, rushing up to where the trio stood in the village. “Long time no see!”

“Hi,” she smiled sweetly, her hand twitching slightly as if she was holding back from holding hers.

“Nezuko, what a surprise,” Muzan commented, placing his hands on his hips. “What brings you here?”

“Ah, well,” she chuckled awkwardly. “My swordsmith isn’t answering any of my letters, so… Yeah!”

“…That is highly unprofessional, you should find a different one,” the older man simply commented, looking towards Kanao and Kaizen again. “We are waiting for Mitsuri and Muichiro, who are also here for extra swords. Would you like to join us for dinner?”

“Oh! Um…”

“We’re eating katsudon!” Kaizen exclaimed, raising his fist in victory.

“Don’t get used to it, it’s unhealthy,” his father sighed in exasperation before looking back at her. “What do you say? It’s on me.”

“Sure! Thank you, Muzan-san,” she smiled up at him, though his expression remained as neutral as ever. It was hard to believe that he actually liked her, she would have never guessed by looking at his face.

Soon, a boy with long hair and the most lifeless stare ever arrived at the scene. The mist hashira, Tokito Muichiro. He just bowed politely, though no words left his mouth. After him, arrived Mitsuri, as radiant as ever. Her eyes were practically glowing as she approached the group.

“Nezuko-chan, what a surprise! I’m glad you’re here!” she smiled excitedly, pulling her into a hug so tight it surely rearranged her entire back.

“K-kanroji-san,” she let out a breathless greeting, patting her back. “I can’t breathe…”

Kanao was going to say something but, the moment she opened her mouth to talk, she was the one being squished into the pink-haired woman’s arms next. “And I can’t not greet you, Kanao-chan! You’ve grown so tall these days!” she even kissed the top of the girl’s hair.

The young Tsuyuri just smiled politely, patting her back without saying anything in return.

The greetings were far from over though. Because as soon as the woman let go of Nezuko’s girlfriend, her eyes landed on the young Kibutsuji, whose eyes immediately widened.

“Kaizen-kun!” she exclaimed, already walking up to him.

“Haha… I see you there, no need to hug anyone here,” he stepped back, an awkward smile stuck to his face, as if it could somehow get him out of the situation.

“Come here, you’re my baby! My cloudy-haired baby,” her smile turned even sweeter.

“Haha, that’s offensive…” he said, the right corner of his mouth twitching. “Please, don’t touch me.”

“Mitsuri,” Muzan intervened, placing an arm in front of his son. “Please.”

The woman blinked before she smiled up at the Blood Hashira, practically gleaming for some unknown reason.

“Of course, Muzan-san! Sorry, I got carried away,” she chuckled, taking a couple of steps back.

“Please, don’t do it again. Regardless, since we are all here, we should probably go,” he wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulders and started walking ahead of the group.

Nezuko just stuck by Kanao’s side, and Mitsuri walked alongside Muichiro, talking to him about a new Western recipe that she had recently learnt. It was a pretty normal dinner! However, she did not know the abnormality that awaited her.

She went with Kanao and Mitsuri to the bathhouse, only to be absolutely bombarded by shocking news! If she had thought that Aoi having a crush on Kaizen was insane, what came out of the pink-haired woman’s mouth stunned her.

“I really like Muzan-san!” she giggled nervously right after she told them.

Kanao’s jaw dropped. Nezuko’s jaw dropped. Some nearby kakushi’s jaw dropped.

Both girlfriends looked at each other, as if to make sure that what they had heard was right.

“I’m trying to win him over by getting along with Kaizen-kun, but he’s just as tough as his father!” she exclaimed, sighing as she leaned back against the edge of the bath.

Yup. They had heard right.

It might have been because she was just into girls, but Nezuko found Muzan to be the farthest thing from an attractive person or a suitable match for anyone.

For starters, he was emotionally stunted. He had the emotional range of a rock. His focus and energy were all into turning Kaizen to a strong warrior and a doctor. He was too tall, too wide, had freaky red eyes, was too pale, was not particularly good-looking and, most importantly, he was too old! 31 whole years of age!

