What I saw earlier wasn't just a dream. I also saw a vision of a future that I would never allow to happen – a future where Kyojuro dies. Their fight took forever and just a moment… Somehow, I was able to keep up with them. Kyojuro, no matter how amazing of a fighter he was, was still human.

And for all the kindness he's shown me, Akaza-san… he was a monster. He kept on praising Kyojuro's fighting spirit and technique but then belittles him due to his humanity. I can't believe this!

He looked so bloody and beaten, but Kyojuro was still smiling, and voice still booming cheerfully and energetically around us. "I will fulfill my duties. I won't let anybody here die!" My vision came back to my mind… this. This was how Kyojuro – I won't let it!

They both went to attack, kicking up dust around them. That was the only moment that I was thankful for becoming a demon. I pushed my body to move as fast as it could, and I felt something pierce my chest as I frantically tried to cover Kyojuro's torso with frost – hoping it'd serve as some sort of armor.

Simultaneous calls of my name rang around me, the one taking most of my attention was the call from the man whose arm was piercing through me. "Y/N!" It was the name Kibutsuji called me years ago. The name Akaza-san knows me as.

"Y/N-chan!" Kyojuro… "I can't let you… die!" Talking with someone's arm piercing through your chest was not great and was very painful, as I discovered. Still, I didn't stop. I just had to tell Kyojuro… "Kyo-kun – ah. You said… growing old and dying…" I realized it was much too long, the speech I had in my head so I went right to the point. "Don't miss out on the growing old part!" I willed my blood demon art to work, locking Akaza-san's arm in place.

I thought Akaza-san would become angrier – more murderous, but he reacted as if I was the one whose arm was piercing his chest. It made me hesitate as if this was all something we could resolve with a friendly chat.

"You're standing between me and another hashira? You're protecting him?" It was a quiet whisper that showed how dejected he felt. I never imagined I'd ever go against Akaza-san, and he seemed to have thought the same. I want to say I felt guilty… but all I felt was anger. I was so angry at him for hurting Kyojuro.

Behind me, Kyojuro mustered his remaining strength and went for Akaza-san's neck. Fear flashed in his eyes, and his free arm went for Kyojuro's face!

I turned, scared to see what happened. "You… s-stopped 'im?" Suddenly, I can feel Akaza-san trying to tug his arm off me, well out of me, I guess? "Y/N, let go! Let go or we'll both die!"

"I won't let her die! And I won't let you go either!" It was a complicated struggle. One of Akaza-san's arm was frozen in me, both of my hands trying to keep him in place. His other arm was in Kyojuro's hold and I know he won't be letting go as well, while Kyojuro's other arm is pushing his sword through Akaza-san's neck.

Seeing it up close… I'm letting Akaza-san die. My first friend as a demon, the one who showed me kindness… I was angry, but I still didn't want him to die.

"Inosuke, move! Move for Rengoku-san!" Panic was on Akaza-san's face when – Ah! It was akin to an explosion! In a desperate move, Akaza-san somehow managed to blow his arms and cut himself free from our hold before running off.

"She'll burn – Argh!" Was all he managed to say before Tanjirou's sword pierced through him and darkness enveloped me. Kyojuro wrapped his haori around me, trying to cover me from the rising sun. Making sure my back was at the sun, I stubbornly lifted the haori enough so that I could assess Kyojuro's injuries.

"Y/N-chan, cover your face."

"You're hurt!" I tried to raise my voice, but Akaza-san's arm was still piercing through me. Trying to remove the frost, I began to pull it out. I know I won't die no matter what kind of injury it is, but the pain made me feel like I was dying anyway.

"So are you! And if the sunlight gets to you…" I think Kyojuro was trying to stop me from removing the arm. For a human, that's probably the right move. But I'm not a human. "I'll… ah. I'll heal right away, don't worry. And your haori's covering me."

I realized how slow my regeneration has gotten was once I removed the arm. It makes sense since I've never eaten humans before, but with how painful it was I might as well as just be a human at how ridiculous it was.

Kyojuro's left eye was crushed. His bones broken, and organs are probably bruised and beaten. I can't help but feel scared that he'd die.

"Ice!"

"Ice?" I nodded, willing frost to cover my hands. "Yes. It will help you." I hoped. A thin layer of frost to help with the swelling that I'm sure was happening to his organs. One of my frost-covered hands traveled to his face, to at least relieve the pain on his injured eye. Smoke started to appear on my hand at the touch of sunlight but I wasn't afraid. It was stupid, really. I should have realized I will be of no help as a pile of ashes, but my mind was focused on how much I wanted to relieve any pain Kyojuro was feeling.

