Chapter Text
.oO A.U Oo.
Amane has the shrunken mist hashira wrapped tight in her arms, he’s still dressed in his shirt, a problem she intends to fix.
“How about it, Muichiro, I'm sure my children have some old clothes that you can have.” She says, swaying him slightly as Amane walks through the halls, each slayer they pass, bowing their head in respect, while also stifling a smile at the cooing baby.
Amane strolls into her children's room, even though the place is large, her children all share a room, that isn’t to say the room isn’t absolutely massive. There are five bed lined up along the back wall, with a trunk at the end of each.
She heads to the walk into the small side room, full of sets of five identical outfits.
Amane opens the bottom draw, it’s full of baby clothes from when her children were still infants.
“Humm, you prefer a colder colour pallet, don’t you?” Amane mumbles under her breath.
“-eah,” Muichiro babbles back.
Amane pulls out a dozen different kimonos and yukatas in various shades of white, gray, black, teal, blue and purple. “You’ll need multiple for your time with the others.” she explains at Muichirou’s little head tilt.
“Mother? What are you doing?” she hears behind her, Amane turns and sees her two oldest daughters, Hinaki and Nichika.
“I’m gathering your brothers old baby clothes, our mist hashira had a run in with a demon, and is now an infant once more.” She explained, showing her daughters the baby.
“Aww! He’s so cute!” Hinaki cooed, her violet eyes staring into two big teal ones.
“I’m going to go get Kiriya, Kuina and Kanata!” Nichika giggled, running out the room.
“’ot -ecessa-y. Muichiro grumbled.
“Sorry Mui!” Hinaki giggles, “When Mother and Father adopted you, you also became our brother!”
Amane watches as it happens, Muichiro’s eyes widen significantly, and his body relaxes back into her, until he’s a giggling pile of baby in her arms.
The child starts to grab at her kimono sleeves, bringing the garment to his mouth and chewing. “Yui!!” he babbles.
Amane blinks down at her adopted son, “Muichiro?” she asks it out of instinct, even though she knows she won’t get an answer.
“Yui!” He repeats, twisting in her arms, supposedly looking for the twin he’s calling for.
It was his first word, she knows that, when Muichiro had recovered his memory, the first thing he told her, was that his brothers name was his first word, well, the prefix anyway. Just like Yuichiros first word had been ‘Mui’.
Suddenly, Muichiro tries to lunge out her arms, she catches him easily, but he continues to struggle against her. “Yui, Yui! YUI!” He cries, as tears start to trail down his cheeks.
Then she sees it, the object of his distress, a black rabbit plushie, with teal inner ears, a soft teal tummy, and teal paw pads. The stuffy is quite large, in fact, it’s the same size as Muichiro, who’s now screaming his brothers name.
“Hinaki!” Amane calls to her daughter, who’s stood a few feet away, staring at the baby with an expression of helplessness.
“Yes mother?" She whispers as Muichiro continues to shriek.
“Can you please pass me the rabbit stuffy?” she requests, nodding in the direction of the toy.
All helplessness vanishes from Hinaki’s face as she nods and retrieves the plush, instantly holding it where Muichiros hands can reach.
The effect is instant, the crying ceases, and Muichiro draws the plush into him. ”Yui!” He cheers sleepily, burying his face in the soft teal tummy.
“Oh my child.” Amane murmurs, brushing his bangs from his face. “I'm sorry for all you’ve endured, sweet boy.” She whispers, pressing a kiss to Muichiro’s head,
.oO M.T Oo.
Muichior’s lazing against Amane, the two older Ubuyashiki daughters are annoyingly enthusiastic about his younger appearance. Nichika runs out presumably to get her other siblings. To be honest, he’s not really playing attention, he knows he mumbles something like “Not nessecary.” But knowing the situation, it came out a garbled mess.
Then Hinaki says it.
That word.
He doesn’t like that word.
Even before he knew why he didn’t like it.
It always made him so very, deeply sad.
“-Brother.”
He feels the effect instantly, it’s almost calming.
Like his mind has been deposited into the mist, flashes of a face the same as his, of the small house, with the fresh wood smell.
Muichiro’s in a forest now, it feels familiar. He’s looking for something... Isn’t he?
Oh yes, he’s playing hide and seek. But who who is he seek- “Yui!” He yells, his voice startling him.
He goes further in, it’s a familiar path, “Yui!” He yells again, looking for the boy with the same face as him.
Then he sees him, standing at the end of the path in a clearing, not a very good hiding spot if you ask him.
“Yui,” He yells for the third time, running toward the other boy. “Yui!” He yells, louder this time. Why is his brother growing further away, he pumps his legs harder, runs faster, he needs to get to his brother, why can’t he get to his brother.
Then Muichiro sees it.
He sees the demon.
“YUI!” He screams, It's a loud scream, full of terror, and grief.