“Kanroji-san… Are you sure? There are younger hashira to pick from,” Nezuko gave her an awkward laugh, earning a nod from her partner.

“He’s perfect!” the woman insisted, leaning forward and into their personal space. “He’s tall, strong, protective, responsible, reliable and mature! Just what I need!”

“…most hashira are though,” Nezuko chuckled uncomfortably. “And they’re closer to your age… And will probably be more interested in you.”

“I think Muzan-san just needs a woman in his life, and Kaizen too! He needs someone to step in for him!” she brightly declared.

Oh, Lord, she’s not reasoning.

“I think he’s good as he is,” Nezuko mumbled.

She tried to picture what a relationship between sweet Love Hashira and unsympathetic Blood Hashira would look like…

“Honey, I made you waffles!” Mitsuri would excitedly exclaim upon Muzan’s arrival to their shared home.

“Not healthy. Also, I don’t care. I have to train Kaizen,” he would most likely answer, wearing his usual neutral expression.

“Also, I’m pregnant!” she would add.

“Oh, no… Not another bloody kid! I have enough with my son!” he would bring his hands up to his hair, before he finally remembered that… “Oh, wait! I’m a doctor! I can just perform an abortion!”

Yeah… It would probably not turn out well.

“Kanroji-san, respectfully…” Kanao finally intervened. “I have lived with Muzan-san for years… He has never once shown interest in romance or women…” she said softly.

“He’s probably overwhelmed with work and his role as a father. But, hear me out,” Mitsuri raised her hands, probably about to drop yet another insane take. “If I help him with some parental duties as Kaizen’s stepmom, he’ll have time for me!”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Kanroji-san,” Nezuko answered, trying to get her to see reason! “And I don’t think Kaizen would be on board with it either…”

“Hm… Well, there is only one way to find out!” she exclaimed. “I’m going to ask Kaizen!”

Oh, Lord…

Chapter Text

“I could tell you a million reasons why it is a bad idea, and that would not even begin to cover it.”

That had been Kaizen’s first reaction upon hearing the Love Hashira’s insane request for aid in the conquest of his ruthless father.

“Aw, come on, Kaizen-kun! Don’t tell me that!” she clasped her hands together. “I’m begging you!”

“Kanroji-san… I don’t think my dad is interested in dating anyone, he would have done so already if that was the case,” he chuckled uncomfortably, giving both Nezuko and Kanao a look that read: ‘What the fuck?’

Sorry, Kaizen… We couldn’t convince her to quit!

“Think about it! We could be one happy family!” she smiled widely. “I could cook for both of you and take really good care of you two!”

“Lady, you are not going to be my mother,” the boy pointed an accusatory finger towards her. "You are literally 4 years older than me.”

“Stepmother?”

“Step-nightmare, that’s what it is,” he crossed his arms, his words causing the young woman to gasp.

“Why are you so mean?! I am literally going to take care of you and your dad,” she leaned forward, her gaze over-the-top intense.

Nezuko just looked at Kanao, as if asking: ‘are you seeing the same thing that I’m seeing?’. The young Tsuyuri returned her gaze, nodding slightly before looking back at the scene.

“Nobody asked you to take care of anyone,” Kaizen frowned, his eyes narrowing. “I’m just trying to save you the embarrassment. My dad. Is not. Interested!”

“You don’t know that…” she puffed her cheeks adorably, crossing her arms.

“Yes, I do,” Kaizen gestured with his hands, exasperation radiating from him in tidal waves. “I know my old man, he isn’t fully over my mom’s death. And you’re probably just some kid to him.”

“That happened so long ago, and I am not a child,” she smiled widely. “I am 19 years old!”

“He’s 31, you’re closer to my age than his,” Kaizen shook his open hands slightly, as if to make a point.

“I think you’re just a little scared of change,” she smiled at Kaizen. “But I won’t take your dad away from you! All the time…”

“I’m not scared or jealous like you’re implying,” Kaizen groaned into his hands before looking at her again. “Ask him out if you really want to. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll take that as a blessing!” she exclaimed, standing up and rushing away towards her own room.

