After they'd finished burying the rest of their family, Kei and Tanjiro knelt in prayer before their graves. Nezuko, meanwhile, stayed in the house since the clouds were clearing up a bit. Kanae stared down at the graves in sorrow, "I'm sorry that I couldn't get here in time to save your family" she said sadly, looking at the four small graves where the children of the Kamado family were buried. "It wasn't your fault Kanae-San. Whoever killed them, is who I would like a word with" Kei replied, eyes hardening as she thought of the faceless monster who could kill four small children in cold blood. Kanae glanced silently at the window of the Kamado household, where Nezuko was peeking out at them, "in reality, any Demon could have killed your family. But given that the bodies were left here and not eaten, and the fact that your daughter was turned into a Demon- there is only one being that is known that could have done it" the Kocho began, clenching her fists as she thought of him.

That man was a monster indeed. Both Kei and her Son turned to look up at her with steely expressions, "who was it?" Tanjiro asked. "The King and creator of all Demonkind. Muzan Kibutsuji" Kanae replied solemly. Tanjiro glared at the ground, committing the name to memory, 'so this Kibutsuji Demon is the one, who killed my siblings and turned Nezuko into a Demon. I swear, I'm going to kill him so that they can all rest in peace. And-' he turned his attention to the window where the top of his little sister's head could be seen poking over the sill, 'I swear I'll find a way to turn you back into a human Nezuko' he thought. The Flower Hashira sighed, "alright, we should get going," she began. The two Kamado's stood to their feet, "also, Demons die when exposed to sunlight, so you might want to find something to carry Nezuko-Chan in" Kanae explained. "How about the basket that I use for carrying charcoal in? would that work?" Tanjiro asked. But his Mother frowned, "dear, I'm not sure that that would be big enough to carry your sister in" she replied, a hand to her face in thought.

But then Tanjiro lit up, "I've got it!" he turned to his Mother, "Mom, remember how Nezuko grew to be as big as you earlier when she first turned into a Demon?" he asked. Kei remembered. It was when her daughter had been attacking her, she'd gotten so much bigger suddenly. "Yes, I remember dear" the woman nodded. "Well, I just had a thought- what if she can get smaller too?!" the 13-year-old exclaimed with a smile. The adult thought about that. Yes, Nezuko had gotten bigger, so it would make sense that she could shrink as well- Kei turned to her Son, "alright, let's try it out" she said with a smile.

PF

Mother and Son stood in front of Nezuko, who was laying on the floor of their house. They tried not to look at the blood stains on the floor just a few meters away. Tanjiro held up his basket, "hey Nezuko, do you remember how you got really big earlier today? Do you think you could get smaller to fit in here? In the basket?" he asked, pointing at it. The Demon girl blinked at them, rolling around on the floor. Kei smiled, 'I haven't seen Nezuko act this way in years, not since she was a toddler' she thought. "Come on dear, try to get in here, okay? You can do it Nezuko-Chan" their Mother prompted. Nezuko rolled over onto her stomach and crawled into the basket, shrinking as she did. Finally, she lay down on the side of it, as small as Rokuta, her kimono and haori pooled around her. Tanjiro lifted the basket up, smiling down at his baby sister, "that's a good girl Nezuko! You really did it! I'm so proud of you" he said with a bright smile, rubbing Nezuko's head, which earned him a pleased hum, as his sister enjoyed the head rub. Kei smiled, glad that they now had a way to carry her daughter safely during the day. She looked into the basket, seeing the small form of Nezuko look up at her. The young Demon reached up for her, mumbling through her gag. The woman cradled her daughters cheek lovingly, which Nezuko leaned into and cuddled her hand, "don't worry baby, you can come out when the sun goes down, okay?" she asked. After removing her hand, the two human Kamado's worked together to wrap and tie a sheet around the basket to protect Nezuko from the sun. "I'll carry her Mom. I'm more used to this kind of thing anyway" Tanjiro offered, shouldering the basket with practiced ease.

Kei nodded and they turned to face Kanae again, "sorry for ignoring you" she said apologetically. "Oh, it's fine, it gave me some time to write a letter to the Demon Slayer Corps Master" the other woman replied, sending a crow off. The Flower Breathing User turned to them, "now, shall we go?" she asked with a smile.

