Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
Looking at Giyu's tired face, Sakonji didn't say a word as he closed his moist eyes.
He finally opened his eyes and was about to invite Giyu into the house for a talk.
When an illusory figure appeared around him from the mist.
Sakonji was in a daze as he saw the silhouette of his former students.
Sabito moved in first and hugged both Giyu and Sakonji together.
"Urokodaki-san."
"Sensei."
"Grandpa."
"It's not your fault."
"Thank you."
The voices spoke one after another.
Every child assures Sakonji that the man was not at fault and thanks him for his guidance and generosity.
For what felt like a long time.
Sakonji and Giyu stood there in a daze, paying respects to the disciples who died in the final selection.
The two of them returned to the house.
Neither master nor disciple spoke on their way back.
After they entered the house, Giyu's battery seemed to run out as he already slipped into the land of dreams.
Sakonji made sure his student was comfortable sleeping in the spare futon. He looked at Giyu's face, which had less of a frown than it had before.
He seems... content.
Unconsciously, Giyu's lips turned into a smile.
Sakonji left him be and took a seat at his writing table and lit up the candles. Then, he picked up his writing brush and paper.
He moved his brush to write as if there was a load of weight being undone from his wrist. It feels light... and pleased.
'Sleep well, Giyu.'
---
-Location: Unknown-
In the middle of nowhere, a wooden door appeared in mid-air and was pulled open, emitting a warm light.
The forest grass swayed from the air coming through the magical door in the air.
The next moment,
Clatter!
Several eyeball-like things with tentacles at their bottom are spilling out from the wooden door.
They kept coming out and piling up into a small, black, wriggling slime.
The eyeball-like creature twisted its tentacles, barely supporting its body.
In the middle of the scarlet eyes, the kanji "Four" was written in it.
After the wooden door disappeared, the creature kept wriggling about like it had lost its purpose.
Then, they quickly dispersed in multiple directions and disappeared into the surrounding woods.
"...You did well, Nakime." A voice whispered from the sky where the door appeared.
---
The next day.
The sunlight leaked into Sakonji's house through the open door and illuminated the eyelids of the person sleeping in the futon.
His brows furrowed, and his eyelids fluttered a few times.
"...!"
Swish!
Giyu suddenly opened his eyes, and he sat up abruptly from his sleeping position. His eyes were alert before gradually returning to his dull expression.
Seeing that there is no enemy, Giyu relaxed on his bed. His head was messy, and his clothes were in disarray.
He stared ahead as he remembered where he was, before his eyes widened as realization sat in his mind.
Cold sweat slowly dripped from his forehead.
'Uh-oh.'
Giyu lowered his head as the sunlight reminded him of the time.
He has forgotten something important!
In his mind, the figure of a smiling butterfly hovered around him in worry, poking his wounds and speaking to him about wanting to be his friend.
The cold sweat from his forehead poured out from all over his body.
The sunlight from the doorway was suddenly blocked as Sakonji entered the house.
"Are you awake, Giyu?"
Poking his head through the door, Sakonji carried with him a bundle of firewood and some ingredients.
"Breakfast will be ready soon; go wash up." His voice seems to be lighter than before.
Giyu raised his head and looked toward the door.
It seemed that his master had been foraging the mountain by himself.
Giyu contemplated for a moment before he got up and followed his master to prepare breakfast.
Instead of returning to Butterfly Mansion.
---
-Location: Butterfly Mansion-
The Hashira's training is over, and the children have returned to the mansion again.
The kakushi staff leaned against the wall and sweated profusely. They looked at each other helplessly.
"...so tired."
"Yeah, the injured from the final exam all came over in one go."
"Reinforcement has been transferred to help rebuild the swordsmith village."
"The Butterfly Mansion is so big, but only four of us are left from the staff!"
Complaints fly over another.
They looked at each other again and sighed heavily with helplessness.
"...Tanjiro-kun, where is Tanjiro-kun...?"
One of the kakushi staggered over. He looked pale and sickly under his mask.
He crawled on the floor and reached out his hand to the sky.
"...we need... Tanjiro-kun..."
The other kakushi looked at each other.
"Tanjiro."
By fate, one of them caught sight of Aoi, who had finished her break and was walking by their hall.
"Please wait! You there! Wait a moment!" He reached out and shouted.
