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Aoi knows black magic is too powerful to be contained or defeated and even so Tanjirou, a white magic user, managed to defeat Muzan, at the cost of his own life. It doesn't surprise her, but it still hurts her deeply, because Tanjirou was nothing but kind to her and everyone around him.
The hashira, the strongest white magic users, couldn't make it on time to protect Tanjirou; Muzan is finally dead, sure, but none of them are smiling or celebrating.
They stay still for what it seems to be an eternity, as Tanjirou's body lies on the ground; he doesn't breathe anymore. Kanroji is the first one to kneel next to him and take him into her arms. She's crying, tears falling from her eyes as she presses Tanjirou's cheek against hers and screams in agony.
It's too painful to watch, but none of them look away, not even Aoi, who feels like an intruder in someone else's pain.
They were all in love, of course they were. Still are. They fell in love with Tanjirou and helped him as much as they could to find Muzan; some of them lost their eye, their arm and part of themselves in order to keep their precious sunshine and their sister safe.
Tanjirou realized it and got tired of it; he didn't want anyone to sacrifice their life for him so he went after Kibutsuji alone and paid the consequences of it.
"Let me see him! Let me see him!" Nezuko screams for the first time since Aoi met her; the spell Muzan had on her is gone now; she can talk again thanks to her brother's sacrifice.
Although Aoi is sure she would've preferred to stay cursed for the rest of eternity instead of losing Tanjirou.
With the stone staff in his hand, Himejima makes sure Kibutsuji's body dissappears completely, nobody wants to see that again. If he was still alive, Aoi is sure they would torture him first, but there's no point now.
"No point at all," Tokito mumbles, light green eyes still fixed on Tanjirou's face.
After Nezuko hugs her brother, the brokenhearted Pillars kneel next to him and give him a goodbye kiss on the forehead, one after another.
But then, when it's Rengoku's turn, he stops and looks at the others with a fierceness in his eyes that makes them look like they're on fire.
It's not a surprise since he's a flame sorcerer.
"I refuse to accept this fate," he says out loud, prompting Aoi to gasp.
"There's nothing you can do," she dares to say, but he ignores her completely.
The other hashira turn immediately towards him and nod. Iguro already has the black book they took from Muzan in order to weaken him.
"What are you doing?" As always, Aoi seems to be the only voice of reason among them. She can't believe what she's seeing. Surely they don't plan to use that cursed thing. "That's a book of black magic!"
It opens right on the page for the spell they're looking for.
"Necromancy is forbidden! What would Tanjirou say?"
"He doesn't have to know," Uzui says then, without even blinking. Iguro, Kocho and Tomioka, the ones who can learn spells faster, are already drawing the circle with all the proper runes in it.
"It'll taint your souls forever!"
"Kyojuro, keep Tanjirou's body warm," Tomioka tells the other sorcerer, not even looking in Aoi's direction.
"Are we casting the spell together?" Himejima asks.
"The more magic, the easier it'll be," Kanroji says. And like madmen, none of the Pillars hesitate to stand around the circle.
Shinazugawa takes Tanjirou's body and places him in the middle of the circle carefully. Aoi has never seen him act with that much kindness before.
"The use of black magic is what turned Muzan into that–"
Pointing at Aoi with her staff, like a threat, Kocho glares back at her one more time.
"If you're not going to help, then leave."
Despite being scared of her own master, Aoi turns towards Nezuko and pleads one more time.
"Stop them! Tell them this is a mistake!"
Nezuko's eyes get darker for a second. She ignores her too.
"Do it! Bring Tanjirou back to life!"
Crazy. They all have gone completely mad, but Aoi can't do anything about it.
She can't leave them either.
"Does anyone have a magic dagger?" Tokito asks as if he's not about to lose his soul to a ritual that goes against nature itself.
After Iguro takes out one and cuts his palm with it, he gives it to the next Pillar in the circle; all nine of them use their own blood to taint their staffs with it.
And just like that, Himejima starts with the incantation; Aoi doesn't recognize the language but as the other join him it starts sounding more like a curse.
The wind blows around them; their eyes turn completely white as their colorful magic turns black for a moment.
The moon looks like it's slowly bleeding until red is the only color they can see in the sky.
There's no turning back from something like that. Aoi knows none of them will be the same.
With a grunt, each of the Pillars manages to drag their staffs down, until they touch the circle, that turns as red as the moon above. Their magic links immediately and their voices, so different before sound like one for a moment.
A light blinds Nezuko and Aoi and the next thing they know is that the hashira are on the ground, unconscious and Tanjirou is gasping for air.
He's confused, but alive and before Aoi can do anything to prevent it, Nezuko runs towards her brother to hug him. The commotion gives the Pillars time enough to wake up and realize that the spell worked.
The love of their lives is alive.
Aoi has never seen them that happy before and even though she'd like to be happy for them too, she can't, at least not completely.
After Nezuko gets tired of pulling Tanjirou into her arms, the hashira get their turn too.
"I thought I was going to die!" Tanjirou says, confused as Shinazugawa takes one of his hands and presses it against his own cheek. The wind sorcerer even leans into the touch, with his eyes firmly closed. "How am I still here?"
"That's because your body is as stubborn as you are," Kocho smiles.
Of course. Aoi shouldn't be surprised. They won't tell him the truth.
Tanjirou nods, accepting that response without even asking more because he's still too kind to think his friends would ever lie to him.
"I missed your scent!" Tokito comments, burying his face in the curve of Tanjirou's neck, making him giggle.
Rengoku kisses him all over the face as Kanroji cries again, but this time out of happiness.
"He's tired, we should take him home," Himejima mumbles, carrying Tanjirou in his arms.
Tanjirou falls asleep a couple of minutes right after that and everyone looks back at Aoi.
She knows she has to keep the secret too.
***
Almost losing Tanjirou makes the hashira a little bit more bold than before and they confess their feelings for their sunshine just a few weeks after what happened.
They're going to marry Tanjirou (yes, all of them) in spring because it's Tanjirou's favorite season.
Tanjirou still has no idea they risked their souls for him or that their magic is tainted now.
Aoi hasn't seen that cursed book again, but she knows they haven't destroyed it yet.
Even though she knows they will never hurt Tanjirou or even Nezuko, she wonders now... if they're capable or sacrificing anything for Tanjirou, they're capable of anything.
They're dangerous now. Perhaps even more than Muzan ever was, because he was selfish; doing everything for himself.
The hashira are different; love is want motivates them to break and bend the rules of nature.
It's mortifying, at least for Aoi; there are no limits to what they can do for Tanjirou.
That kind of love can be dangerous and terrifying too.