PF

The group travelled all day, and into the night. As Kei noticed the sun almost gone behind the horizon, she turned to the other woman, "Kanae-San, can we let Nezuko out now? Since it's getting dark" she asked. The Flower Hashira thought for a moment, "alright, just make sure she doesn't wander off please" Kanae asked. Nezuko was let out of her basket, and she walked beside Tanjiro, holding his hand. Just as they reached a set of stairs leading to a Temple he stopped. Kei turned to look at him, "Son? What is it?" she asked, the Swordswoman also turning to look at him. "I smell blood, lots of it" Tanjiro muttered. Kanae instantly narrowed her eyes, and reached for her sword, but before she could do anything, Tanjiro was already running up the stairs, pulling Nezuko along with him, while their Mother followed.

"Hold on! Don't just run off!" the Demon Slayer called, before quickly following the family. "Hey, are you alright?!" Tanjiro called as they reached the top of the stairs. However his calls were choked off when he saw the sight before them. A Demon was bent over the corpses of the people from the Temple and was eating them. "Well, well, are you two humans? I was just thinking that this wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy my hunger". Before Kei could make it to the top of the stairs, and just before Kanae could, the Demon leapt at Tanjiro with his hand around his throat and knocked them both all the way back down the stairs. "Tanjiro!" Kei cried, terrified for her Son. In fact, she was so worried that she began instinctively using the Fire Breathing Style that her husband taught her. The Flower Hashira turned to rush back down the stairs, but before she could make it more than three steps, a black blur rushed past her as Nezuko, alerted to her Brother's situation, run down the stairs. Mother and daughter reached the Demon at the same time and Nezuko kicked it in the ribs when it tried to move it's head out of the way.

A cracking sound was heard, and the Demon coughed, 'that strength! There's no way the girl is a human!' he thought. Before he could retaliate though, Kei reached him, grabbed him by the clothes and reeled back, "stay away from my children!" she roared, before delivering a headbutt with all her strength. A cracking sound was heard, much louder than when the Demon's ribs were broken. 'What the hell! Did this human woman just crack my skull?!' the Demon thought, brain practically rattling around in his head from the blow. Before he had time to heal, Tanjiro also headbutted him, causing the Demon's skin to crack and blood to spray out, and his nose to start bleeding, 'what the fuck is wrong with these humans?! How can a human do this to a Demon?!' he thought. A blur then sped past, slowing down to reveal Kanae with her sword drawn. 'What was that?!' the Demon wondered as his head fell from his shoulders and rolled on the ground. It and his body then began fading away into ashes. Tanjiro stood up with a sigh, moving over to the disintegrating body, "Kanae-San, this Demon used to be a human like Nezuko, right?" he asked. the Hashira sheathed her sword, "yes" she replied softly, sadly. The teen nodded and placed his hands together in prayer, "then I'll pray that he'll be happy in the afterlife as a human again" he said, closing his eyes as the last of the Demon faded away.

Kanae stared in surprise at Tanjiro, to think, there was another person out their who felt the same way that she did about the Demons. It made her think about what the boy had said to her when she'd met them: "I swear as the oldest Son of Tanjuro and Kei, that I will find a way to cure her, and make Nezuko human again!" Could there really be a way to cure Demons? To make it so that they wouldn't have to kill these tragic creatures? Watching the three Kamado's, Kanae really hoped so.

PF

After burying the bodies of the Demon's victims, and paying their respects, the Hashira tried to check the two human Kamado's heads, "are you sure that you're both alright?" she asked worriedly. "Yes, don't worry. Both my Mom and I have really tough heads. It would take a lot more than that to damage them!" Tanjiro said proudly. Kie nodded in agreement, though there was a hint of amusement in her expression, "don't worry about my Mom either. She once killed a wild boar by headbutting it" Tanjiro explained. Kanae gasped, "did you really Kei-San?" she asked in amazement. The other woman smiled, "of course. I felt bad about killing it, but it was chasing my Son, Takeo, so I had to" she explained. The Flower Hashira giggled, 'you know, I think this woman would make a good Tsuguko' she thought. After picking up their things, the four of them continued on their way.