Aoi stopped in her tracks as she turned her head and looked at the exhausted kakushi making their way toward her.
---
In the courtyard of the mansion.
Several small figures occupied some part of the courtyard, and another small figure was dancing awkwardly.
He stumbled over his feet and looked down at his feet.
"Father." Takeo raised his head and looked at Tanjuro after a moment of silence.
Tanjuro was standing to the side and adjusting Takeo's posture.
"Why have we been dancing the Hinokami Kagura all this time?" He asked in a puzzled tone.
He pointed urgently to the Tokito brothers, who were practicing swordsmanship on the other side.
"They've been practicing all day!"
So jealous!
Takeo clenched his fists. His eyes glared at the Tokitos, and he pursed his lips.
"If this continues, it's only a matter of time before they take over the whole courtyard!" He exclaimed.
He turned his gaze and blinked his eyes at his father with a look of expectation.
'I want to learn swordsmanship too!' That's what his eyes were telling Tanjuro.
Tanjuro smiled helplessly, as he could guess what Takeo was thinking.
Takeo's outburst and aggressive pointing failed to attract the attention of the Tokito brothers, but it amused Tanjiro, who was practicing beside him.
"Takeo."
Tanjiro put down his wooden sword and bent down. He gently patted his brother's head.
"The Hinokami Kagura dance, which has been passed down through generations, is the most suitable thing for us to practice."
He recalled the conversation with his father telling him about the Transparent World before he slipped into his coma.
And their continued talk when his father taught the techniques to the Hashiras was actually achieved by his father when he danced the Kagura all night at the beginning of each year.
Tanjiro raised his head and nodded to his father. His broad palm covered Takeo's head. "You'll get the hang of it if you keep practicing."
"Takeo." Tanjuro walked closer to the two brothers. "Remember the movements and feelings when you dance the Hinokami Kagura."
"Also," he smiled softly. His gaze shifted to the Tokito brothers.
"The Hinokami Kagura. It's not just a simple dance."
Tanjuro looked Takeo in the eye.
"It is a sword technique woven into a dance."
Takeo's listless eyes slowly lit up with excitement. "Really!?" He exclaimed.
"Our family's Kagura dance is actually a sword technique?"
Seeing his father nod, Takeo excitedly shouts and jumps in the air.
"So cool!"
He shook Tanjiro in his hands and ran around like a headless chicken.
Shigeru, who was just woken up, heard Takeo's shouting and immediately ran over with curious looks on his face.
"What? What is it?" He asked impatiently. "What are you guys talking about?"
While his children rejoice, Tanjuro turned to peek at the Tokito brothers, who seemed to look over at the commotion.
Yuichiro determinedly swung his wooden sword. His hands were already covered in calluses, proof of his effort in training his swordsmanship.
He repeated the motion of swinging his sword vigorously and monotonously while Muichiro beside him was doing the same, albeit with less consistency.
But Muichiro's attention was not on his own training.
All this time, he had been sneakily paying attention to Tanjuro's instruction in Hinokami Kagura and how he teaches it to his children.
"Hmm... Umu... so that's how it is..."
During his swinging, he had already memorized the motion and rhythm of the dance that Tanjuro had taught.
It doesn't seem that hard following a slowed-down performance of the dance.
He couldn't wait to try his hand at it as he slowly adjusted his stance and his breathing from Moon Breathing to this "Hinokami Kagura."
Just as he was about to move into the first dance.
Bonk!
"Ow!"
Yuichiro's wooden sword struck him hard on top of his head, not a moment too soon.
Muichiro was caught off guard as he rubbed his throbbing head and turned to look at Yuichiro.
"What are you doing, brother?"
"You!" Yuichiro looked at his brother with a helpless expression, then shook his head and sighed.
"If you want to learn from Uncle, you can just go ask him."
"It would be in bad faith if you were discovered 'stealing' his family tradition."
"Ah..." Muichiro turned away, looking a little embarrassed.
"I know, but... I feel like... it would be rude to ask directly."
A tic vein popped on Yuichiro's forehead after hearing his younger brother's words, and his eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
"It will be more rude to steal a lesson like this!"
Bonk!
Soichiro heard the sound of his two sons bickering and some bonking in his sitting place in one of the rooms near the courtyard with his wife. He peeked over the window to see and returned to his conversation.
