Suppose you're a traveler of some sorts... it's easy to forget sometimes about the little things as well as the big things that come in and out of a chaotic lifestyle that one would choose live. Occasionally, there comes a person who will come up every now and then that brings up those memories that you would … prefer… to forget.
It's an interesting thing, this person. They themselves possess their own memories that they'd prefer not remembering. Though…the memories of their night of horror left scars across their face. For the other…their memories are branded on their brain.
Taisho Era, 1915
In the countryside, just outside of Tokyo at an old shrine, a priest sat on the roof of the empty temple drinking sake and bathed in the moonlight.
"Hmm," he said to himself. "This new brand is tasty; a fine beverage to consume on a nice and relaxing night."
The priest was waiting for an old ally to arrive. Usually, at this hour, people were coming through often so they could pray to Tsukuyomi, buy charms blessed by the priest and the god, and to buy fortune scrolls.
The priest, a strange person for the region, would only perform his duties during the night and carried on with his routines as he would during the daytime. The locals thought he was interesting character; never coming out during the day and only coming out at night. As well as constantly wearing a kitsune mask.
On a particular night, he was sitting peacefully on the balcony of his home he had built on the shrine grounds. Then, a knock came on the door. "Excuse me, Sir?" said the head shrine maiden.
"You may enter, Hitomi." She opened the door and came out to see only his backside with his face facing the fields behind the shrine's grounds. "Is there something wrong?"
"None, sir," she said. "Since the shrine is mostly empty, I was planning on going into town to buy some supplies for the other shrine maidens. I wanted to ask if I may take the cart with me to town."
"Yes, that is fine by me, Hitomi. And, if you happen to pass by a vendor selling drinks from the west, could you see if they happen to have this brand." He turned the bottle around to show the label.
"Jack…Daniels? Huh? Forgive me, Sir Michikatsu, I didn't expect you to be the type to drink alcohol." He chuckled at her statement.
"There's nothing to apologize for, little one. Nor you or the other maidens see me eat or drink anything aside from water or the juice the town's people offer. It is only natural to think in such a way. Besides, this was a gift from a visitor who came from Spain. The newfound country in the west began making this and the Spaniard offered it to me as a gift." He poured the liquor into a cup and offered it to her.
"Forgive me, Sir, but I am still too young for it."
"I'm sure Tsukuyomi would forgive this one act of indulgence, Hitomi." She smiled and bowed her head int gratitude. Then, she picked up the cup and drank it with ease.
"It's smoother than most of the sake that the sake you've offered me before." Michikatsu smiled to himself and put his mask back on before turning around to face her.
"I'll see you off, my child. Take Tatsumaki with you as well. The girl spends more time here training in her breathes than going out into town." Hitomi laughed and the two walked to the front where they met Tatsumaki sitting behind the scroll counter. "Close it down for right now, lass," said Michikatsu. "There isn't a need for all three of them to be open."
"Right, Sir!" screamed Tatsumaki. She got up and went to fetch her blade and brought the cart to the front.
Hitomi hopped on and smiled at Michikatsu as she bid him farewell for the time being. "Please me safe, little one."
She sighed when he called her "little one". There's no need to keep calling me that, father." He hugged her and then they were off.
Michikatsu sighed as he watched them go off. He reflected on the day that he found her, and her mother's torn up, lifeless body just steps away from the shrine's entrance. "Sora, I hope I did good in raising your child in your absence."
"You don't seem to be the type to concern yourself with worries such as these, Michikatsu." He turned around and saw a pair of familiar faces that stood before him.
He look to his left and said, "You, I was expecting to see." And then, he turned to his right, "You, not so much."
The siblings smiled great and wide at his remark. "I suppose that that's an appropriate response to my presence here. It is rare when I have time to come down from heaven and greet the children of the world properly." Michikatsu looked around and saw that time had been frozen for the moment; or maybe it was that the maidens themselves were frozen. After almost 500 years, he could never tell what kind of power it is that this pair possess. Even after all this time, he was still frightened by the two of them.
