Archive of Our Own

Before a person dies, their brain replays all of their memories, all of the things they've overcome, and attempts to use any of the information, the experiences, to keep them alive. They often go through a reaction known as—regret.

They regret not doing something; they regret saying this and not that, they regret going here and not there..

Regret and guilt are the two most common emotions a human feels in the seven minutes before they take their last breath.

Kyojuro Rengoku is the Flame Hashira, a confident man who has the strongest sense of justice. He'd be able to throw away everything he has just to save an innocent life, to protect the weak. His loudness scares away minor threats, but it is his style of fighting that defends himself and many others from the brutal beasts—demons.

"I don't care."

It didn't matter.

"You're not strong enough to last for long."

That didn't matter, too.

"Big bro Rengoku! Big bro Rengoku!!"

That's what matters.

"Will I make dad proud, too?"

That, too, matters.

In those short, but oh so long seven seconds.. Senjuro flashes in front of his eyes— his beloved younger brother, his beloved mother, and his beloved father. All of them show up, his mother appearing more in muddier memories. The new memories of Tanjiro and the others, too, have appeared.

"Do you know why you're strong, Kyojuro?"

"Helping the weak is the responsibility of those who are born strong."

Life flashes in front of his eyes.

But he knows better.

"I will die soon." Kyojuro says, taking in a deep breath. "I believe in you all, Kamado boy."

Fighting to live is pointless now.

Anyone who has not known Kyojuro would believe he had little to no regrets. But in reality, he has many.

The thing he regretted the most, is that he wouldn't be there for Senjuro and Tanjiro.

If he could… he would've liked to have met Tanjiro much earlier.

Senjuro would've definitely liked the boy. Tanjiro just has that kind energy around him that most people can't help but like him.

'Senjuro.. I’m sure you'd be capable of more than I was.'

He can't say he's sad.

He isn't, he has saved many people from demons.

But he can't say he's happy, either.

•••

The glittery snow crunches underneath his feet, the icy wind huffing into his face. Yet, Kyojuro continues on, eyes fixated on searching for the house his crow described to him. Kyojuro got sent here for a patrol because of the high probability of a demon attack. On the way here, Kyojuro has been delayed by other demon attacks. He, of course, lifted his sword and protected the people who needed it.

It was supposed to be a duo mission, but Giyuu had warned Kyojuro he'd most likely be late. His crow is old, and often misleads him. They could have arrived together, however, Giyuu had some business to do.

Kyojuro smiles as he moves, though the worry in the back of his mind does unsettle his cheery mood. He might be too late.

Protecting others is his life goal, and if he manages to fail—Kyojuro would feel like nothing more than a failure.

The whiteness of the forest blinds him, but he continues on. The bare trees are covered by a thin layer of snow, which glimmers as the weak sunshines hit it.

He stops, sensing a demon nearby.

Kyojuro slips his sword out of its sheath and rushes forward.

"Flame breathing. Third form, Blazing Universe."

The boy flips over, protecting the demon with his own body. Kyojuro stops right in time, before his blade could hit the boy’s back.

Kyojuro blinks a few times, but as the boy lifts his head up and opens his mouth to speak, Kyojuro in no time apprehends the demon.

She growls and thrashes around, but Kyojuro has a tight grip around her wrists with just one hand. His other holds the flaming red sword.

"W–wait!" The boy shouts, kneeling down as he watches in horror as the demon moves around, easily restricted by Kyojuro. "Ne– she's my sister! Please, please don't hurt her!"

Kyojuro briefly tilts his head to the side. "Oh! Poor you! Don't worry, I'll make it quick so she won't feel anything, boy!"

He frantically shakes his head, staring up at Kyojuro with such a begging expression that it irks him off. "Don't! Please! She hasn't hurt anyone, I swear! The person who killed my family… it wasn't her!"

"My condolences! I should've gotten here faster!" Kyojuro bows his head down, thinking of a quick prayer for the perished family. "No worries, boy, I’ll take care of her!"

"No–! Please hear me out! I beg of you, don't hurt her!"

The boy bows down, pathetically begging for his sister's life. His head touches the freezing snow, but he barely flinches—more concerned with his sister's life.

Kyojuro's eye twitches, but his heart marvels with pride at such perseverance. "Boy! Begging won't make her survive! I appreciate your kindness and will to protect, but it is simply not enough!"

He chokes on air, looking up at Kyojuro and his frantic sister, who growls and growls, pointlessly thrashing around to get free. The boy realizes that, yes, it is pointless to beg because Kyojuro won't change his mind. He's bent on killing his sister.

The axe glints as the sun hits it, and the boy gets an idea.

"Fight like a man!" Kyojuro says with a grin, quoting the words a friend would definitely say in this situation.

The boy first throws a rock at him, which makes Kyojuro curiously observe him after catching it. Then, he runs out from his cover behind a tree and attacks head on. 

Kyojuro's smile softly disappears and he hits the back of the boy's neck with the handle of his sword.

"Try to be more discrete, boy! It was a good attempt, however!"

Something glints as he looks up. Kyojuro moves his head right before the axe hits the tree.

"My, my! Okay, I changed my mind! That really was a good attempt!"

'He was okay with getting hurt just to make me die right after.' Kyojuro assesses the situation, complimenting the boy's smartness. If only Senjuro used his head like that..

The demon rips away from his grasp and runs towards the boy.

Kyojuro readies up, his eyes narrowing. Just before he dashes, he stops.

The demon stands before the boy, her arms open, as if protecting him. Kyojuro's eyes glimmer at such a kind act. The demon must've turned recently, and there's no wonder that it must be hungry.

Despite the easy target, she stays there, protecting her brother.

"Wow!" Kyojuro dashes and hits the back of the demon's neck, knocking her out. "Such a bond, I must admit!"

In a slight distance, a familiar figure leans on a tree, his dark eyes gazing onto the scene that has just happened in front of him. With his messy hair, he simply stands there, observing Kyojuro and the other two. He had gotten here right as he saw the demon protecting the boy.

'It must've been only protecting its food.' Giyuu believes, not listening to the small voice in the back of his mind.

Kyojuro moves the boy so he's laying on his back. Whilst he's looking at the scar the boy has on his forehead, he blinks and awaits someone's voice.

"Tomioka," Kyojuro says, turning his head to look towards him, the Water Hashira. "It seems that we both have gotten here late!"

Giyuu shakes his head. "Helping everyone in your path seems to be your speciality."

"How I love the sound of your responses!" Kyojuro smiles. "I will not believe that you leave old people to tend to themselves when they're obviously struggling!"