I was more afraid of Kyojuro dying and being in pain than I was of burning to death. His hand then covered mine, stopping the sun's ray from touching my skin. "Y/N…" That's right, he did say he won't let me die. I looked up to him, and it hurts how he could only use a single eye. Still, I showed him a smile. A way to comfort him and tell him it'll alright.

"Y/N-chan! Rengoku-san!" Despite the pain and exhaustion, Kyojuro was smiling when he looked over at Tanjirou. "Kamado, my boy!" By then, the sun was almost up, so I had no choice but to wrap the haori around me completely. Commanding my body to become smaller, Kyojuro scooped me up and made sure I was comfortably covered as he continued to talk to the others. I wanted to keep on helping him with his injuries, however exhaustion and pain seemed to take over once it was all over.

When I woke up, I was in a dark room. "Mmm oomph!" I turned to see that my only company was Nezuko. "Nezuko-chan, I'm glad you're okay." She looked relatively fine. "Ah, Kyo-kun!" I stood and went outside before even checking if it was night or day.

It was late afternoon, so I didn't really have to worry much. I was indoors already, anyway. For once, my sense of smell was actually useful and it helped me in finding Kyojuro.

"Demon girl." Inosuke was the first face… or mask, that I saw. They were in a huge room with several beds. Him, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Kyojuro. He was covered with bandages – even his face. I felt some relief when his hand was still very warm.

"He's going to be okay, Y/N-san. If you hadn't blocked that blow, he would've died." Tanjirou said, pointing at where a hole should have been still on my body. "It's the least that I could do. I heal right away."

"But it still hurts, right? Even if you do heal, getting injuries like that is still painful." It was the demon slayer Zenitsu that said that. "Yes. It hurts, but I won't die. I…" I looked over at Kyojuro, who was still asleep as I talk with the other demon slayers in the room, "I can't let him – any of you die." Demon slayers have been protecting people for a very long time – has been protecting my family. Keeping them alive is something I could do to thank them.

There was nothing to do at the Butterfly Estate but wait for Kyojuro to wake up. Aoi-san, who works there, said that Kyojuro's body is trying to repair itself over time and is why he'd take a while to wake up. It was nothing to worry about she said. But I do worry. It seems to be the only thing I could do.

It wasn't like I had any injuries to recover from. There was no evidence of me getting hurt at all. I spent my day in the room I woke up in, Nezuko-chan's head on my lap as I anxiously played with her hair.

My mind drifted back to Akaza-san. To how he looked down upon Kyojuro's humanity. I knew he's supposed to be one of the strongest demons with him being upper-rank three, but it still surprised me. I guess it wasn't his strength but the… monstrosity that I saw. I wasn't just scared of him, but there's this deep worry within me that I am like that, too. Maybe that's why Yusuke reacted that way the time I protected him and Keiko-san. It didn't matter why I was fighting. I looked like the monster that I was.

"Mhhm hmmph!" Ah! "My… I'm sorry Nezuko-chan!" My anxious fingers apparently made a mess of her hair which I needed to untangle carefully. Looking at Nezuko, I almost forgot that she's a demon like me. Almost. The bamboo gag she has on made it impossible. I don't understand why Kibutsuji would attack a family in the mountains. Their youngest brother was just a toddler!

Maybe it has got something to do with the hanafuda earrings Tanjirou was wearing. It's something I've seen a couple of times in my vision. It's something that makes me feel scared.

I finished untangling Nezuko's hair, opting to just brush my hands through it. The black strands that fade into an orange color – bright and pretty like flowers. Was Nezuko-chan the demoness in my vision? The one that was able to walk under sunlight?

After a while, Nezuko moved from her spot on my lap and went on to lay in bed and was asleep almost immediately. She really just sleeps instead of eating. I wish I was the same, but I get hungry. Not like what I eat satisfies me, but I think the habit of eating is something I needed.

I was served sashimi during meal times, and I didn't want to be picky but it simply wasn't enough. Aoi-san noticed, and without a word left my room before coming back with a dressed chicken. Maybe three dressed chickens.