He bowed his head and thank the two for coming to visit the shrine and for visiting him. "I suppose that no matter how many times I tell you to stop doing that, you won't listen to me, will you, old friend?"
"Forgive me if this seems rude, my Lord, but I must show you the respect that you deserve; especially when in front of your sister."
"Does that imply that you fear her more than me?" asked Tsukuyomi.
"My Lord, though you have my sincerest gratitude for severing my connecting with Muzan, I am far more terrified of your sister's wrath than yours by a lot." The two laughed at his statement and unfroze the people around them. "Come, let us rest and drink in my private quarters." On the way, Michikatsu called to a shrine maiden walking past the trio. "Sayuri," he called out.
"Yes, Lord Michikatsu," she replied as she bowed his head.
"Please, go to the kitchen and inform Kokomi than my special guests have arrived. She will know the meaning behind the words you speak."
"Yes, Sir! Right away!" she hurried to the kitchen and tripped as she turned a corner.
"Are you all right?" he called out to her.
"I'm not dead!" she replied, making them laugh. She came out from the corner. "Thank you for your concern, Sir! I will be at your quarters momentarily!" She bowed in gratitude and made her way to the kitchen.
"You have an interesting variety of characters here, Michikatsu," said Amaterasu.
"Thank you, Lady Ama," he replied. "They are all good children who truly have shown their gratitude towards me and the job I've given them."
"That is putting it mildly, old friend," said Tsukuyomi. "Finding children on the street and giving former red light district workers a place to earn a decent living and earn clean money and a home to properly lay their heads down on is something that not many people would give a second thought to. It goes without saying that, throughout this world, you're one of the few being with the title "Priest" that have truly pure intentions when it comes to the people who come here."
"Is that so?" he asked. They arrived at his private quarters and took off their sandals before entering to walk across the room to his balcony. Moments later, Kokomi, the cook of the shrine, came and delivered drinks, freshy cooked meat, and large portions of rice.
She bowed her head as she spoke, "Please, enjoy this meal for which I have prepared for you, my Lords. And thank you for your continuous protection over the head priest, this land, and over my sisters here at the shrine." Amaterasu smiled and shimmied her way to the Kokomi and grabbed her hands.
"You have such a wonderful smiled and such a bright, beautiful soul, Kokomi." She gave her a hug before allowing her to leave.
"Please, eat!" he said. Michikatsu began pouring drinks for the Gods sitting before him; tea, sake, and the whiskey he had.
Amaterasu picked up the wooden cup and observed it before drinking it. "Now that is a smooth and sweet beverage." Michikatsu began to serve himself and began mixing his bowl of rice with his "blood pudding"; it's not so much "pudding" per se, but blood that was left out and thickened into a pudding like substance. Kokomi mixes blood from animals with ingredients that she found suitable for Michikatsu's diet.
After 30 minutes or so of eating, Michikatsu spoke about their arrival. "Please, what is it that sparked both of you coming over?"
The siblings looked at each other before saying what it is that needed to be spoken. "I suppose it was wishful thinking that you'd think my sister and I came for just a visit."
He chuckled. "I would prefer if those moments came more often, but, as unfortunate as it is, they don't. So, what has occurred? Has another Hashira been killed?" Suddenly, the door was opened and Hitomi was seen holding a tray with more alcohol and ice.
She was shocked and bowed in apology. "Please forgive me! I was told that you had special guests and hurried with freshly chopped ice a bottle of the alcohol that you like, Head Priest!"
"Please calm yourself, Hitomi," said Michikatsu as he got up to calm down his child. "You don't have to be so formal right now. Especially with these people." He assured her that being formal wasn't a necessity for the moment. Then, she took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Then, Papa why didn't you tell me that Aunt Ama and Uncle Tsu were coming!? Huh!?"
"Huh," he thought to himself. "She's usually so calm and formal. I forgot that she can be like this sometimes." After ranting at him, she walked over to greet and hug Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi and began to pour them drinks in glass cups she got from the vendor.
"It is quite lovely to see that you're as lively as ever, Hitomi." said Tsukuyomi as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Please, sit with us. What we were talking about may also concern you at some point in the future." Chills ran down Michikatsu's spine when he heard that; a rare thing to occur. He sat back down and was given a glass for Hitomi to pour whiskey into.