Giyuu looks at him weirdly.

Kyojuro scratches the back of his neck. "It was not just that, of course! I help everyone, no matter their age!"

Giyuu sighs, turning his face away from Kyojuro.

"I apologize." Kyojuro kneels down onto the freezing snow, bowing down as to politely show he acknowledges his wrongdoings. "I am aware you believed in me! That you believed I'd be on time and that I'd be able to save this poor family! I apologize once again, Tomioka, for disappointing you and causing this boy such sorrow!"

Giyuu's eye twitches, and it's obvious he wasn't irked off because of that reason. While it is horrible that such a tragedy happened because both of them were late, it is neither of their fault. The demon was presumed to be strong, too. Considering the massacre leading up to this mountain.. Perhaps it was an Upper Moon.

"You're embarrassing yourself, Rengoku."

"It is the most honourable way to apologize!"

Giyuu doesn't comment.

Honour and Kyojuro are simply synonyms. In no way, shape or form, has Kyojuro ever disappointed anyone. His sword-wielding skills and determination are out of this world, and to have been able to be acquaintances with him is a pleasure to every Hashira.

'I think that, but he could never meet someone's expectations.' Giyuu muses, glancing at Kyojuro who watches over the boy and the demon. 'I don't respect that someone.'

"Do you think he should learn Flame Breathing or Water Breathing!?" Kyojuro asks, already planning the future after he stood up. "I'm letting you choose!"

Giyuu doesn’t answer. Kyojuro dismisses it as Giyuu thinking it over.

"Water Breathing it is, then!" Kyojuro laughs, such a kind laughter is a blessing to hear.

"No." Giyuu shakes his head, watching the boy's calm, asleep face. "You wanted a Tsuguko. You have a chance."

Kyojuro's bright eyes shimmer at those rare words from Giyuu. "Ah, but I wanted Senjuro to be my Tsuguko.. There is nothing more that I want than to see him happy! I want him to follow his heart. I haven't had much potential to be a swordsman, just like him.. but I set my heart ablaze! And just like that.. even alone, I never gave up!"

Giyuu observes Kyojuro's face. Kyojuro has prominent and rather handsome features, his golden eyes always catching the attention of others, and his mouth never seems to close. With how loud he's usually speaking, it's easy to wonder why his throat is never sore.

A healthy body with a handsome face.. Giyuu shakes his head, Kyojuro would be better off living as a normal human and not as a zombie for the Demon Slayer Corps.

"But I suppose, if Senjuro had no problem, this fine boy would definitely make a smart Tsuguko!" Kyojuro continues to talk, smiling brightly—like the scorching sun. "I don't know about the demon, though!"

Giyuu unsheathes his sword, calmly walking towards the two unconscious people. Giyuu raises it, but blinks as Kyojuro gets in his path.

"Giyuu Tomioka!" Kyojuro loudly states, placing his hand onto his sheathed sword handle. "I have decided.. I won’t let you behead such a kind demon! I'm not entirely convinced, but the act of protecting her brother nearly brought me to tears!"

Giyuu grips his sword firmly, lowering it as he stares at Kyojuro. "As a Hashira, you ought to behead demons. You, Rengoku, should know it the best."

"I have decided I will take them both under my wing."

Giyuu's eyes peer into him, almost.. disappointed. "A demon is a demon."

"I apologize again, Tomioka, but I shall take them both! Even if it costs me my own head!"

'If Rengoku is so hell-bent on something like that.. I should trust him. But this will be his tomb.'

Giyuu hides his sword into the sheath in his belt. His fingers subtly shake as he allows a demon to live, under the vision of a future where Kyojuro is right. Giyuu glances at the demon girl, and then at her brother next to her.

Kyojuro looks at him with such kindness that invokes belief. "Please greet Urokodaki for me."

•••

"Huh?" Tanjiro looks up at the crow that yells at them about the next mission. His eyes glimmer as he hears that familiar name, and his lips turn upwards. "We're joining Rengoku!"

"Who is that!?" Inosuke scratches his back, not at all caring about that meaningless name.

"That's– that's the Flame Hashira!" Zenitsu yells, trembling at the thought of joining a Hashira.

The mission is bound to be difficult. But with a Hashira nearby, Zenitsu comforts himself, nothing could end badly.

"I know him!" Tanjiro exclaims happily, smiling at his beloved companions. "Rengoku is the best swordsman I've ever seen! Inosuke, Zenitsu, I promise you two that you'll love him!"

"Haa?!" Inosuke snarls, then he scoffs and crosses his arms. "I'm the greatest swordsman you have ever seen!"

Tanjiro simply keeps his smile, nodding. "In our rank, you must be one of the best, Inosuke!"

"Don't compliment that wild boar!!"

Tanjiro's smile fades off as he remembers what had happened after defeating a Lower Moon. The Hashira meeting, Nezuko in danger, and that letter. That sweet and brave letter given to Master Kagaya by Rengoku himself.

"If Nezuko were to hurt a human, Tanjiro Kamado, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Giyuu Tomioka will commit seppuku without hesitation."

Tanjiro could hardly see Giyuu and Kyojuro with how clouded his eyes were with tears. He hadn't known much of Giyuu, but he had met him a few times. Apparently, Giyuu was there when Kyojuro first found him and Nezuko.

So mysterious, but so kind.

Tanjiro will do his best, for both Giyuu and Kyojuro.

Zenitsu's eye twitches as he glares at Tanjiro. "You're his Tsuguko, right?"

"Yes!" Tanjiro happily states, then he adds in a chirpy tone. "Rengoku also used to have Kanroji as his Tsuguko, but she became the Love Hashira! His training is harsh, but so amazing!"

"Harsh training!? He should just die." Zenitsu scoffs, shivering even at the thought of training.

"Zenitsu! Don't say that."

Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke arrive at the train station thanks to the directions of Tanjiro's crow. Tanjiro looks around in amazement, there's so many people here, all waiting for.. a train!

Tanjiro tilts his head to the side. "What is that?"

"The lord of these lands, of course!" Inosuke yells, getting out his swords as he laughs. "I, the king of the mountains, will defeat it!"

Zenitsu looks at both Tanjiro and Inosuke as if they were idiots. "Are you guys dumb? That's not the king of anything."

"Exactly!" Tanjiro nods and looks at Inosuke, a sweet smile painted on his face. "It could be the guardian of these lands, Inosuke!"

"Either way, I'll defeat it!!"

Zenitsu's eye twitches as he hears the two morons talk about the train. It is a normal train. It is not the king nor guardian of anything. It’s just a mechanical structure that allows people to move from point A to point B. How hard is it to understand?