“It’s not!” Kaizen yelled as she left, his face contracting in a grimace.

Just as she closed the door behind herself, Tanjiro came out of his box, crawling on the tatami towards them and sitting right next to Kaizen.

“Hey, little guy. Long time no see,” the young Kibutsuji greeted, patting his head softly.

The demon hummed, practically throwing himself on the floor and using one of Kaizen’s legs as a pillow.

“He hasn’t seen you in more than one month, but he still gravitates towards you,” the young Kamado observed, sighing and finally letting herself lean against her girlfriend.

“Well, I was left with him all day long while we were in the Red Light District,” the golden-eyed boy commented. “We kind of bonded by force of circumstance. I don’t mind him as much anymore,” he looked down, caressing the reddish hair of the demon.

“I think Nezuko’s older brother has a crush on you or something,” Kanao deadpanned.

“Huh?” Nezuko immediately lifted her head, her eyes widening as she looked at her partner in both shock and horror. “That can’t be right! My brother is very kind and down-to-Earth! And he has a very strong moral compass! And Kaizen- he’s the opposite,” she then turned her head towards the young Kibutsuji. “No offence.”

“None taken,” Kaizen shrugged.

“I don’t know, Nezu-chan,” Kanao wrapped her arms around her from the side. “That is the impression he gave from day one…”

“He’s just very emotionally open,” Nezuko shook her head frantically, though her arms still hugged the girl back. “Plus, Kaizen is with Murata, isn’t he?”

“Actually,” Kaizen intervened. “I am no longer with him. We broke up,” he corrected.

“More like you dumped him,” Kanao double corrected.

“Wait… You guys broke up?” Nezuko’s jaw dropped, a horrified expression slowly dressing her face.

“Yeah, I couldn’t stand his possessive behaviour anymore,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. “But don’t worry your pretty little face, I am not going to get with your brother,” he waved his free hand dismissively.

Tanjiro opened his eyes to side-eye him, just to close them again right after with a soft huff.

I refuse to believe that my strong, righteous, admirable older brother has a crush on this bug-obsessed drug dealer… Kanao-chan is tripping! On Kaizen’s drugs, probably!

“It’s not funny, my older brother wouldn’t…” she started talking, but was interrupted by a waist pat from the young Tsuyuri.

“It might pass when he gets turned back into a human, don’t overthink it,” she softly reassured her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Right… He’s only acting this weird because he’s a demon…

“I doubt he’s crushing on me,” Kaizen said, patting Tanjiro’s head softly. “He’s just a friendly guy and is clearly in an altered state of consciousness due to his demonhood.”

“You’re right… It’s just a phase of his demonhood!” Nezuko clapped her hands, smiling hopefully. She looked down at her older brother, who opened his eyes to give her the weirdest look she had ever seen on him.

The next morning, Nezuko was strolling the town with Kanao and Kaizen, in search of her swordsmith, when they saw the mist hashira bullying some masked kid for some reason.

“What’s with that guy?” Nezuko wondered aloud, feeling disgusted by his unfair use of force.

“I don’t know, but he’s probably right. Fuck them kids,” Kaizen answered, earning a knuckled hit to the head from the young Kamado. “Hey!”

He earned another one from Kanao too, who crossed her arms and then looked at Nezuko. “What should we do, Nezu-chan?”

“We should intervene, clearly,” she answered. “I don’t care that he’s a hashira, he should not be abusing children,” was her declaration before she boldly walked up to the scene, closely followed by both the young Kibutsuji and the young Tsuyuri.

The masked child was crying, squirming in the hold of the blue-eyed boy when Nezuko approached the scene with her little entourage.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing!” she asked, pointing a finger straight at the guy.

“It is my business alone,” the long-haired boy replied, proceeding to ignore her once more. “Where is it?”

“I- I’m not telling you! It’s my family’s secret!” the kid yelled back.

Nezuko quickly grabbed the kid by the waist and forcefully yanked him away from Muichiro’s hold, handing him to Kanao.

