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Yoriichi Tsugikuni awoke to birds chirping, and the sun already high in the sky. Yoriichi blinked as its rays shone on him through his roof of trees. Getting an odd feeling, he sat up and surveyed his surroundings. It seemed like Yoriichi had fallen asleep in the middle of a forest he was patrolling. The ground wasn't exactly the most comfortable bed, but going days without any sleep can make even the strongest minds and bodies succumb to the temptation. Unmoving, Yoriichi looked up at the sky, soaking in the summer sunlight. The warmth of its glow on Yoriichi's skin felt strangely familiar.
Yoriichi closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Even after doing so, however, Yoriichi couldn't shake the feeling that this day was different. He tried to think about what it could be, but the sun's familiarity took over his mind. Soon Yoriichi was distracted, the warmth and gentleness of the sun reminding him so much of his home. He would give anything to be home, no matter what form it took. Whether it be those quiet, calm days with his mother, on the rare occasions when his father and her weren't fighting, the beautiful moments with Uta, when everything was perfect, or even after that, when he was reunited with his brother after so long. But they were all the same, forcibly taken from him, never to be seen again. Mother, gone, Uta, gone, brother, a demon. Yoriichi sighed. Looking back on the past would do nothing for him now. Even so, Yoriichi allowed himself to sink into his memories for a little bit longer.
Yoriichi reminisced about his life in the Demon Slayer Corps after that disaster struck his home. He remembered the faces of his comrades, some fallen in battle, others following him closely as he performed his Breath of Sun forms, and those same comrades berating and driving him out of the Corps after discovering his failure to kill the King of Demons. Yoriichi remembered the rise in strength of the slayers, how he helped them develop techniques and even ability enhancing marks. Yoriichi thought about the "marked" slayers, and how their health swiftly declined despite how young they were.
Then it hit him. Yoriichi quickly recounted the days. From what he could recall, today was the day before his birthday. Normally, this wouldn't be a day to be wary about. Yoriichi didn't care much for his own birthday, and only remembered it because it was his twin brother's birthday too. But this time was different. It was the day before Yoriichi's 25th birthday. Yoriichi froze. Would this be the day? The day he was reunited with his mother, wife, children, even? He recited the writings in his head. Every single slayer who activated that mark was dead by 25, with no exception. If they weren't killed by demons by then, their health started to deteriorate soon after 24, and some even died mere weeks after. This was something observed and written by the new head of the Rengoku clan, who had just witnessed his older brother's death. The memories rushed to Yoriichi's head. After all, this condition was the reason his own brother decided to become a demon.
Yoriichi touched his forehead. On one side, engraved in his skin, was a mark he had from birth, most likely the same ability enhancing mark he helped his comrades unlock much later than he had. To Yoriichi's knowledge, his health hadn't gone down at all since he turned 24, but still, it was unlikely that he was exempt from the fate that had met the other marked slayers. Yoriichi felt it was safe to assume that if he didn't die today, he would definitely tomorrow, thus fulfilling the condition.
With this in mind, Yoriichi stood up and started walking. He had no destination in mind. The only thing that occupied his mind was the thought that by tomorrow he would be dead. In the back of his mind, Yoriichi wanted that outcome. He didn't want to be special anymore. Yoriichi quickly reached the end of the forest, and saw a small village through the trees. Holding on to his sword in its sheath, Yoriichi continued on.
It really was a tiny village. The place didn't even seem like it was inhabited. Yoriichi thought about looking around in it, but instead left without a step into its property. He didn't want to linger in a place like that. As he kept walking, Yoriichi thought of what he would do next. When he had woken up that morning it was already midday, but there was still plenty of time before the day was over. Yoriichi considered going to his old home, which now housed the Kamados, a small family of charcoal sellers, but he shot down the idea. He just wanted to be alone on this day, and being with the Kamados would surely bring down their moods. Even so, Yoriichi found himself walking the road to the mountain where he used to live.
It was early summer, so the path was lined with grass and small flowers. Next to it lay a vast area covered with rice paddies. Suddenly Yoriichi’s stomach lurched. He recognized this place. Surely, the place where he first met Uta over fifteen years ago was near here. Trying not to pay attention to it, Yoriichi continued along the path. As he walked, a butterfly landed on his finger. For a moment, all Yoriichi could do was look at it with longing. It seemed like everything would remind Yoriichi of his past today. To Yoriichi, it made sense. He was going to where they all were. The world was simply preparing him. The butterfly flew away without a sound, and without a sound Yoriichi kept walking.