"What is it?" he asked.
Tsukuyomi sighed and spoke. "Muzan Kibutsuji has found and killed the descendants of your younger brother."
Michikatsu froze for a moment; mostly from the shock of hearing that his brother had descendants. Hitomi looked at Michikatsu and understood, even with the mask on, that this bit of information was heavy to hear. "Papa?" she said as she gently pushed him to get some sense back into her.
"Forgive me, my child," he said to her. "I'm not sure what to say about it, frankly."
"Hitomi, you must be at ease with your father. This bit of information isn't an easy thing to consume." spoke Amaterasu. "Up until now, your uncle was just a lingering thought in the back of your father's mind. Learning that during his life that he had a child is a bit more than shocking to hear. Even more so after a little over 400 years, his particular bloodline carried on until then."
Michikatsu didn't say a word more. He heard what they were saying but chose not to say a thing. Realizing this, Hitomi took hold of the conversation. "How much time has passed since the time of their deaths?"
"About 2 years," said Tsukuyomi. "The news only came to us after hearing from a Shinigami who went on to claim their souls. Rather…the difficulty in trying to take them into the afterlife."
"What does that mean, uncle?" asked Hitomi.
"They recently deceased members of the Kamado Clan are choosing to stay within limbo to watch over the remaining member of the Kamado's."
"Does that mean that there is only one left?"
"Unfortunately, it is so…"
"Kamado?" muttered Michikatsu. "That was the name of my mother before she was wedded to my father. I didn't expect that Yoriichi to find another woman after Uta died."
"It's more that he didn't know about it."
"What?!" screamed Michikatsu. "What does that mean?"
"I asked the Shinigami in charge of overseeing that Kamado Clan this question because it too piqued my interest. As it would seem, Yoriichi had slept with a woman who married into the Kamado Clan. Since her sleeping with Yoriichi and Sumiyoshi were so close to each other, she was convinced that her child belonged to Sumiyoshi and not your brother."
"Huh…" said Michikatsu. "My brother has descendants, huh? Oh…I suppose I should say 'descendant', huh?"
"It would seem so, my dear friend," said Tsukuyomi.
"What of my cousin, though?" asked Hitomi. "Where is he right now?"
"Right now, he has taken up residence at the, aptly named, Butterfly Mansion; an estate that belongs to the Insect Hashira."
"Insect?" questioned Michikatsu. "Is that some new breathing style"
"Yes, a creation of the Insect Hashira. While on the subject, it seems that she has taken a liking to the young Kamado. Though, I believe that it is more out of guilt than love."
"What do you mean guilt?" asked Michikatsu. "What occurred that led you to this conclusion?"
"Before, one became one, there were two survivors of Muzan's attack. The first being Tanjiro who, upon returning to his massacred family, discovered his sister being the only survivor of that monster's attack. However, instead of instantly killing her, he pumped so much blood into her body that the outcome of her survival seemed incredibly low. In a strange set of circumstances, the child was too stubborn to die and clanged onto life long enough to fully transform into a demon."
"Then, what killed her?" asked Michikatsu.
Amaterasu sighed and drank from her glass. "I suppose calling that creature that did the job a 'what' is appropriate."
"What was it?" asked Hitomi.
"The current Wind Hashira. His name is Sanemi Shinazugawa."
"A Hashira killed her?!" screamed Michikatsu.
"Yes…" Tsukuyomi said before starring off into his whiskey.
"I and our brother, Susanoo, saw it happen. Tanjiro was taken to the Ubuyashiki estate to be put on trial for keeping his sister, a demon, safe instead of killing her for simply being a demon. Had things gone the way they should have, Nezuko Kamado would still be alive and carrying on with her life."
Hitomi took a minute before continuing with this conversation. "How was she killed?" asked Michikatsu.
"In an attempt to convince Kaguya Ubuyashiki that she must be killed, he offered her a bit of his blood but, with shock to the rest of the Hashira, she turned her head in disgust when she was offered his blood. When the meeting was coming to an end and he gave his order over Nezuko, in a fit of rage, Sanemi threw the young Nezuko into the sun and killed her."