“Are you deaf? Leave that kid alone!” she exclaimed.

“You are of lower rank, you should stay out of this,” the young Tokito said with a neutral voice and a void gaze.

“What kind of hashira bullies and grabs children like that? You’re an embarrassment for your rank!” she crossed her arms angrily, her eyebrow twitching.

“He’s a swordsmith apprentice, he is also of lower rank,” Tokito reasoned. “And if he shows signs of insubordination, the superior must take it in his hands to ensure the chain of command.”

“Ever heard of negotiation? Or asking nicely? Or respecting boundaries?” Nezuko frowned, standing in front of the child and Kanao. “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“Yeah, what she said!” Kaizen cheered on from next to Kanao.

“You are all of lower rank,” the Mist Hashira simply answered. “And if you interfere with my duties, I will make you obey.”

“Make us, then,” Nezuko’s eyes narrowed, her hand automatically landing on the hilt of her sword.

“Yeah, don’t fuck with them kids!” Kaizen patted the kid’s head roughly.

“Hey! Don’t touch me, sir!” the child complained, rubbing his head.

“Sir? I am 15, wimpy brat,” Kaizen crossed his arms, glaring at him.

“Exactly, old!” the child yelled.

“Eh, just let the guy bully the kid,” the young Kibutsuji shrugged.

“Kaizen!” indignantly exclaimed Nezuko and Kanao at the same time.

“Jeez, a guy can’t joke these days,” he raised his hands in defeat.

Nezuko paid attention to the young hashira’s movements, gauging whether they would be attacked by him or not.

“Even if you three join forces, you would not be able to take me down,” Muichiro observed, his gaze as dead as his emotionless tone. “Such a shame… Especially for you, Kibutsuji-kun. After all, you should be a hashira by now.”

“And you should have developed a personality by now, seaweed-head,” Kaizen smirked. “Her demon brother,” he said as he patted Nezuko’s shoulders from behind, “has a better attention span and more character than you ever could. And the guy can’t even talk!”

Why is he dragging my brother into this?! We’re trying to protect a kid, not to start a war!

“You’re as unfunny as the first time we talked,” the young hashira deadpanned.

“Unfunny? Me?” Kaizen cackled loudly. “That’s not a judgement I can take seriously when it’s coming from the most humourless little boy on Earth.”

While the two boys were on an insult streak, Kanao took the chance to stealthily yet quickly leave with the child in her arms. Nezuko stayed there, by Kaizen’s side, looking at the two have a metaphorical dick measuring contest on who could burn the other more.

Boys really are the worst… They’re all about ego and hurting other people’s egos.

“At least my hair doesn’t look like an amorphous cloud collage,” Muichiro spoke with his ever-neutral tone and face.

“At least my head isn’t on the clouds! Can’t say the same thing about you, airhead,” Kaizen displayed his usual shit-eating grin, clearly enjoying himself a little too much.

“At the end of the day, I am still a hashira. What do you have to show for yourself?”

“Nothing requiring the involvement of Law Enforcement.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“Law Enforcement?” Muichiro’s brow furrowed ever so slightly.

“I never said that; you’re imagining things,” Kaizen shrugged. “Must be all that air in your head.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard right,” Tokito crossed his arms, finally getting into a defensive position.

“You’re acting crazy, nothing new under the sun,” Kaizen grinned even wider. “Alzheimer’s.”

“What does that even mean?” the young hashira took a step towards him.

“You haven’t read enough Dutch medicine manuals, and it shows,” the young Kibutsuji gave him the smuggest grin ever. “I wish I could be that uncultivated.”

Somehow, he hasn’t noticed that Kanao-chan and the child are gone… Wait, is this whole argument Kaizen’s strategy to distract him? Is he actually a genius?

“…why are we talking about medicine, again?” the young hashira’s expression relaxed again, as he just looked at both Nezuko and Kaizen with crossed arms and a tilt of his head.

“We were talking about how good the weather is,” the curly-haired boy wrapped an arm around Nezuko’s shoulders, sighing heavily. “Anyhow, we must go now. Farewell, Alzheimer’s.”