"Hey, you!"

Zenitsu sweats, and he quickly grabs both of his idiotic friends and runs off from the officer. They hide behind the ticket booth.

"How dare you interrupt me in taking down the guardian of this land!?" Inosuke yells, ready to raise his swords against Zenitsu.

"Huh!!? You uneducated swine, that's just an ordinary train!!"

Tanjiro comes in-between, flashing his absolutely sweet smile at Inosuke and Zenitsu–and in just a second, the conflict dies down.

"There's no reason to argue, guys!"

"We should hide our swords.." Zenitsu awkwardly suggests, blushing softly as he looks at Tanjiro. "The Demon Slayer Corps aren't recognized by the government, so we have to hide our swords unless we want trouble with the officers."

"That's a smart idea, Zenitsu!" Tanjiro compliments his companion, who sighs in pleasure—the pleasure of being seen! "But.. What about Inosuke?"

Inosuke laughs in triumph, showing off. His swords are still seen as he had just tucked them into his pants. Inosuke doesn't wear a shirt nor the full demon slayer uniform. 

Tanjiro and Zenitsu hide their swords well, as they wear a haori and the full demon slayer uniform (unlike the aforementioned Inosuke).

The train huffs, and the people scatter, all entering the various parts of the vehicle.

"Oh, we should go!"

Tanjiro runs off, and Inosuke follows. Zenitsu slightly jumps and quickly attempts to catch up, as well.

They enter the train, with Inosuke and Tanjiro in awe at the inside of the vehicle. Inosuke is more interested in being in the 'belly of the king of this land'. Tanjiro appreciates the warm atmosphere. Zenitsu notices that it is a normal, ordinary train and there is nothing to fear.

Other than Inosuke.

Zenitsu drags Inosuke away from the passengers, who are creeped out by the strange creature that this wild boy is.

"Don't scare them, you creep!!"

"I will show off to those mice!!"

They soon find Kyojuro, who is sitting and eating. How did they find him? Well, it was easy enough as Kyojuro's repeated loud saying of "Yummy!" echoed through the entire train.

"Rengoku!" Tanjiro smiles and sits next to his mentor. "Aaah, isn't it amazing to finally have a mission together?"

"Yummy!" Kyojuro says after a bite, his smile never seeming to leave his face. "It indeed is, Tanjiro!"

Zenitsu's expectations quickly fall when he sees that the Hashira here is just a big glutton that is also probably a loud airhead. Well, that's only what Zenitsu believes at first glance. Kyojuro might be a handsome man, but Zenitsu could never forget the harsh training that Tanjiro mentioned.

"Fight me!" Inosuke yells, ready to take out his swords and attack Kyojuro right here, right now. "Now!"

The corners of Kyojuro's lips curve upwards even more, the words of such passion pleasing him even more than the delicious food. He takes a bite again. "Yummy!"

"Inosuke, please sit down!" Tanjiro calmly says, smiling up at Inosuke. "We could spar after this mission! Wouldn't that be a cool idea, Rengoku?"

"Hmph." Inosuke crosses his arms and begrudgingly sits down next to Zenitsu. He first, of course, kicks Zenitsu out of the seat next to the window. "So fast!"

Zenitsu's eye twitches as he watches Inosuke who presses his face against the window. "Can you act normal for even just a moment?"

"That would be nice, young Tanjiro!" Kyojuro agrees, his eyes never lifting up from his food. "Yum yum yummy yum!"

Deep down, something inside Zenitsu breaks and he lays his head down onto the headrest, accepting his fate as a dead man. This Hashira must be damn idiotic and horrible. He will die today, and his Gramps will end up disappointed.

And.. Tanjiro will be mad.

'No luck..' Zenitsu shakes his head, throwing out the bad thoughts. 'I can't die when Tanjiro's here..'

Zenitsu smiles and looks at Tanjiro, his rosy cheeks heating up. Is he blushing at Tanjiro or is he blushing at the idea of Nezuko?

"Minion! Move over!"

"Shut up you idiotic boar man!!" Zenitsu yells at Inosuke. "I don't want my eardrums to burst just because you're yelling in my ear!!"

"It's my turn to stare at Gonpachiro and the strong guy!"

As for Tanjiro and Kyojuro, the two lead a nice conversation about training.

"Have you found out anything about Hinokami Kagura?" Tanjiro shyly asks, not at all wanting to put the burden of finding such obscure information on Kyojuro's shoulders.

Kyojuro shakes his head. "I'm deeply upset to say this, but I have not! Disappointing you is the thing I could never do on purpose, Tanjiro!"

"I'm sorry!" Tanjiro shakes his head too, putting his hands up in the air. "I'm really grateful that you did try to look into Hinokami Kagura! Thank you, Rengoku!"

"No need for gratitude," Kyojuro says, humming under his breath as he stands up. "Save that for when we do find something about it!"

The putrid scent of a demon slips into Tanjiro's mind and his nose scrunches up at the horrid smell. It is not a powerful demon, but it is still a demon nonetheless. The spider demon smelled worse than this one, this demon must be an ordinary one and not apart of the Twelve Moons.

Tanjiro shakes his head around, but there is no sight of the demon. The scent is there, but no demon shows up.

"Rengoku–"

"Leave it to me, Tanjiro!" Kyojuro grins, his hand leaning towards the handle of his sword. "I'll show your friends how a real Hashira battles!"

Zenitsu and Inosuke look at the two. But Kyojuro disappears before any of them can respond. He dashes at the demon who had just appeared out of thin air—possibly having a cloaking Blood Demon Art.

"Flame Breathing. First Form, Unknowing Fire!"

Kyojuro unleashes a singular, horizontal slash that beams with tremendous power and experience. The flames lick the air, his sword heated up, set ablaze by his beating heart.

The demon's head hits the ground. That single slash beheaded it easily.

Zenitsu shivers at the mere power presented in front of him. In just a second or even less, the demon got defeated. The Hashira really are serious about this..

Inosuke beams with glee. "Spar with me, strong guy!"

Tanjiro smiles, cheering for his mentor. "That was amazing, Rengoku!!"

Kyojuro laughs, turning to look at the three boys. "It's not over yet! There is another demon here!"

Kyojuro dashes again, running through the compartments and in no time finding himself in front of a thin, stick-like demon. The three boys follow him, with Tanjiro being the one who could catch up the fastest.

"Flame Breathing. Second Form, Rising Scorching Sun!"

Kyojuro's sword moves in an arcing vertical manner in an upwards position. The flames dance on the surface of his sword, illuminating his face in a terrifying way to the demon.