He watches the beast raise it’s claws, and watches as the claws rip through his brothers arm, severing the limb.
No... Yui, please, brother please, he finally reaches the clearing, the demon is gone, and he collapses, stretching his arm for the one still connected to his brother. To his twin.
“Yui!” he says one last time, he got to his brother.
He’s to late though, his brother isn’t moving, not a blink, not a rise and fall to his chest.
‘Dear Buddha,’ Muichiro begs silently, ‘please, please please please. Take care of my brother. He didn’t deserve this. He only wanted to keep me safe, and he succeeded, please Buddha, make sure my brother is happy when you see him. He is kind, Yui may not show it, but he is so kind, he only wishes to protect those dear to him. ‘
Muichiro’s vision fades, the image of his brothers rotting body seared into his mind like a brand onto skin, the rage that demon made him feel, etched into his skin like a disease, a disease with no cure.
The blankets are warm when Muichiro wakes, he’s in a dim room, in a teal kimono that he’s sure Amane had taken from Kiriyas old stuff.
He’s in a crib, which infuriates him.
“My child.” A soft voice says. “You have woken.”
Muichiro twists towards the voice, it belongs to Kaguya, of course it does, his master is so kind and caring, and even though the man can no longer see, Muichiro thinks this man can see deeper into a person than they can see into themselves.
“-ime?” He asks, watching the masters face carefully.
“It is late my child, let your self sleep, you’ve had a long day, I'm sure.” Kaguya says, his voice a soft as the clothes on Muichiros back. “Amane told me you’d want this.” He adds on, holding out the black and teal rabbit plushie.
.oO K.U Oo.
Kaguya is awake before the sun, as he often is. He tries to live every day to It's fullest potential, because he feel’s that his death is inching closer by the day. And when he meets him, Kaguya wishes to do so like a friend. Death is a promise that life always keeps, after all.
He passes his children's room, the Ubuyashikis are currently staying in the demon slayer HQ, rather than there own home, due to Muichiros circumstance.
He head’s into the room besides his children’s as he expected, Muichiro quiet, he’s still asleep, probably curled around the stuffy of the rabbit.
If his memory serves him well, and it normally does, Muichiro had bought that plush with his first pay check from being a demon slayer. And that plush, had been gifted to Kaguyas own children.
Muichiro had wanted the quintuplets to remember him, not only as a Hashira, but as their brother.
“Father?” He hears behind him, he figures it’s probably Kuina and Kanata behind him.
“What are you doing up so early?” Kuina asks with concern.
“Surley it’s better for you to rest.” Kanata adds to her sisters comment.
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm quite alright, I wanted to check up on our young guest here.” he says, gesturing to the mist hashira.
“He is very cute.” Kunia sighs wistfully
“Surely he’ll be hungry when he wakes up?” Kanata questions.
“Do the two of you want to prepare breakfast today? Your mother should be awake very soon if you require assistance.” Kaguya says, laughing when his girls light up and nod vigurously, and he hears them scampering away to the kitchens.
“Yash-iki?” he hears from the cot, ah, Muichiro is awake, and two big teal eyes are staring straight through his body and into his soul. “-Ou ‘kay?”
“I’m fine, dear child, I came to see if you wanted food.” Kaguya said to a wide eyed baby.
“Ood?” Muichiro repeats, perking up.
“Amane, Kanata and Kuina are cooking, afterwards, we’ll take you to the butterfly mansion.” Kaguya explained, taking Muichiro into his arms.
The two walked through the halls, each slayer they passed bowed in respect, and stared in question at the baby, pressed tight to his chest.
“We've tried to keep the information of your de-aging under wraps, it would be most unfortunate if you were targeted by the demons.”
“Why? I on’t atter t’at uch.”
“Muichiro, you are the first person to single handedly defeat an upper moon in over one hundred years, you were the second person to get the demon slayer after Tanjiro. My child, you managed to protect three lives while dealing with your amnesia.” Kaguya says softy. “You are remarkable, that is something I hope you never forget.”
The two walked, or, Kaguya walked, Muichiro was slumped against his chest, in silence for a while. Until the silence was disrupted by a demonic growl.
“Oh dear, what was that?” Kaguya asked, pivoting even though he’s blind.
“’Tomach.” Muichiro mumbles burying his face into Kaguya’s chest. The older man would bet his entire family fortune on Muichiro is blushing.
“My apologies, my child.” the master says with a small chuckle. “I did not intend to embarrass you.”
“Father!” he hears Kiriya yell, “Mother sent me to find you!” the eight year old says.
“Why, good morning Kiriya, would you mind telling me what we are having?” Kaguya asks his heir
“Furofuki Daiko! Mother says it’s lord Tokito’s favourite!” Kiriya beams. ”Come on! If it gets cold they’ll have our heads!” he laughs, pulling them towards the dinning room.