Michikatsu was still in shock of hearing all of this. "Where was Tanjiro in the middle of all this?"
"He was held down by the Snake Hashira as he watched his little sister die in front of him."
"Hmm," he mumbled to himself.
"Such heartless beasts!" screamed Hitomi. "How could they even do something like this?! Aren't they supposed to be examples to the other members of the Demon Slayers!?"
"Hitomi!" yelled Michikatsu. "Please, calm yourself. These emotions won't do you any good. At any rate, what's done is done. I doubt that they would have faced such a horrific punishment like in my time; though, in my time, such an action against the master's final word would have resulted in them having to perform seppuku. How sad that the Demon Slayer Corps. of today has softened."
"Forgive me, Father," she bowed in apology. "I know that what you say is true, it's just…a member of our family has met this set of circumstances and is suffering because of the choice and idiot made. To add on to that, that idiot of a 'master' does nothing to punish them."
"If it makes you feel better, they've cut his pay in half."
"That does very little to comfort me, uncle," she replied.
"Enough, my child!" yelled Michikatsu. "Is this really all that you both wanted to tell me, my friends? Am I right in assuming that there is a reason that there is a deeper meaning to you coming here and telling me?"
"You are, Michikatsu," replied Amaterasu.
"In the coming months, your young Kamado's path will come across with yours in the future."
"Are you certain of that!?" he asked them.
"I'm not certain what the details are in this coming collision, but I do understand that young Tanjiro will be coming through here soon. Specifically, as I far and as best as I can see, to fight a member of the Kizuki. Which one he would fight specifically eludes me as well. Though, when I do try and look forward in time to see that fight, he strikes a strong resemblance to Yoriichi. He even wears your brother's earrings."
"Really? I was wondering what he had done with them. They weren't on his body when he died." said Michikatsu.
"Yes. Those earrings have been passed down through the Kamado family bloodline for generations since Sumiyoshi received them; as well as Yoriichi's Sun Breathing techniques. They've adopted them and use them in a dance to the fire god. Though, the Young Kamado has begun understanding that these are a sort of breathing technique."
For a while longer, they spoke until it was time to make their return to the heavens. Hitomi began cleaning up the dirty dishes that were on the table. Michikatsu looked to the moon and took off his mask. Hitomi didn't hesitate to look at her father's face; a rare occurrence for her. She looked at her Father who was greatly conflicted with layers of emotions that could be easily read across his face. Specifically, for Hitomi, she understood that the 400 yearlong guilt that has lingered within his chest has risen to great lengths.
"Hitomi," he called out to her.
"Yes, papa?" she replied.
"Please, leave that there for the time being. Accompany me to the tomb."
"Oh! Yes, Papa! Should I fetch a jug of his favourite liquor?"
"Yes, please do, my child. I shall wait at the back entrance."
Michikatsu walked down and shocked many of the shrine maidens he walked past. Normally, he would carry his usual, demon ridden face of 6 eyes without a problem. This night, since he didn't want to cause a commotion, he transformed his face to look as best as it did when he was still human.
"Yoriichi…" he thought as he made his way. He arrived at the back and sat down at the bench where he found other shrine maidens enjoying a quick smoke. They jumped to raise their blades at the sight of a mysterious man with an intense aura. "Huh," he thought. "They're a bit too gun-ho with attacking strangers." He sighed as he reached for his own blade and unleashed a minimal percent of his power. "Ninth Form, Waning Moonswaths." The shrine maidens were taken back as they dodged his attack.
"Head Priest!?" screamed one of them.
He chuckled. "Yes, my child," he replied. "It is I on this fine spring night. Forgive me for giving you all a fright. I wasn't expecting to see any of you out here. Nor was I expecting to discover that any of you are tobacco smokers." They all began to grovel and beg for his forgiveness. Michikatsu laughed at this remark and smiled at them. "Please, raise your heads and continue with you smoke break. Frankly, your swordsmanship deserves some praise, but also could use some work with to it."