Again, with little to no difficulty, Kyojuro slashes the demon's head. Kyojuro sheaths his sword and lifts his head up, with innocent pride on his face that his boyish smile overshadows.

"Big bro Rengoku!" Tanjiro is the one to start the chant. Zenitsu is the one to join second, and Inosuke joins last as he didn't grasp the idea so quickly.

"Big bro Rengoku!"

Kyojuro loudly laughs, the corners of his lips lifting so much to the point his cheeks hurt. The three boys circle him, still chanting those three words in such awe and amazement of Kyojuro's true power.

They soon return back to their seats.

"Tanjiroooo!" Zenitsu whines, his arms remaining crossed. "Why do I have to sit next to this wild boar man?"

Tanjiro blinks a few times. "Oh? If it causes you trouble, then you could sit at my place. I wouldn't mind switching seats, Zenitsu."

'Quit being so kind, idiot!!'

Zenitsu shakes his head repeatedly. "I'm.. just joking! Sit where you sit.. so far from me.."

"Start acting like a man!" Tanjiro says, playfully mimicking Kyojuro's voice. "We won't always be next to each other, Zenitsu."

Zenitsu shakes. "Don't make me think about that, moron!!"

"Tanjiro's right!" Kyojuro nods. "You cannot make progress if you cling to others for protection!"

'Go.. trip over your harsh training.' Zenitsu thinks, stopping himself for being so rude to Tanjiro's mentor in his mind. 'It's a good thing Tanjiro can't read minds..'

"Tickets, please.." A thin man comes over, holding a strange device.

Kyojuro extends his hand with his ticket. The man punches a hole into the ticket and returns it. Zenitsu follows the lead, as if accustomed to such actions.

Inosuke observes, and right after Tanjiro does it too, he harshly extends his hand and nearly hits the ticket man. All of their tickets have been marked now, and as the train continues forward, the exhaustion catches up to them.

In no time, their eyes flicker shut and they fall asleep.

The last one to sleep is Zenitsu, who fought the overwhelming urge to rest. The sight of the others asleep further brought the tiredness to a whole new level in Zenitsu.

He's never been so exhausted. His limbs refuse to move and he could only move his eyes. His eyelids threatened to close shut any moment now.

Zenitsu knows that it was a lie. He did feel like this in the past. In that moment, where he had gotten bitten by that monstrous spider, he thought he would finally die. But he was saved, both by the image of Gramps and Tanjiro that his mind created to keep him determined, and by Shinobu—the Insect Hashira.

His eyes slowly drift towards Tanjiro. Tanjiro is sleeping, his head resting on Kyojuro's shoulder. The box in which Nezuko is in sits next to Tanjiro's legs. In the last moments when he's barely conscious, Zenitsu looks at Tanjiro and subtly smiles.

Sleeping in the presence of friends really comforts Zenitsu, and he lets his guard down. His own head falls limp on Inosuke's shoulder. Like a domino, Inosuke's head rests against the window.

First, everything is black.

The first thing Zenitsu sees is Tanjiro's kind face, which lights up the entire world in his dream.

"Is everything okay?" Tanjiro extends his hand towards Zenitsu, his sweet smile sending Zenitsu over the sun. "I've thought about your words, Zenitsu, and I think I'll accept it."

Zenitsu's shaky hand meets Tanjiro's and he's gently pulled up. He blushes. "Haa.. let's go eat some peaches and we'll walk around, it's so pretty today."

"Huh?" Tanjiro tilts his head to the side and the nice sound of his earrings drums in Zenitsu's ears. "Silly. You asked me whether I'm okay with you liking Nezuko. I’m okay, because I trust you more than anyone else."

Zenitsu blinks a few times, his hands falling to his sides. "Oh, really? Well.. Nezuko is a really nice girl. She's pretty."

"She's more than pretty!!"

"Yeah.."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like lying to you, Tanjiro," Zenitsu starts, looking at the ground as he fidgets with his fingers. "But I like you. I don't want someone like you. I just want you."

"Don't worry, we'll be friends forever!"

"It's not just that.."

Tanjiro's face fades off, and familiar purple eyes stare into his. Nezuko smiles at Zenitsu and holds one of his clammy hands.

"You wanted to eat peach, right?" Nezuko asks, her voice so ethereal and her eyes so gorgeous.

How could a girl like her walk with a guy like him?

'I want a different dream,' Zenitsu realizes. 'I want this, but with Tanjiro..!'

As for Tanjiro's dream..

"Brother, braid my hair, too!" Hanako loudly asks, jumping up and down as she watches Tanjiro calmly braid Nezuko’s long hair.

"No, he said he'll go cut wood with me!" Takeo mutters, crossing his arms as he looks at Hanako. "He agreed to my request first."

Tanjiro smiles. "Hey, don't argue! I'll do everything with you all, I promise."

"Sorry.." Hanako and Takeo speak at the same time. They look at each other and laugh.

Arguments never last long in the Kamado family, and Tanjiro's delighted with that. His fingers carefully thread through Nezuko's long and thick hair, he hums under his breath a lullaby.

"You'll make me fall asleep." Nezuko laughs, and that sound is so pleasant to Tanjiro—so much that he doesn't even know why. "Wake up."

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

"Could you.. repeat what you said?"

"Oh, what would you like for dessert?"

Tanjiro smiles and life returns to his pale cheeks. "Whatever the younger ones want!"

"Mother wanted you to decide today."

"Takeo, what do you want for—"

"Don't ask me!" Takeo yells. "Pick whatever you want, Tantan!"

Tanjiro snickers and his hands nearly let go of Nezuko's hair. He quickly ends the braid and ties it with a pink ribbon.

"Thank you, Tanjiro." Nezuko smiles, and that smile heals something in Tanjiro's heart. "I'll go pick some vegetables for dinner."

Nezuko takes along Rokuta and leaves the home.

Something is missing, however. Tanjiro gestures for Takeo to follow him. He'll go cut some wood and come back to braid Hanako's hair.

"Please be back soon!" Hanako loudly says, waving at her two brothers. "Watch out for boars!"

"I don't need to watch out for Inosuke!" Tanjiro joyfully replies back, but stops as he realizes what he said.

"Who is that?" Takeo asks, tilting his head to the side and looking up at his older brother.

"I.. I don’t know." Tanjiro mutters. "Come on, let's hurry before the sun sets! It's Winter, so it’s cold and the days are shorter."

"I know that, big brother." Takeo murmurs back, looking around at the white surroundings. "Hanako said that if you were to like like someone, it would have to be a blonde person!"