(Timeskip)

"So where are we going Kanae-San?" Tanjiro asked as they walked. "We're going to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquaters. I have a house their called the Butterfly Estate. It's where I live as a Hashira, and also take care of children I've adopted as well as train my Tsuguko" Kanae explained. "If you don't mind me asking, what's a Tsuguko Ma'am?" Kie asked. The other woman smiled, "not at all. A Tsuguko is the personal student of a Hashira, like myself. I only have one right now, but I wouldn't mind taking on another" she explained. Tanjiro looked down in thought, 'I wonder if I could become a Demon Slayer. Then I could protect Nezuko and Mom too' he wondered. Meanwhile Kie was thinking the same thing, 'if I can become her student then I could protect Tanjiro and Nezuko!' the two kept their thoughts to themselves for the moment and walked in silence. "So, how long will it take us to get to your house Kanae-San?" Tanjiro asked.

"About a week, allowing for breaks" the Hashira replied cheerfully. "A whole week? Wow, you must live very far away from where we did then" he said. "Yes, it's quite far. I hope you don't mind?" Kanae asked. Kie shook her head, "No, that's fine. As long as Nezuko is alright, we'll be fine" she replied. The other woman smiled, "I promise I'll protect Nezuko. I've already written a letter to the Master about everything, so hopefully when we get there, no one will try to kill Nezuko. Although, many Hashira hate all Demons, so I make no promises" the Flower Breath User explained. The two Kamado's shared worried looks, while Tanjiro adjusted Nezuko's basket on her back. "By the way, for two civilians, you two handled yourselves well against that Demon back their" Kanae said cheerfully, clapping her hands. "Oh, thank you. I just acted on instinct when he attacked my Son. I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble" Kei replied apologetically.

Kanae giggled, "no not at all. I was actually impressed. Most people's first reaction to being attacked by a Demon is to run away screaming. But you two fought it head on- literally" she said, giggling more. Tanjiro chuckled when he understood the pun and his Mother smiled. Nezuko watched the three humans with blank confusion in her eyes. Suddenly Tanjiro's stomach growled and he flushed red with embarrassment, "oh, sorry! I haven't had a chance to eat much today" he muttered, looking down. "Neither have I, not with everything that happened" Kei replied. "I have some spare rice balls if you want them" the Hashira said, pulling them out of her kimono. "Are you sure? We don't want to take your food" the Mother replied with a frown. "Please, I've already eaten, and besides, you two might end up being my students soon. I can't just let you starve" Kanae replied. "Well thank you then. Please allow me to cook you something when we get to your house as thanks" Kei offered.

"If you want to, then I don't mind. We'll take a day of rest when we get to my home before I train you, you can cook then" the other woman suggested. Kei smiled gratefully, "thank you very much" she said.

PF

After resting again, the group finally made it to a town just as the sun rose. Nezuko curled up inside her basket again, the three humans went to get settled at a Hotel for the day. Both Tanjiro and Kei were amazed at the Hotel, considering the fact that they'd never been inside one before. Tanjiro noticed that Kanae was hiding her sword. She bought their rooms, "yes, I would like two rooms for two days please" she asked the woman at the front desk. Tanjiro watched her curiously. Upon getting their room keys, Kanae led them to two rooms that were next to each other. "Your Mother and I will take this one Tanjiro-Kun, you and your sister can have the other. Don't forget to close the curtains before you let your sister out of her basket" she said, causing Tanjiro to nod in understanding. "Hold on, let me tuck you in. you are the only ones I can do that for now" Kei said. Tanjiro nodded, "thank you Mom" he replied gratefully.