“Huh?”

As they both walked back towards the place of their stay, Nezuko could not help but be impressed by the entire situation.

“Wow… You’re a major asshole,” she simply observed.

The young Kibutsuji shrugged, still grinning like the idiot he was. “What can I say? It’s a talent of mine.”

“It was very smart though… Redirecting his attention towards you so that he would stop looking for the kid,” she conceded, patting his back heftily.

“…Oh, yeah…! Totally the reason why I was doing that…”

“…You just wanted to argue.”

“I just wanted to argue. Kanao-chan and you are not precisely… People I can argue with,” he chuckled softly, randomly kissing her cheek. “You girls will just punch me if I say something too out of pocket. Plus, angering guys is easier.”

Nezuko rolled her eyes, turning her head to look up at him. “We are girls, of course we’re smarter and make more sense.”

“Agreed, girls are smarter than guys on average,” he tightened his hold around her shoulders. “It’s why I always hang out with Aoi-chan, Kanao-chan and you.”

The girl hummed softly, walking by his side. “If you like girls so much better, why do you date guys?” she lowered her voice when she asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well… It is strange,” he chuckled as they followed the path. “I find friendships with girls to be better, but… I don’t feel attracted to girls as I am to some guys. I guess it’s not really a choice.”

“Huh… I see…” she turned her head to look at the path ahead once more. “It’s the same for me with guys, too… I never understood the appeal… Except I don’t understand their appeal as friends either, for the most part.”

“Guys are usually pretty shitty friends,” he admitted. “And partners. They get very entitled over your time and physical autonomy.”

“I feel like Kanao-chan is perfect in that sense,” Nezuko laughed softly, thinking fondly about her girlfriend. “She’s very loving and respectful… I feel like guys always want something in return.”

“Because they all want something in return,” he huffed. “I wish I could like girls. All the guys I’ve been with seem nice at first and then end up getting barbaric and territorial.”

“You’ve been with more guys besides Murata-san?” she tilted her head. She had not expected it, considering both she and him were very close in age.

“Oh, yeah. Kosuke, Yuto, Kenta, Haru, aaaaand Ryota. But we don’t talk about Ryota,” he grimaced, as if the mere name invoked some sort of unknown devil that Nezuko was not willing to ask about.

“Huh… I would become a monk if I were you,” she teased, pinching his side with her index.

“Baby, you do not want to know what those guys are up to behind closed doors,” Kaizen shook his head immediately. “My dad has seen some shit, and he says they’re still practicing nanshoku. I’d just be fresh chigo meat for the grinder; no, thank you.”

“Well, that is… disturbing,” she grimaced at the thought. “I take it back, don’t become a monk.”

“It’s fine, I’ll eventually find a guy who isn’t an entitled piece of shit over my time and resources,” he smiled. “Even you managed to find someone!”

“Hey! What is that supposed to mean!”

“I didn’t mean anything, you’re imagining things.”

Chapter Text

“Thank you for saving me, I don’t know what to say,” the masked kid sniffled, wiping his nose with his sleeve under his mask. “That seaweed head was seriously going to kill me over my family’s legacy.”

“That’s alright,” Nezuko smiled gently at him. “What’s your name? Are you hurt?”

“M-my name is Kotetsu, it is nice to meet you,” he bowed profusely.

Kanao, Nezuko and Kaizen were inside the young Tsuyuri’s room, hiding the kid from the Mist Hashira’s presence after saving him from his rage. All were seated around a low table, talking over some linden tea so that the child would relax.

“We are glad you’re safe, Kotetsu,” Nezuko smiled. “We’ll escort you back to your house after.”

“T-that would be nice,” he was still shaking from pure shock. “No demon slayers had ever grabbed me like that, much less a hashira…”

“Hashiras are usually more respectful of kids… Except for the Sound Hashira…” Nezuko grimaced at the thought, recalling how rough and demanding Tengen had been to both the Butterfly girls and them on the Red-Light District mission.