Tanjiro laughs, shaking his head softly. "Why?"

"..I don’t know actually." Takeo smiles awkwardly. "But they don't seem to exist! So, maybe Hanako just doesn't want you to marry, haha!"

"Hey, I'll always be your elder brother!"

"Then say that to Hanako and Rokuta!"

Kyojuro's dream is tranquil. The calm and soothing wind blows in his ears, and his warm hands guide Senjuro. Training him was really one of his favorite activities.

"Set your heart ablaze." Kyojuro says, hoping that one day; Senjuro would grasp the idea. "You have the same amount of talent as I do."

"..really?" Senjuro quietly asks, looking up at his older brother with hopeful eyes.

"Yes! Even more than I do, probably!"

Senjuro laughs, rapidly shaking his head. "I wish.."

"Neither of you have any talent." Their father comments, watching them pathetically train. "You'll die, Kyojuro. Because you don't have the talent to be a swordsman!"

"Father." Kyojuro's face turns to look at Shinjuro, his dad. "Having talent or not.. it could never discourage me from taking this path."

"Just get out of my sight."

"I promise that one day, I'll improve enough to make you finally believe in me!"

Experiencing the horrid memories again tugs at Kyojuro's heart strings. Living with the knowledge that his father could never turn out differently, that he could never believe in him nor Senjuro.. it crushed Kyojuro inside out and blew out the light inside his heart.

But for Senjuro, Kyojuro trained and trained—just to carve out a path for Senjuro if he ever wanted to become a demon slayer, too.

If Senjuro wanted to become someone else, then Kyojuro would fully support it.

"Father, take—"

"I don't need your useless and pathetic words!"

Kyojuro stares at him.

"Get out before I make you." Shinjuro takes a sip of his saké and wipes his mouth right after. "I can't even stand to look at you."

'You don't mean that. And it's okay.'

Compared to the others, Inosuke’s dream is simple. Crawling around in caves, ordering around his three minions.. What more could he possibly want?

"Monjiro!" Inosuke yells, placing his fist above his head as a symbol of victory. "Worship me!"

"Yes Master Inosuke!" Tanjiro bows down in front of Inosuke, praising him.

Now that’s almost a perfect dream.

It would be a perfect dream, if only Tanjiro…

"Huuuh!?" Inosuke looks around. He had just felt a different presence in his cave. "You stay right here!! I'll show you what a real man can do!"

Inosuke sets out to hunt. The systematic soft dripping of the water from the rocks above follows him everywhere he goes. Inosuke mutters something under his breath, not at all happy he got interrupted and taken away from ordering his minions.

In no time does Inosuke find a girl, a stranger. "You!"

The girl gasps and starts to run off, carrying a strange sharp thing in her hand. Inosuke chases after her, laughing in full confidence as he takes out his double swords.

He has double swords?

'Panchiro said those were nichirin swords, one of a kind.'

Oh right.

He's a demon slayer.

Inosuke slashes at her, despite remembering the words Tanjiro said when they first met. Hurting only demons.. it is pointless when someone stepped into his cave!!

Zenitsu, too, finds someone in his dream. He is more than enraged to see someone other than Tanjiro or Nezuko in his dream.

"Oi." Zenitsu's eye twitches, he holds something in his hands that glints. "What are you doing in my dream. You're not Tanjiro. You're most definitely not Nezuko."

The guy runs for his life while Zenitsu is running after him, holding sharp gardening shears.

"Get out!!"

Kyojuro, on the other hand, doesn't meet the person inside of his dream directly. But as soon as the person gets close to his soul, he realizes that, and thanks to his instincts—Kyojuro's hand meets the girl's neck.

Not in the dream, but in real life. He's asleep, and yet he's strangling a girl that's threatening his life.

The instincts of a Hashira are truly strong.

Nezuko wakes up from her nap, and she's met with the sight of everyone asleep. She softly tilts her head to the side like a confused puppy, and she hums in confusion. 

Tied to Tanjiro's wrist, there is a rope that connects him and some other boy. The others are tied to strangers, too.

Nezuko watches as Kyojuro holds the girl up by her neck. Her eyes graze Inosuke and Zenitsu. Inosuke seems to be joyful, as he's snickering to himself while asleep. Zenitsu is more agitated, his brows are furrowed and his fists are clenched.

She looks at her brother. Tanjiro has a calm and peaceful expression on his face. His chest slowly moves up and down, and Nezuko adjusts her own breathing to his rhythmic breaths.

Nezuko's nose scrunches up and she headbutts Tanjiro in an attempt to wake him up.

It doesn't work.

She's left with a bruise on her forehead that lightly bleeds.

Nezuko lets out a desperate cry and she runs off to try and wake Zenitsu or Inosuke up.

Tanjiro stirrs. His dream takes a turn.

Tanjiro freezes as he stares at the forest. For a second, he saw a box. He blinks a few times, and he looks back at Takeo. They're supposed to bring water back home.

"Is everything okay, Tantan?"

"..yeah. I thought I saw something, but it's nothing!"

Tanjiro looks down at the water. It's definitely cold, freezing even. It's a surprise the water hasn't frozen over. The winter huffs harsh snowstorms at the mountain sometimes, and when it snows, it can often last for a few days even!

In the reflection, he sees himself.

But he doesn't recognize it as himself. 

That 'someone' is punching at the water as if there were a wall of ice separating them. The same reddish hair, the same reddish eyes, and a familiar scar on his forehead.. it could be no one other than himself.

Tanjiro doesn't accept it. His eyes narrow and his fingers clench the buckets. Something falls from his eyes, and slithers down his cheek only to fall onto the snow.

Warm tears drench his cheeks, and he doesn't know why nor does he understand who this is.

Reaching for him, the water pulls him into its embrace. Takeo freezes, his chest stopping its movement completely. Why did Tanjiro fall in? How can he help him?

"Wake up!" The other guy says. He's the same, but so different at the same time. "Nezuko is in danger! Your friends are in danger! Wake up, please!"

Tanjiro returns to the surface thanks to Takeo's help.

He remembers.

Instead of his coal stained clothes, he now adorns his demon slayer uniform. His haori dances slowly in the icy wind. The sheath of his sword rests on his belt.

This is a dream.

But how does he wake up?

"Big bro..?" Takeo tilts his head softly to the side. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Tanjiro bites his bottom lip, and he clenches his fists to the point his nails dig into his rough skin. "..I'm sorry, Takeo, I really, really should've done better and protected you all.."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a horrible older brother. I know."