After closing the curtains in the room, Tanjiro removed the cover on Nezuko's basket. The young Demon crawled out, before moving straight for the bed. Her Mother smiled gently, before removing Nezuko's shoes and Haori. "Here you go Nezuko, a nice soft bed to sleep in" she said, pulling the blanket up over her daughter once she was settled. Almost immediately Nezuko closed her eyes and was fast asleep. After fixing up Nezuko's blankets, Kie moved over to her Son. Tanjiro lay down in the bed, and smiled as his Mother adjusted his blankets as well, "are you warm enough dear?" she asked softly, so as not to wake her daughter. "Yes Mom, I'm fine. You know, I'm really glad you're here with me. Nezuko too. I don't know what I'd do if I was the only one from our family to survive" his gaze turned sad, 'I would probably become consumed with hatred and revenge. I mean, yes, I hate whoever did this to my family, of course I do. But-' he looked over at Nezuko, sleeping soundly in the bed, and then at his Mother, who tenderly brushed some of his hair away from his face, 'even so, I feel like I can still just be me. As long as I have some of my family here, I can just be myself' he thought as he slowly fell asleep.

"Have a good sleep you two" Kie whispered, before standing up to leave the room. Before she did the though, she looked back at her precious children one last time. Then she left their room for the one she was sharing with Kanae-San, quietly closing the door.

PF

The other woman looked up as Kie entered the room. "Are they asleep then?" she asked. "Yes, both of them are sleeping peacefully in the other room" Kie replied, pulling the wrap off of her hair and shaking it out. The woman's long black hair fell down her back as the ran her fingers through it before tying it up into a pony tail. "Tomorrow we'll be continuing our journey after eating breakfast, so get as much rest as you can" Kanae said. Kie nodded, "I'll try to anyway" she replied. Yawning, she lay down in bed as the Kocho turned out the light. "Have a good sleep" she said softly, as her eyes slipped closed. Thankfully, she was too exhausted to have nightmares that day.

PF

Later that night, Kie and Tanjiro went with Kanae to have dinner. The Mother had tried to wake Nezuko up, but she was fast asleep. Kie was worried, but the Hashira had checked the Demon girl over and assured both human Kamado's that Nezuko was fine. "If I had to guess, I'd say that she's sleeping to recover her strength and heal her injuries since she's not eating humans" Kanae said. "What makes you think that Ma'am?" Tanjiro asked in surprise. "Well, most Demons don't sleep at all, plus they would eat humans to regain their strength and help them heal. Nezuko isn't doing that, so sleeping is the only other option" the Flower Breath User explained. Kie thought about it. She supposed it made sense. "Alright, let's go get some dinner" the Hashira said. "I promise we'll pay you back for all the money you're spending on us" the Kamado woman said with a bow.

"Oh, no please, don't even worry about it," Kanae replied, shaking her head "the fact that I can protect the one Demon I've ever met that doesn't eat humans is thanks enough" she said. "But we have to pay you back for your kindness, otherwise we would just be seen as selfish!" Tanjiro exclaimed. Kanae thought back to the other person she knew who was just as selfless as these two: 'Kanao'. She smiled, "thank you for the offer, but it's alright to be a little selfish sometimes. Don't run yourselves dry just for me, please." Tanjiro frowned, and looked down, "living the way we did, we learned to be thankful for everything we had. And to everyone who helped us along the way. Being selfish was just asking for trouble. If we helped and were kind to others, then they would do the same for us. Even if they didn't, we would at least know that we'd done the right thing" he said. The other woman smiled gently, "if only more humans were like you two" she said. "Right, let's go get breakfast" Kanae decided. Tanjiro nodded and turned to his sister, "we'll be back soon Nezuko" he said, stroking her head.

His Mother sighed as they left the room and locked the door. "Alright, what would you two like for dinner then?" the Hashira asked. "If I had to choose, how about some Udon?" Tanjiro asked. Kie nodded, "that sounds good" she agreed. "Alright then, let's go" Kanae said. As the three left the building, Tanjiro looked around, "I've never seen a town at night time before" he said curiously. "Yes, it's surprisingly bright" his Mother agreed, surprised. "Just stay with me. Sometimes Demons attack humans in towns like this. But if you're with me, then I can protect you" Kanae ordered. Tanjiro nodded, "yes Ma'am" he agreed easily. They stopped at an Udon Cart, "can I have a bowl of Udon with grated Yam on top please?" the teen asked. "I would like some Udon with cabbage if that's alright" Kei asked. After getting their orders, the two sat down on a bench nearby to eat. 'This is good' Tanjiro thought, looking around, 'I've never been to another town other than the one at the foot of our mountain. I wonder what Kanae-San's house is like?' he thought to himself.