“I’ve never met that one,” Kotetsu let out a shaky breath. “I’ve only ever met the scary Blood Hashira, the quiet Water Hashira, and the nice Love Hashira lady.”

“Just them three?” Kanao asked, encouraging the kid to talk more so that he’d distract himself from the recent incident.

“Yes… The Blood Hashira has been here many times; he was my late dad’s client… He injected me with some scary needles sometimes, and his eyes are red like a real demon’s…”

“Hey, my dad’s eyes are fine, they’re just a little… eccentric,” Kaizen was quick to jump to his defence, like a reflex had been triggered.

“He’s your dad? I was wondering why you look so old and scary,” the kid grabbed onto Kanao’s arm, his legs shaking.

“For the 100^th time, I am 15,” Kaizen groaned, shaking his head in disapproval.

“What about the Water Hashira?” Kanao asked, trying to distract the child once again.

“Well… He came to town to speak to our Mayor once… He mostly ignored me,” Kotetsu looked up at her. “And the Love Hashira gave me free food… She’s the best one.”

“Your future mom is the best one, you heard him,” Nezuko giggled mischievously, nudging the young Kibutsuji with her elbow.

“That pink cotton candy fluff is not going to become a part of my family,” Kaizen huffed, nudging her back with equal lack of strength.

“What if your dad says yes?” the pink-eyed girl wiggled her eyebrows, earning an annoyed groan from the guy.

“He won’t,” Kaizen rolled his eyes. “And even if he did –which he won’t–, that lady would have no authority over me. She’s 4, 4 years older than me.”

“That would be dire,” Kanao intervened. “If Muzan-san accepted. Because… Did you know that Iguro-san likely has a crush on her?”

“Who? The snake hashira?” Nezuko tilted her head questioningly.

“The snake fucker has a crush on cotton candy?” Kaizen raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Even Kotetsu quieted down, no longer trembling and listening to the gossip attentively, like a switch had been turned on in his brain.

“Yeah… My older sister told me he was the one to give her those green stockings,” Kanao whispered conspiratorially.

“He gave her the ugly leg wear?” Kaizen covered his mouth. “No wonder why he looks weirdly at my dad! Even my dad said that the snake fucker refuses to be seen by him.”

“That’s crazy,” Nezuko mumbled against her own palm, surprised by the new information. Her girlfriend did not speak much, but she held more knowledge on everyone than any other person for sure!

“You know, now that Kanroji-san has told us that she has a crush on Muzan-san, I understand why Iguro-san always refused to be seen by him…” Kanao mused, scratching her chin in thought. “He’s jealous.”

“I would be too, in his position,” Kaizen shrugged. “He’s so unappealing by himself, much more if you compare him to my dad.”

“Kaizen’s kindest comment, by the way,” Nezuko interjected, covering her mouth to giggle.

Kanao giggled too, while Kotetsu just looked at the whole interaction without saying anything.

“I mean, I could say he’s an unfuckable loser if you want me to make it fully clear,” he shrugged.

Nezuko snorted while drinking her tea, causing it to go out through her nostrils. She quickly grabbed her handkerchief to clean up, partly amused, partly embarrassed.

Kanao nearly spat out her tea, her hands immediately flying to Kotetsu’s ears.

“Kaizen, there’s a kid in here!”

“Oh, right. Sorry, kid, forget what I said,” he grinned.

Though, judging by Kotetsu’s stiffness, he was not forgetting anything anytime soon.

They escorted Kotetsu to his home soon after and called it a day, going on a ‘group trip’ to find Nezuko’s swordsmith.

“What’s his name? Maybe my dad knows who he is, since he’s been here a lot,” Kaizen commented, his arm linked with the young Kamado’s.

“Haganezuka Hotaru,” Nezuko sighed heavily. “He always gives me death glares whenever I break a sword, I don’t know why he’s ignoring me now.”

“We can ask my dad,” he let go of her arm, walking ahead of them both. “He’s probably in our room.”

Kanao nodded, linking her arm with Nezuko’s and following the boy back to their place of stay.