"No.. you're the best." Takeo firmly says. "I wouldn't want anyone else than you to be my elder brother!"

Tanjiro slowly turns his face to look at Takeo. He sniffles, a calm smile tugs on his lips. "I'm really sorry. I wish I could stay, but I can’t."

Tanjiro runs, but he doesn't even know where to run.

"Big brother!"

Takeo's shouts weigh heavy on his heart, and his heart screams at him to turn back, to live this life and never return.

But he can't.

He can't leave Nezuko.

He can't leave Zenitsu behind. Even if he had said those playful words, in no way did Tanjiro ever wish to separate from him.

He can't leave Inosuke, because despite everything, Inosuke's disappearance would also leave such a big hole in Tanjiro's heart.

And Kyojuro.. Kyojuro is the most phenomenal mentor, and Tanjiro would grieve that he had just wasted Kyojuro's time just to end up surrendering.

"Where are you going, big brother?"

Tanjiro stops.

"Nezuko.."

Nezuko looks at him with such concern, and her innocent purple eyes make him shudder.

"I’m sorry! Forgive me, everyone!"

Tanjiro continues to run, bitter tears flowing down his face. He struggles to run straight, his body itching to stay behind, to come back to his loving family.

But the thought of Zenitsu motivates him to return.

"Tanjiroooo, don't leave me here!!"

"I'm more than glad to have met someone who can protect me, Tanjiroo!!"

"I thought I would die. But.. you popped in my mind so.. I knew I couldn't actually die."

How could he leave this dream?

"Tanjiro," his father appears in front of him, his kind face looking at his son. "Don't be afraid. Do what every swordsman would do in this situation. Trust your gut."

Tanjiro's eyes widen, and his fingers inch towards the handle of his sword. Tanjiro's eyelashes flutter, his repeated blinking stops the tears from coming out again.

He places the blade next to his neck.

Tanjiro hesitates.

'What if.. if I were to die here, would I die in real life, too?'

Tanjiro clenches his teeth, his fingers clenching the handle so firmly they turn white.

He slashes.

Tanjiro gasps like a fish out of water, his chest comes up and down and his loud breathing echoes in the quiet compartment. Tanjiro looks down, Nezuko is staring up at him.

"Nezuko.." Tanjiro faintly smiles, his muscles still tight from the vision of his near death. Tanjiro looks at his wrist, the rope tied to his wrist is disconnected from a stranger. "Nezuko, could you burn everyone's ropes, please?"

'I don't know what's happening, but whatever it is, it's no good.'

Tanjiro stands up, he fixes the sword that hangs from his belt, and he raises his head high.

"Why!?"

A girl charges at him, a sharp object directly pointed at him.

Tanjiro's swift movement knocks her out, his hand makes brief contact with the side of her neck and she's out.

Then, a boy steps forward to attack Tanjiro next. "Why?! Because of you, we won’t get our dreams!"

Tanjiro subtly tilts his head to the side, yet he still knocks the boy out.

"Why aren't you helping?!" A girl yells at the other boy, who's sitting on the ground, looking up at her. "Don't you want your dream!!?"

"I do.." The boy mutters. "But.."

"There should be no but—!"

Tanjiro's coarse hand touches the side of her neck, and she falls limp onto the ground.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me.." The boy murmurs out, his weak voice tugs at Tanjiro's heart.

"You all wanted to have dreams, right?" Tanjiro softly says, kneeling down in front of the boy. Tanjiro's head drops and he stares at the ground. "I wanted it, too. I really wanted to stay there and live as if nothing bad has ever happened.." He lifts his head up to stare at the tired boy. "But you can't live like that, either. Ignoring everything just to live out your dream life.. it's so disgustingly selfish.. but I still understand why you'd want it. Why would we all want it. Not everything is so cheerful and joyful in life, even if we wish it was… death can meet us at every corner, but that doesn't mean we should give up and declare defeat. You have to keep fighting, no matter how much time you have left or how terrible you feel."

The boy sniffles and his hand grazes his nose. "I know..! Being in your dream.. it changed my way of seeing the world."

"As long as you have people you love.." Tanjiro continues, his eyes closing for a moment. His eyelashes cast a small shadow onto his cheeks. "You'll do anything to live and appreciate every moment spent with them. So, find them; friends or family, and spend time with them."

The boy shudders. "I have tuberculosis. There's no hope for me.."

"I care about you. Please, take care of yourself and live the best you can."

"Why are you.. so nice..?"

"Because I understand." Tanjiro smiles at the boy and he wipes off the tiny tears that hang from the corners of his eyes. "No matter how good the life in those dreams sounds, you wouldn't be actually living. You'd just.. die momentarily just to live out a perfect vision."

"Thank you.."

The intruder of his dream sits on one of the seats, observing Tanjiro with newfound hope. Hope for a better life, despite his illness and declining health.

"Nezuko, wake them up!" Tanjiro yells, unlocking a window and jumping onto the roof of the train.

The harsh wind plummets his form, but he withstands it—and takes a few steps forward with some trouble. The gust dispels slowly, and Tanjiro is met with the second most horrible scent he's ever felt. The first will always be Muzan Kibutsuji.

"You!" Tanjiro's hand glooms over the handle of his sword. "You must be the one who manipulated them! Dreams in exchange for murder.. that's what your deal was, right?!"

"Hehe, so silly of you." The demon laughs in his face, his eyes further proving that he's dealing with the First Lowermoon. "I didn't manipulate them. They willingly wanted to do this for their dreams! Humans.. oh, humans! They'd do anything in exchange for their desires!"

"You were human, too!" Tanjiro argues, lifting his sword up as he gets into his fighting position. "How can you hate something you once were?! Humans are beautiful, because they help each other and no matter what—they never give up! You give them false hope of a perfect life without any sorrows, but that's just impossible! You manipulate them to do your bidding, because.. because you're a damn coward and no real demon! Go hide in a hole like a mole, that would suit you more than the title of First Lowermoon!"

The images of his friends, Nezuko, and Kyojuro flash in his mind. If he hadn’t woken up, all of them would've died. All because of this demon, who didn't dare to kill them by his own hand! Tanjiro takes a deep breath in and out, remembering Kyojuro's words.

"Don't let your feelings guide your sword." Kyojuro once lectured Tanjiro. "Set your heart ablaze, yes, but with determination, not with anger! Anger will just make your movements sloppy, so always focus on your blade and slashes!"

"Such baseless accusations!" The demon huffs, shaking his head in displeasure. "The title of the First Lowermoon belongs to me, Enmu! And I shall show it off with pride, hehe. As for that.. I'm no coward, I simply couldn't kill you without you being aware of it. If I acted without thinking, I'd be already dead."