"...Is it really okay?" Muichiro wondered.
"Just ask! Quickly now!"
Yuichiro shoved his younger brother toward the Kamados'.
Muichiro rubbed the bump on his head; his eyes had tears coming out from the pain. He moved shyly toward the Kamado's children.
He turned his head to glance at his brother, who stood with his arms crossed and urging him to continue.
"...ok!" Muichiro closed his eyes as he steeled his resolve and nodded.
He walked a little more confidently to the Kamados' and stopped in front of them.
The Kamado brothers' chatter became quiet, and they looked curiously at Muichiro.
"Um, I, that is," Muichiro tried to talk and stumbled on his words. His eyes were wandering before he focused on Tanjuro.
"I..."
With his fingers fidgeting, Muichiro finally mustered up the courage as he recalled the spectacle of this man handling lightning in that forest that night.
"I'm sorry for being rude!"
"But can I... Can I learn the Kagura dance with you?"
"Please!" Muichiro closed his eyes and bowed his head at his waist. Fearing he would get rejected but choosing to shoot his shot.
Takeo and Shigeru looked at each other. Both of them were surprised by this action.
They thought Muichiro came over to gloat over their victory in the courtyard duel.
But...
"..."
"Ok." Takeo smiled that gentle 'Kamado smile' that was prevalent in the Kamado family. He straightened Muichiro and extended out his dirty hand.
"Come on, let's practice together."
Muichiro was stunned as he looked at Takeo in disbelief.
"Are you sure?"
Takeo simply took his hand. "Dad wouldn't mind." He answered.
The sunlight seemed to shine brightly on the boy, and suddenly his smile became even more calming and gentle.
"OK!" Muichiro nodded with excitement. Looking at Takeo's smile, he couldn't help but feel warmth and comfort and trust, as the boy wouldn't go back on his words to train together.
'What a kind guy.'
Muichiro was deeply. He had never felt this generosity from his peers before.
'Compared to my brother Grump, there is no doubt!'
He looked at Takeo, Shigeru, and Tanjiro. All three of them had the same gentle Kamado smile on their faces.
'They are an angel!'
Seeing Muichiro being accepted, Yuichiro nodded in satisfaction.
"Good for you, Little Brother."
Sniff.
"Ah-choo!"
Suddenly, Yuichiro felt his nose tickled, and he sneezed.
Scratching his nose, Yuichiro looked around suspiciously and returned to his corner to keep practicing.
But as he walked, he stumbled upon a scene at the corner of the courtyard.
There in the corner was a blond kid vigorously swinging his practice sword. His hair swayed erratically along with his swing.
Zenitsu's expression was serious. There was a skid mark on his face that was caused by a failed execution of the first form of Thunder Breathing.
"1130!"
"1131!"
Zenitsu murmured his count as his eyes firmly looked ahead, staring into a vision only he could see. His arms did not let up, no matter how tired he felt.
It was the first time Zenitsu had seen such despair and sadness on his grandfather's face.
Swish!
Zenitsu gripped the hilt of his sword and swung it down with more force than before. The sound of the wooden sword cutting air echoed near him.
He doesn't want to see such an expression again!
---
Muichiro quickly got along with the Kamado family.
Seeing his sons regain his interest and bring a playmate, Tanjuro smiled as he looked at the sky.
His kasugai crow, Gonpachiro, was circling above the mansion leisurely.
Tanjuro felt a sense of peace in his heart as he spent time with his family.
The news of the swordsmith village attacks has been reported and handled, leaving him with plenty of time to relax.
Tanjuro also tried a few more experiments to call lightning at another mountain.
However, it seemed the weather didn't want to cooperate with him, and he has been unable to summon lightning except for his first time.
Before his nichirin blade was finished, Tanjuro was not in a hurry to find the whereabouts of the other Upper Moons.
His resurrection power in his body was full.
And the Battle Memories hasn't been completely absorbed.
Besides, the next Upper Moons would be more careful now.
Tanjuro remembered that there was that one demon in the pleasure district.
[Upper Moon Six, Daki.]
With the death of Gyokko and Hantengu and Kokushibo's possible defection, Daki's rank now is probably...
[Upper Moon Three.]