Further down the path, Yoriichi recognized the area even more. The scenery, although a blur in his memory, was definitely familiar. Yoriichi stopped in his tracks, realizing he was walking towards his childhood home. His aimless walking had brought him back here. Yoriichi promised himself all those years ago that he would never return to his old home, but deep down, he wanted to see. He wanted to see the condition of the house, whether it was the same as he remembered, if anyone lived there now, everything. Yoriichi stood for a moment, trying to fight the urge to just check. He knew his parents were dead. He knew his brother wouldn’t want anything to do with the place. But Yoriichi just had to look. The urge almost won him over, as Yoriichi began taking a step forward, but suddenly a vision flashed in his head. His parents together, smiling. They turned him away, facing back where he came from. Yoriichi felt he heard his mother whispering something in his ear, but the words weren’t forming. Yoriichi sighed. Maybe this hallucination was a sign that his health was going down. Even so, Yoriichi listened to his parents’ wishes and walked away, unintentionally taking the same route he had taken as a child, running away from his home.
Going the other way on the same path mostly gave the same sights, but to Yoriichi, the further he went, the more uncertain he felt. Maybe it was because he was leaving his old home, or it was because he was entering his new one. He had passed the area mere minutes before, but walking this way provided a full view of the mountain he used to call home. It was so close. He could visit the Kamados, taking in the sights of his past life. Yoriichi couldn't think straight. The offer was too tempting. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
"It's alright, Yoriichi." It sounded like it came from the mountain. Yoriichi ran down the path, towards the mountain. He didn't stop when he reached the entrance.
"Uta?" Yoriichi had reached a small clearing near the base of the mountain. The sun beat down through a hole in the trees that was just the right size. "Uta, are you there?" Yoriichi said again. There was no reply. Another hallucination. Yoriichi closed his eyes, but all he could see were the people of his past. He was used to this, being constantly reminded of the fact that he couldn't save any of them, but Yoriichi wished for a day when those guilty thoughts didn't plague his head. Yoriichi opened his eyes, surveying the area. After closer inspection, the place was beautiful. Small flowers grew in all the places that the sun hit. Yoriichi was especially drawn to a patch of spider lilies growing in a corner.
The flowers were an unusual bright blue color, not what he expected of spider lily flowers. They were quite pretty, but Yoriichi found looking at them painful. Something about these flowers made him sick. Yoriichi was quickly distracted from the flowers when small animals and birds came out of the trees surrounding him. They sat around Yoriichi, looking up at him expectantly. Yoriichi sighed, managing to turn the corners of his mouth up just a little.
"Sorry, I don't have anything to give you right now," he said softly. Suddenly, the animals ran away, which startled Yoriichi. The ground got darker too. Yoriichi looked up to see the sun covered by dark clouds. His eyes moved to the spider lilies, which had closed up. Did spider lilies usually do that? Sensing rain, Yoriichi moved into the forest, seeking shelter under the trees. But before he could, he almost tripped on a lump in the dirt. It was about a meter and a half long, and a few centimeters high. Yoriichi froze. Again he was taken to a place he recognized, but did not want to be at. He wasn't near the base after all. Uta was calling him here, but why? Before Yoriichi could try to answer his questions, rain started pouring in from the sky.
Yoriichi's reflexes took him further into the forest before he could be drenched by the pouring rain. Rain wasn't dangerous, but it did mean the sun wasn't out. It had already been late in the day, so if it didn't stop raining now, Yoriichi predicted demons coming out earlier than they should've. He was right. A dark figure pounced at Yoriichi from the shadows. He dodged just in time to see its face. The face was misshapen, mouth housing rows of sharp teeth. As if it were second nature, Yoriichi unsheathed the sword that had previously been securely attached to his hip, and cut off the demon's head in one slash. Immediately, the demon fell to the ground and dissolved. Pieces of dust that were once its body blew away in the wind.