Hitomi came out, calm and collected, to fine the other shrine maidens on the ground. She looked at him and explained it all with a simple look at his daughter. "All of you, please, rise from your knees and get back to work. Frankly, I wish you all would stop putting that stuff in your body. God know whatever is in it can't be good for you." She looked at the Michikatsu and approached him. "Shall we make our way, Lord Michikatsu?"
He smiled at her and stood up. "Yes, Hitomi," he replied. The shrine maidens got up and bowed their heads, wishing them all a safe journey and a safe return.
They walked down a path that Michikatsu had made over the years; partly because Hitomi had begun to make her own visits to the grave during the daytime. Hearing that for the first time made him smile when he thought about it. "Hmm, she's already 18," he thought as she took a quick glance at her. "I've brought you up ever since you were a baby, Hitomi. I only hope that I've done a good job taking care of you for as long as I did."
She noticed his quick glance. "Is something wrong, Papa?" she asked him.
"No," he replied. "Nothing is wrong, my child. I'm only remembering the times when you were little, and we'd walk down here together to pay our respects. Thinking about how time went by fast since those times makes wonder if I had done good by your mother." Hitomi blushed when she heard him talk like that.
"Huh. It's rare to hear this type of talk from him." She jumped onto his back and rode it all the way down.
"What's this now?" he asked.
"Can't a daughter get a piggyback ride from her dad?" she said as she laughed great and loud. "It's a bit strange to hear you talk like this, Papa, but it also makes me happy to know that you think about these types of things from time to time."
"Is that so?" he asked.
"I don't know my mother, or even who my biological father is, but in my eyes, you're my one and only parents that I'll always love." He smiled and gave out a feint chuckle.
"You're gonna make your old dad cry if you keep talking like that, my child."
Soon, they arrived at the family graveyard of the Tsugikuni Clan. Hitomi and Michikatsu split up to go and clean the family graves until they met at Yoriichi's grave.
Some would see it as a bit strange that a statue stands in the middle of a graveyard. As he looked around, he noticed that the graves were well maintained, despite their old age. "Have you been taking care of them on your own, Hitomi?" he asked her.
"I wish!" she replied. "If I'm being honest, I wish that I had done this by myself. Really though, the other shrine maidens asked me about where it was, I was always heading when I came down here. After explaining to them, I showed them the way and, from time to time, they come down to help make our family graves neat and clean."
"I see," he replied. "I thought it was strange that my brother's statue wasn't covered in bird poop." From his pocket, he took out an old, handmade flute that he had made for his brother a long time ago. He remembered the smile on his face the night he left the family estate. "Yoriichi," Most of the other graves in the graveyard stood tall as memorial stones rather than a yard where they buried the dead. However, for Yoriichi, when the day came that he had last met his brother, Michikatsu couldn't bring himself to burn his brother's body into ash. So, he chose to entomb his brother's body and constructed this statue above it.
He placed the flute upon the statue's feet and poured Yoriichi's favorite sake into a cup and poured more into two more cups; one for him and the other for Hitomi. "Papa, I'm still underage."
"I'm sure you Auntie and Uncle will forgive his act of delinquency, my child." They drank, picked up the flute, and walked back to the shrine.
Michikatsu took a moment to think about Tanjiro. "Hmm," he said to himself.
"Something on your mind, Papa?" Hitomi asked.
"Nothing too important," he replied. "I'm just wondering what Yoriichi's descendant is doing right now. I know what it's like to lose your sibling. Though the circumstances between our two loses are different, I do understand what it means to lose your only sibling."
She looked at his conflicted face and smiled. "That day will come soon, Papa. Then, we will learn who Tanjiro Kamado is. Then, we, the remnants of the Tsugikuni Clan will be reunited together! Auntie and Uncle in heaven, I swear to this!"
Michikatsu smiled at his energetic child. "Hitomi Tsugikuni," he thought to himself. "I am forever thankful to have found you that day. Tanjiro Kamado, we will meet soon. Until that day, please, carry on with your life and keep moving forward. When we meet, I will welcome you with open arms."