"Ah, Y/N-chan." Tanjirou greeted as he shuffled into the room. He walked over to Nezuko's bed, tucking her in and smiling to himself. It made me miss my family, seeing that little interaction. I decided to write another letter, to Yori this time.

"Nezuko-chan's very fortunate to have you as a brother, Tanjirou-kun." It was true. It was my case too, as both my parents and Yori accepted me for what I was. Yusuke… Yusuke was what other demons would get. That is if they didn't eat their relatives first.

"She's the only family I have left. I can't lose her, too." He sat next to me on my bed, hand flying to where he was stabbed. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. Both of you." He nodded, a solemn look on his face. I realized I didn't tell Tanjirou and Kyojuro about my older brother… about how Kibutsuji killed him and basically served him up to me to eat, and I almost did.

I don't know why I decided to talk about that with Tanjirou, but I started telling him the story before I could stop myself. "You know, I have three brothers. Yuichii-nii, Yori, then Yusuke. Yusuke is five years younger than me, and he was the one who found me again." "The one you didn't recognize?" I nodded. "Yes. When I saw him again, he was older than me. He… he and his fiancée were attacked by a demon." Tanjirou gasped, like the great listener he was, "I jumped in, fought the demon. That was the first time I've ever threatened to kill anyone." I couldn't help but be reminded of the sadness and pain I felt that night. It must've been obvious as Tanjirou asked me if I was able to save them.

"I was. Yusuke… he was so scared of me. And angry. He didn't want me anywhere near him, so I left. With no way to kill the demon, I dragged him with me. Away from my brother." I could tell how Tanjirou felt about Yusuke's reaction. There were disbelief and pity. "So, the demon lived?" I shook my head. "No. A demon slayer was watching the whole time. Urokodaki-san used his sword. It's how I got into contact with the Ubuyashiki family."

"Urokodaki? Urokodaki Sakonji?" Turns out, Urokodaki-san was the one who trained Tanjirou. It's good to know that he's still alive. Maybe I should go see him? It's not like we're friends or anything, but it'd be nice to see him. "I'm glad Urokodaki-san didn't…"

"Kill me? I am, too. Yusuke wasn't. He said he'd only talk to me if I could stand under the sun with him. My other brother, Yori, was the opposite. He was the one apprehensive about my return. But when he found out the truth – what really happened to me, he welcomed me back with open arms."

"What about your other brother, Yuichii?" "He's dead. Murdered by Kibutsuji Muzan." I felt him shudder at that, probably reminding him of his own family. "When he turned me, I woke up to my brother in pieces. I almost ate him… had his arm in my mouth. Seeing Yuichii-nii's face made me stop. I think it's why I couldn't eat humans."

Tanjirou's hand was warm, giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze. I'm sure by not that it wasn't only us whose lives were destroyed by Kibutsuji. He should be stopped.

Sensing the mood to be a very sad, Tanjirou told me stories of his journey so far. His tales made me want to know both Zenitsu-san and Inosuke-san more. "Oh! Tamayo-san!" I tilted my head, wondering why Tanjirou began calling someone. "Tamayo-san is a demon I met and I'm helping her with developing a cure."

"What cure?" "For Nezuko to be human again! You, Y/N-chan could be human again!" My throat was suddenly dry, and my heart felt like it dropped to my stomach. "I could be human again? There really is a way?" Tanjirou nodded, telling me about Tamayo-san's research, how he sends them the blood of the demons he fought and how he should have taken a sample of Akaza-san's blood since he's one of the closest to Kibutsuji. The best samples, he said, would be the blood of any demon moons.

"I'm a demon moon." He was very surprised at that. To convince him, I showed him my real eyes. "Seventh moon? You… what?" His surprise turned into confusion, so I told him about my visions and how Kibutsuji made me a demon moon. "Although, I haven't received any blood from Kibutsuji in a very long time… maybe my blood would be useless after all."

"No, I'm sure it'll help!"

I was helping Aoi in the kitchen when Sumi-chan grabbed me and told me, "he's awake! Rengoku-sama's awake!" She didn't have to say anything else.

"Kyo-kun!" He was sitting up on his bed, bandages still covering almost half his face, and was talking to Tanjirou and the others when I got there. The relief that I felt when I saw him smile was just… ah. I could only express it in one way, and Kyojuro seemed to understand as he had his arms wide open as I went in for a hug.

Apparently, I was crying, and Kyojuro did his best to comfort me. "I'm alright, Y/N-chan. I won't be missing out on growing old now."