Tanjiro moves. "Hinokami Kagura!"

Enmu extends his hand towards Tanjiro. The eye in the palm of his hand stares dead into Tanjiro, and Tanjiro slightly falters. But he stands upright again, fingers clench the handle of his sword firmly.

He is no longer that scared boy who begged for his sisters life on his knees—he'd behead many demons, still feeling sorrow for the unsavable soul, full of hope that they don't get reborn as demons again, but as humans.

"Huh—"

Tanjiro swiftly cuts off Enmu’s head with a clean slice. The heat from his sword dispels, and it returns to a normal black. Tanjiro turns around, to witness how Enmu's body would turn to ash and then disappear into nothing.

But that isn't happening.

Enmu's body is still standing and his head is right by Tanjiro's feet.

His damn smiling face as he's laughing.

Tanjiro's eyebrow twitches and his fingers clench his sword, to the point they turn white.

"You idiot boy!" Enmu laughs, hysterically so. The entire air around Tanjiro fills with the horrible and sanity-reducing laughter that makes him want to tear out his eardrums. "You can't behead me! I win! I've already fused with the train, and you're powerless to do anything! I'll eat all the passengers first so you'll have to hear their sweet screams, unable to save them!"

Tanjiro freezes. "What?"

"Hehe. You heard me. You can't behead me."

"Demons always have a weak point!" Tanjiro yells. "I’ll find it, and I'll save everyone!"

'Like Rengoku would.'

"Such a small fry as yourself.. can't even dream of such a thing!"

The eye looks at him again.

Tanjiro falters, but he comes back.

It stares.

Tanjiro wakes up easily.

Enmu blinks, his body reaching for his head to hold it. "You're instantly killing yourself whenever I make you fall asleep… hehe, such strong guts! I'll kill you, undoubtedly."

"No."

"You can deny it all—"

"I'll behead you."

Tanjiro cuts off Enmu’s hands in two quick flashes. The body falls onto the train, and it soon merges with it. The demon wasn't lying then.

Tanjiro returns to the inside of the train.

Tendril-like things emerge from the walls of the train and begin to attack the passengers. Enmu's words ring in Tanjiro's mind, and he narrows his eyes, his nose scrunches up as his hand firmly holds the handle of his sword.

"Nezuko!" Tanjiro slashes, his sword moving in fluid motions like a flame on the verge of extinguishment from the wind. The flames flicker wildly, like a mane. "Protect them!"

'I have to find his weak point..'

"Flame breathing. Fourth form, Blooming Flame Undulation." The flames from his blade burn the tendrils, and his sword performs several swift slashes; defending the sleeping passengers.

Tanjiro deflects the attacks and defends, but all this running around the various train compartments will tire him out eventually. That leads alongside it a bitter defeat as the demon will eventually eat someone if Tanjiro doesn't keep up.

He's not alone, Nezuko is here, but he's still overwhelmed with the attacks!

Tanjiro loses his footing as a tendril emerges from the floor, and his sword drops with a cling onto the ground. Quickly getting up, he evades the lethal attack.

The tendril is easily slashed, and the left behind air smells as if a thunderstorm were to come.

"Kamado.." Zenitsu mutters to himself while still asleep. Unsurprisingly, he's more useful asleep than awake. "I'll protect you two.. 'till death.."

"Thanks Zenitsu!" Tanjiro glosses over Zenitsu's silly promise. "Go help out Nezuko! I'm fine alone."

Zenitsu dashes, and Tanjiro’s smile softly disappears as he faces the tendrils once more.

Before Tanjiro could blink, all the tendrils in his compartment turned to ashes. The hot air caused him to sweat further, and his cheeks bloomed with redness.

"Tanjiro," Kyojuro says, his voice still rather loud. "Go ahead and behead the demon with the boar boy! I and Nezuko, as well as Zenitsu will protect the passengers."

"Rengoku.." Tanjiro's eyes glimmer and he grins, nodding and setting off to climb out of the window and onto the train's roof. But before he does that.. "Thank you for everything! I really want to be like you!"

"Keep at it, and in no time you'll be better than me!"

"You're too cool for me to catch up!"

Tanjiro laughs and lands onto the rooftop. He wipes the little tears from the corner of his eyes, his cheeks hurt from his wide grin. Tanjiro takes a breath in and out, he composes himself and takes the entire situation seriously once more.

"Inosuke!" Tanjiro runs up towards the locomotive. "I'm sure wherever the demon is, it has to be there!"

Inosuke lands right next to Tanjiro and keeps up with his fast pace. "I have used my power so I knew where it was longer than you have!!"

"That's amazing, then!" Tanjiro smiles, his eyes narrowing in joy. "Let's defeat it together!"

Inosuke scoffs. "I'll show you I'm the better one!"

The two boys make their way towards the locomotive, and they soon arrive there. Met with the sight of only the conductor there and no demon anywhere, a bead of sweat drips down Tanjiro's face. Inosuke carefully observes the conductor, who stares at them with the eyes only a madman could possess; devoid of any sympathy and glimmering with a need to commit to orders, no matter what orders they were.

"Monjiro—!" Inosuke's eyes widened, but he's too slow.

Tanjiro blinks, and he doesn't react with violence when the conductor stabs him in the stomach. Tanjiro's eyes continue to glimpse into the crazed, tired ones with impenetrable kindness.

Inosuke pushes the conductor away, and his hands soon grip the handles of his double swords. His chest moves up and down rapidly, and his breathing leaves with a small cloud of mist; like a true wild boar.

"Inosuke." Tanjiro's coarse hand meets Inosuke's bare shoulder. "Don't fight him. He's gone through enough already."

"He tried to kill you!" Inosuke yells. "So, I'll kill him in return! No one messes with the king of—"

"Inosuke." Tanjiro presses on, the firm look in his eyes causing Inosuke to shiver. The kindness within Tanjiro is more impressive than his skill. "I'm fine. Let's behead this demon."

"Tch." Inosuke glares at the unconscious conductor. He had pushed him with too much force and the conductor must've hit his head and gotten knocked out. "He should be ashamed..!"

Inosuke stands in the middle of the locomotive, and he huffs. "This is where the neck is!"

They defeat the demon and the train trembles, overflowing the tracks and nearly spilling out of it at each turn. Sparks fly as the wheels turn and crash into the ground, falling from the train tracks.

Tanjiro crawls on the ground, and he flips himself to lay down on his back. His chest moves up and down, and his sweaty hands tremble and let go of the sword. It's finally over. A frown softly tugs on the corners of Tanjiro's lips, and he bites his lip to stop them from trembling.