“Do you ever not share a room with your dad?” Nezuko raised an eyebrow.

“Why would I not want to share a room with my dad?” Kaizen rested his arms behind his head as he turned around to walk backwards. “He’s not being pushy about my studies anymore, and I like his company.”

“Huh… I guess I kind of always wanted to have a room of my own when I was younger,” Nezuko sheepishly admitted. “And now that I have it, I love it.”

“Wait… You don’t like sleeping in the same room?” Kanao’s eyes widened in sudden panic.

Nezuko quickly shook her head, unlinking their arms and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Not you, Kanao-chan. I like sharing a space with you! I’m just thinking about my family,” she clarified, kissing the other girl’s cheek. “You know, because I had no privacy back home,” she chuckled softly. “We all slept together in the middle of the house.”

“Oh…” she sighed in seeming relief, her eyes going back to normal and her expression relaxing. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah… It’s not related to you at all, I love sharing my space with you,” the younger girl smiled, kissing the older one’s cheek.

“I mean, I guess sleeping alone gives you more privacy,” Kaizen mused, humming in thought. “But I don’t know… I guess I’ve always been scared that my dad is going to get killed by an Upper Moon, so I try to spend time with him at the expense of privacy.”

Nezuko nodded in thought, keeping her arm around Kanao and smiling softly at the boy walking backwards in front of them. “That is understandable…”

“The thing with the hashira is that they don’t get called much; especially my father, who works as both doctor and chemist for the Corp,” Kaizen’s eyes darkened for a moment. “But when they get called, it is always after a kinoe has disappeared or died. Meaning the only demons that they fight are highly dangerous, and very often demon moons.”

There was a moment of silence before he turned around again, showing both girls his back.

“Every time he gets called on a mission, I always think it’s the last time I’ll see him. I’m always bracing for condolences.”

Nezuko and Kanao looked at each other, the atmosphere having turned heavy out of nowhere. The latter then looked ahead again, resting one of her hands on top of her girlfriend’s.

“Uh… Well, since we’re sharing… My parents used to beat me up a lot when I was a kid, then sold me as a slave,” she said, quietly.

Nezuko’s eyes widened slightly. Up until that point, Kanao had never said anything about her past before meeting the Kocho sisters.

“Yeah… It was thanks to Kaizen that I started making decisions of my own,” she chuckled softly. “And thanks to you, Nezuko-chan, I fully stopped using the coin.”

“It’s true, I haven’t seen you use it in months,” Nezuko’s eyes widened in realisation just as Kaizen walked beside them again with a soft smile.

“I wish I could have met your parents to use them as test subjects for my drugs,” he patted Kanao’s head as he said that.

“Huh… Well, since we’re all sharing childhood trauma… Uh… Besides my family being slaughtered, I used to hear my siblings being made,” the young Kamado grimaced.

Both Kaizen and Kanao snorted, patting her back and her hand respectively.

“Wait, didn’t you tell me your dad was, like, super sick for a long time?” Kaizen’s face turned serious. “How the fuck did you hear your parents make so many siblings?”

“My mom was not a quitter,” Nezuko covered her face, groaning into her hands. “See? See why I love privacy?”

“I saw my parents doing stuff by accident,” Kanao grimaced too. “I was too young to understand, but I did get beat up for it too. It’s one of the few things I remember.”

“Damn… Good thing my mom is dead, then,” Kaizen laughed, causing the other two girls to giggle out loud too.

“Muzan-san would kill us for laughing at that,” Nezuko covered her mouth with her hand.

“Yes, he would,” Kanao added. “No more laughing at your dead mom, Kai. I don’t want to get fed to his basement demons.”

“My dad says I’m a lot like her. And, if my dead mom really was anything like me, she’d find it hilarious,” Kaizen shrugged. “But agreed, no joking about my deceased mother near him.”

Said and done, they forgot all about their casual trauma-dumping session and went right into the room father and son were sharing. There, sat Doctor Kibutsuji across from an overly excited Love Hashira.

“Should I buy a pink, or a green kimono then?” she was excitedly asking as they opened the door.