Yoriichi sighed. He would never get used to that. He had hoped being exiled from the Demon Slayer Corps would at least let him live without being constantly attacked by demons. After all, there was only one demon he had an interest in now. That demon was his brother, Michikatsu or whatever name he went by now. Not that Yoriichi would ever call him that. Almost every night since his banishment, Yoriichi went out with his sword, and combed the land of any sign of Michikatsu. Yoriichi hated how the sword felt on his hip or in his hand, but it also felt so natural, like an extension of his own body. But the only reason he held a sword now was because he had faced the many unfortunate processes to become a demon slayer. Yoriichi only decapitated demons because they were cannibalistic monsters, but Yoriichi wondered if he would’ve become a samurai had there been no demons in the land, striking fellow humans instead of demons. Without thinking about how it would feel to slash the neck of his own dear brother, Yoriichi moved down the mountain, not even entertaining the thought that his brother would be there. In the back of his mind however, he knew he just wanted to leave the area already. When he reached the bottom of the mountain and walked under the cloudy sky, Yoriichi was soaked by the pouring rain. With no trees to shade him, Yoriichi was left defenseless against nature’s will, but he didn’t care. Rain wouldn’t hurt him.
Before being excused from the Corps, the slayers that ridiculed Yoriichi gave him one last mission. He was to keep his sword, which was a miracle that they even let him do that. They also told him to kill his brother, who had been newly turned into a demon, and any demon that dares cross his path. This didn’t make much sense to Yoriichi, because that’s what he was doing while he was still in the Corps. The banishment just seemed like protocol, or an aimless punishment so that the weaker slayers wouldn’t be overshadowed. Yoriichi didn’t think much of it, though. It was his fault for failing to defeat Kibutsuji, and his fault for letting that demon girl go, even if she seemed well meaning. It might not have been his fault that Michikatsu became a demon, but Yoriichi still felt guilty. His brother had been so kind to him in their youth, and Yoriichi felt like he somehow ruined that.
Yoriichi continued on through the countryside, subconsciously moving close to Demon Slayer Corps territory. Yoriichi soon reached a meadow where he and his brother used to train. By now, the rain was slowing, and the sky was clearing up, revealing that the sun had already set. The bright, round moon peeking out behind the clouds gave Yoriichi a sense of comfort, as he walked. Yoriichi never felt this way at night, much preferring the daytime, but there was something about the calmness of night that he hadn’t realized until now. Too bad the quiet was constantly interrupted by demon attacks. Yoriichi saw significantly less demons now than back when he actively hunted them, but every now and then an unwelcome attack would come, and Yoriichi had to stay on guard.
Yoriichi stood on the open meadow, his feet slightly sinking into the wet ground. He and Michikatsu would train there almost every day. This was where he developed his “Breath of Moon” style, companioning Yoriichi’s “Breath of Sun.” Yoriichi felt bad that he couldn’t teach Michikatsu his style, even though he tried so hard. Yoriichi knew that Michikatsu dreamed of being the strongest in the land, but he couldn’t help him achieve that. Sometimes Yoriichi thought that if he had tried harder, Michikatsu would’ve been able to achieve more, and he wouldn’t have had to resort to becoming a demon. Yoriichi looked at the sky. The moon stared right back, as if it was taunting him. The clouds were finally clearing out, revealing a stunning display of lights. Suddenly, Yoriichi was brought back to those few years ago, when he and his brother were still Demon Slayers.
They were younger than they were now, and Michikatsu had just joined the Demon Slayer Corps through Yoriichi’s recommendation. Michikatsu had shown Yoriichi his sword skills, and Yoriichi was impressed. His brother had truly improved over the years that they hadn’t seen each other. They were tired after training, and the sun was setting. It was then that Yoriichi first looked into the sky, appreciating it for all its glory. He sat down on the grass, watching the sun fade away and the lights come into view. It was also then when he learned what the lights that glittered in the sky were called. Michikatsu had sat down next to him and pointed them out, called them stars, said they had individual names, and pointed at groups of stars called constellations. It was a fleeting moment, quickly interrupted by the need to patrol for demons, but looking at the stars now, Yoriichi wished he had remembered the names his brother called them.
Bringing himself back to reality, Yoriichi realized he was sitting, just like he was that night. He was still looking at the sky, the stars fading away. Wait, fading away? Yoriichi quickly stood up and looked east. Sure enough, there was the sun. The warmth hit Yoriichi before he could sense it, and he froze. He was alive. Time sped up, and Yoriichi just found himself standing still, soaking in the sunlight.
A long time ago, Yoriichi would find the sunrise after a long night comforting, offering him an escape from the dangers of night. But now, it just made him feel more lonely than he had ever been before.