After eating, the group returned to their Hotel. They found Nezuko still asleep in her bed. Tanjiro frowned, slightly worried, 'she's fine. Kanae-San said so. There's no reason to worry' he thought. Soon everyone went back to bed. Knowing that the next day they would continue travelling.

PF

The next few days followed the same pattern. Nezuko would be let out of her box to walk once night fell as long as there were no humans nearby. Along the way, the Flower Hashira killed several Demons that came after them or that they ran into. Nezuko helped sometimes as well, usually with superhumanly powerful kicks. And no matter what happened, Nezuko didn't attack any of the humans that they ran into. Kanae kept track of each instance to report to the Master. Finally, after two weeks they reached the Butterfly Estate. "Wow, is this where you live Kanae-San?" Kie asked in shock. "Yes, this is the Buttefly Estate. This is where I live" Kanae replied. Upon entering the building, they were met with four young girls. One of them was a girl around Tanjiro's age dressed in a pink kimono and with her hair tied up in a side pony tail that was held up with a butterfly hair pin similar to Kanae's. The others were three younger girls.

All had butterfly hair clips as well, in either blue, pink or green. "Master, you're back" one of the little girls said happily. She had long black hair tied into two pony tails with blue butterfly hair pins tying them up. The second girl had short, dark purple hair grown down to her shoulders and two pink butterfly clips holding it to the sides. The third little girl had two twin braids on either side of her head with green butterfly hair ties keeping them tied up. Kanae smiled gently, "Kanao, Sumi, Naho, Kiyo. I'm glad to see you're all doing well" she said. She then moved to introduce the two Kamado's, "This is Kie Kamado and her Son Tanjiro. She has a daughter as well, but I will talk to you about her later. They are going to be living here from now on, so please be respectful girls" Kanae asked. "Okay" the three younger girls replied cheerfully. Meanwhile, Kanao, who was watching them with a smile simply nodded. "Alright, let me show you to your rooms now" the Flower Hashira said. As they left, the three waved goodbye, "we'll see you both later Mrs Kamado, Mr Tanjiro!" Sumi called. However, Tanjiro couldn't help staring at the older girl, Kaneo, 'her scent is-' he thought, cutting his thoughts off to follow the adults.

PF

Kie helped her Son set Nezuko up in her new bed, "here you go Nezuko-Chan, Kanae-San said that you could use this room" she said, as Tanjiro made sure that the curtains were closed and that no sunlight could get into the room. He turned to see his Mother stroking Nezuko's hair, "you can get as much sleep as you need to, okay? And we'll be here waiting for you when you wake up". Tanjiro went to stand next to her as he stared down at his younger sister as well, "Mom, do you think Nezuko will be safe here?" he asked worriedly. "I'm sure of it. Kanae-San promised us that she'd protect her after all. You're the one with the enhanced sense of smell. Did she smell like she was lying Son?" Kie asked. "No. I couldn't smell any deception from her. I just don't know about these other Hashira that she told us about. If they all really hate Demons as much as she said they do- what if they find out about Nezuko? I can't lose any one else!" Tanjiro replied, trembling as he fought bravely to hold back her tears.

"Oh baby" his Mother cooed, reaching out and pulling her Son into her arms. At that point he couldn't take it anymore and broke down into quiet sobs. "Shh, it will be okay, I promise you. I will become a Demon Slayer, and I won't allow anyone, be it a Demon or one of these Hashira to harm you or Nezuko. I swear as your Mother. And then I will find a way to turn your sister back into a human again," Kei hugged Tanjiro before gently cupping his cheeks, wiping his tears away, "I will make sure that you and Nezuko get to live a long life as humans. Because that's my job as your Mother" she said, kissing his forehead. While she hugged him, Kei closed her eyes, 'Tanjuro, Dear, please give me strength to protect them' she prayed in her mind.

To Be Continued