“Uh… I don’t know, green?” the Blood Hashira scratched the side of his head.

“What would you think of a red one though?” she leaned forward over the low table.

Muzan’s expression remained mostly unchanged. “I don’t think red would make a good combination with your hair colour,” he took a sip from his tea.

“Dad,” Kaizen interrupted, going into the room with both girls following closely behind him.

Muzan turned his head to them and immediately stood up, walking up to his son and pulling him into a short hug, patting his back in the process. He then gave a nod to the girls and pulled away from the hug, looking down at Kaizen and holding his shoulders.

“What do you need, Kai? Is everything alright?” he asked, running his thumbs over his shoulders.

“Yeah,” Kaizen eyed the Love Hashira and then his father again. “Do you happen to know who uh… What was the name again, Nezuko-chan?” he turned his head to look back at her.

“Haganezuka Hotaru,” she clarified.

“That, do you know who that is?” Kaizen turned back to look at his father again.

“Oh, yes. He is a madman,” Muzan patted his shoulders. “Avoid him at all costs.”

“Well, we can’t exactly avoid him,” Nezuko intervened, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “Uh… He is my swordsmith. And I came here because he’s not answering any of my letters even though my sword is broken.”

“Huh… Well, in that case I will help you look for him,” Muzan walked towards the exit, donning his footwear at the door. “I would rather not have you interact with him on your own, he’s an aggressive man.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Muzan-san,” Nezuko smiled awkwardly, approaching the door. “I just wish to know where he might be, Kaizen doesn’t have to come.”

“I’m accompanying you, Kaizen could roundhouse kick any grown, militarily untrained man unconscious,” the doctor turned his head back to look at her. “Kaizen, you stay here with Kanao and Mitsuri. Make sure to order them both tea while I’m out.”

“Yes, sir,” Kaizen nodded, waving his hand goodbye.

“Oh,” Muzan turned around again, his eyes narrowing. “And you are forbidden from drinking regular tea. Order linden or valerian tea for yourself. I don’t want to be kept awake by your caffeine-induced existential questions.”

“But I really like green tea…”

“And I like sleep. If I catch you rolling too much on your futon I’m putting a pillow over your face,” Muzan pointed at his own eyes with two fingers, and then back at Kaizen. “Behave.”

“Yadda yadda,” Kaizen showed him his tongue.

The older hashira shook his head and turned to the young Kamado.

“Let’s go find that man.”

They walked quietly throughout the streets of the village for a while, until Nezuko decided to do her friend a solid and asked what Muzan and Kanroji had been up to.

“Muzan-san… If you don’t mind me asking, what was Kanroji-san doing in your room?” Nezuko asked, tilting her head slightly.

“I don’t know,” Muzan looked at Nezuko, making eye contact. “She knocked on my door and is showing no signs of leaving. My guess is that she is very bored. Kaizen is like that too when he has nothing to do.”

“Huh… So bored…” Nezuko mirrored, her eyes narrowing in thought.

“Yeah, you know how kids are; you are one yourself,” Muzan shrugged. “Full of energy, not knowing what to do with it from time to time. She’s just like my son in that sense.”

Huh… Kaizen was right, he really just sees her like a child… He’s even comparing her to his own child!

“I see… What did you two talk about, if you don’t mind me asking?” Nezuko smiled up at him, as if that would hide the fact that she was blatantly mining for information.

“Pointless small talk, nothing interesting,” he shrugged as he started walking up a hill with her. “Food, clothes, the weather… Quite frankly, I do not get what she finds so amusing about hanging out with adults. She would have a better time with you kids.”

“I see…”

“How are things with you and Kaizen?” Muzan asked, abruptly changing the topic.

Right… I almost forgot that this man wants me as his future daughter-in-law…

“Uh… Good,” Nezuko chuckled awkwardly. “We get along… And stuff.”

“He really likes your company, you know,” he commented as they arrived at an isolated workshop in the middle of nowhere. “You guys should hang out more in your free time.”

Of course he would say that! Stop trying to matchmake us! I’m not into guys!