"Gonpachiro!" Inosuke shouts, letting go of his swords and running up to Tanjiro. His shaky hands grab ahold of Tanjiro's arm. "Get up! Get up! You can't die from some stupid injury.."

"Relax. Control your breathing." Kyojuro suddenly stands above Tanjiro. Inosuke couldn't even see his movement. "Release the air inside your lungs and replace it with new, focus on closing the wound and don't lose that concentration."

Kyojuro winks. "That's the number one step to becoming Hashira."

Inosuke stares at Tanjiro, who focuses on controlling his breathing.

Kyojuro moves to stand in front of the two, his strong hand clenching the handle of his sword as his eyes narrow to stare at the haunting beauty of the shadow before him. His gorgeous hair dances in the wind, resembling contained flames.

'Could anything truly hurt you..?'

Kyojuro seemed to be indestructible, impossible to kill. Forever alive with fiery passion.

"Don't come any closer!" Kyojuro says, his loud voice not at all hinting at any fear at meeting a powerful demon face to face. "Or I'll be forced to behead you."

The demon laughs. "Is that so? Show me a challenge, and then I'll consider sparing you!"

"If anything, I'd be the one showing mercy."

"Fiery." The demon clicks his tongue, leaning towards Kyojuro and taking a fighting stance. "I like it. Call me Akaza, Uppermoon Three. I'm in the mood to kill a Hashira."

Kyojuro furrows his brows, and he lifts his sword up. "Your name will be forgotten soon enough."

"Just like yours." Akaza hums. "Unless you're a fighter worth taking note of."

Tanjiro and Inosuke watch as they fight to the death. Unable to distinguish their movements, they remained seated—too afraid of joining and messing up; messing up so severely that Kyojuro could pay with his own life.

The two boys watched in amazement, the graceful movements belonging to Kyojuro countered perfectly the icy cold and harsh punches coming from Akaza.

And yet.. Kyojuro was nowhere close to beheading him.

“Become a demon, Kyojuro!” Akaza shouts. “Such skill of yours isn’t fit to be restrained by the delicate life of a human!”

“I could never.”

They clash and a cloud of fog erupts from their battle. As it slowly clears out, Tanjiro’s eyes widen and his breath hitches in his throat. Kyojuro’s sword is right at Akaza’s neck attempting to behead him!

But as the fog completely disappears, the image before them is revealed. Akaza’s hand is piercing through Kyojuro’s stomach, the intense sight and scent of blood shakes Tanjiro deeply. Yet, he can’t look away, hoping; hanging on to the smallest thread of hope that Kyojuro could survive—or at the very least, behead that wretched demon.

The moonlight grazes their features, reflecting back on the scarlet blood dripping to the ground with a small drip. The puddle slowly grows bigger, and Kyojuro’s hand shakes and trembles; to the point he could barely even hold his sword. The excruciating pain throbs in his entire body, but he keeps a brave, confident facade—just for the four young people watching him with hope.

“I won’t let you hurt anyone.” Kyojuro spits out, his eye twitching from the pain, while his other eye is kept closed. “Not until I still breathe.”

“Kyojuro! Turn into a demon, this is your one last chance.”

Tanjiro’s hand snakes to his sword, an unwavering desire to save Kyojuro bubbles up in his heart—but Inosuke places his hand on Tanjiro’s shoulder.

Inosuke shakes, his hand gripping Tanjiro’s shoulder tightly. “We can’t do anything. That demon is too advanced for us to fight..”

Tanjiro could hear the distaste in Inosuke’s voice, hearing a prideful person like Inosuke admit they’re not strong enough to fight an opponent slapped him in the face—making him realize in total, utter defeat that he can’t help Kyojuro.

‘If I had worked harder..!’

‘Maybe if I met him sooner..’

‘No! Maybe if I put his advice to life, maybe only then I would’ve been strong enough..’

Akaza’s smile disappears from his face as he attempts to retreat his hand, but finds himself unable to do so. The sky mixes various colours to greet the rising sun, which should appear and cast its crown shine onto Earth.

“Oi. Let go.”

“If I die, you’re dying with me.” Kyojuro exclaims, his other hand holding Akaza. “I won’t let you survive so easily.”

Akaza thrashes around, and it takes minutes for him to finally set himself free from Kyojuro’s grasp. The first sunshines start to cast onto Earth, and Akaza rushes into the shadows of the forest.

A sword pierces his chest.

“You coward! Why are you running away?!” Tanjiro screams at the demon, his eyes widened and staring at Akaza like a crazy maniac. “We, demon hunters, hunt you during the night; when you thrive! Us humans can’t regenerate and heal instantly like you, and yet, we still fight! We don’t run away, and we fight to the end! So, why are you running! Coward! A weakling who can’t even compare to the bravery demon slayers have!”

Akaza runs, not looking back; but his eyes twitch at those idiotic words.

“I’ll kill you! Kyojuro’s death casted a curse over you, and I’ll be the one who’ll fulfill that curse! I’ll behead you, and you won’t have the chance to run then, coward!”

‘I’ll smash his head on the floor many times until his brain spills out.’

Tanjiro breathes heavily, his chest coming up and down in short, harsh bursts. His fingers clenched into fists, and he sniffs, fighting against tears. He has to turn around; he has to see Kyojuro die.

It’s as inevitable as Winter.

Tanjiro tips his teary face towards Kyojuro, who looks at him with such a solemn, but happy expression. Kyojuro softly smiles, remembering the times when Tanjiro still was a crybaby. Hell, even their first encounter flashes in his mind at that horrible face stricken with an illness more terrible than measles—sorrow.

Tanjiro puffs out air, and he breaks down crying on his knees in front of Kyojuro. His body shakes, and his hands fall to his sides. Kyojuro carefully picks up Tanjiro’s hand, coating it with some of his blood.

“Helping the weak is the responsibility of those who are born strong.” Kyojuro softly says, his voice as quiet as the flap of a butterfly’s wings. “That’s why you are strong, Tanjiro.”

“I wasn’t strong enough to save you!” Tanjiro cries out, snot dribbles down his philtrum.

Kyojuro tenderly wipes it off, like a caring older brother Tanjiro never had. “You are. I believe in you, Tanjiro. So.. make me proud.. By improving.. And ending Muzan.”

“I promise..!”

Kyojuro passes away, and it’s a morning not started with happiness and energy—but with misery and melancholy.

“If I had known you for longer… If I worked better.. I would’ve saved you! I’m sure of it..”