Kibutsuji Muzan had never much cared for the concept of honor. He supposed it was a nice (if naive) concept, but he'd never understood why humans tended to put that ideal before their own lives and comfort. Someone had once explained that it showed conviction of one's ideals. But why show support to a cause that would die with you? Or something you couldn't continue to change if you died. It was pointless.

It had taken him becoming a demon all those years ago before he realized that the ideal had been created by the weak to hold the strong back – and he'd outgrown his weakness, so he'd outgrown the ideal. Whether by luck or the will of a kami he didn't know, and didn't particularly care, he'd become super human. He was not weak and thus did not have to be held back by society's rules. No one could stop him, no one had any power over him – perceived or otherwise – and thus, he had become a kami himself. A kami who could turn others into lesser kami – his followers. Beings of superior strength and stamina, with power no human could ever really dream of having. Beings that could regrow entire limbs and organs. Beings not susceptible to sickness.

There were still drawbacks to being a demon – mainly the sun problem, the nichirin problem (which was a lesser form of the sun problem) and the wisteria problem. But most of those could be overcome with sheer strength and willpower. Everything except the sun.

No demon had ever conquered the sun.

Yet.

He knew it was a matter of time. He just had to wait and stay in hiding until he could confidently show that he'd conquered all weaknesses – that he'd proven to the world and the kami that he was worthy of his power.

He was still sure that finding the blue spider lily would help in that endeavor, but if one of his demons could conquer the sun without it, then all the better.

Also, once he'd become a kami himself, he'd gone around and looked for others who had been born into a similar position as he had – people who were weak and sick and offered them the chance to become more than they could possibly imagine. (The fact that they tended to be people who would accept any 'cure' or 'help' offered without much complaint or suspicion had nothing to do with it.)

Of course, not every person he offered his blessing to came from the weakest of the weaklings called humans – he did need his own power-houses after all – but surely such benevolence should command respect from benevolent kami. He honestly didn't understand why the demon slayer corp existed to hunt his minions down to begin with. A couple of sacrifices should be worth it for a better, more powerful world.

And he would show the world the truth of this… once he found a solution to his problem with the sun. Until then, he would continue to hide from those who would try and keep him from fully ascending to the heights he so obviously deserved.

He wasn't a coward, he was just (understandably) cautious. He didn't feel fear, just wariness. And maybe sometimes mild surprise… but mostly annoyance at those worms who thought they were worthy enough to try and command, compel or manipulate him – or even say his name, as if it were a mere common name that anyone should say. He was a kami! He deserved respect! After all, he was perfect in every way except for those few problems (two of which, he'd already fixed personally). He had a perfect body, a perfect future ahead of him as soon as he found his blue spider lily or a demon who could conquer the sun, and unlike the others he offered his blessing to, he had a perfect memory (yet another reason why he deserved to command all). He could recall everything and anything from his thousand-year long life, and not just from his own perspective, but from any demons he graced with his presence in their mind.

A shame that the farther he got from the demon, the more difficult it was to hone in on their thoughts and watch through their eyes, but that was also something that seemed to grow stronger with time. But he still remembered it all – every conscious moment of his very long life.

And in none of those moments had he made a 'Waxing Zero' for his Kizuki.

So why did the red-haired brat have those eyes.

He wasn't worried or panicking or scared. Almost-ascended beings such as him didn't feel such plebeian emotions. But he was… concerned, and extremely confused (not that he would admit to such a thing aloud). His mind ran through scenarios of what could possibly be going on, and in the end he came up with a couple of theories.

First, that the traitor demon Tamayo and her hallucinations were somehow involved. He didn't remember her being able to control her 'visions' so specifically, but it could have evolved into something like that given enough time and power.

He'd have to do something about her.

Second, that the demon slayers were trying to lure Muzan out. Humans had recently figured out glass planes one could wear over their eyes to see better. Could they perhaps have discovered something that could go in a human's eye or on top of it? Or perhaps they'd even discovered something similar to the demon's power the he'd absorbed so long ago that allowed him to mark his demons to begin with?

Yes, if this were a trap, then he would have to proceed with caution.

Third… that the kid was somehow a demon. Perhaps he'd come across a similar blue lily medicine? But then why was he marked? With a rank that currently didn't exist. That hadn't ever existed. Had another demon, perhaps, figured out some way to mark a human? If he ever found out one of his chosen blessed had ever decided to do such a thing, he would make sure they regretted every second of their miserable existence for their arrogance and presumption.

But whether it was a deception, a trap or somehow real, for whatever reason, he knew he needed to capture this kid more than ever. Before he could figure this new, extremely concerning development out, he'd need more information.

That meant he'd have to send one of his Waxing Moons for said information… or more than one – because one alone might not be enough…

He would get to the bottom of this. He was too close to let anyone stand in the way of his perfection now.

xXx

Imagawa and Miyabe hadn't spoken much the night before. The whole experience had been exhausting to say the least and neither one of them had had the energy to do much of anything except keep walking. They'd been escorted to the Butterfly Estate, checked over, given beds and told in no uncertain terms to rest. Even with the inevitable nightmares, that hadn't been a difficult task.

To be fair, he'd only woken up once, freaking out about being covered in spiders.

It was a legitimate fear.

He knew he'd gone from hating spiders to absolutely despising them.

And now, here they were, the next morning awkwardly walking towards their mission report with the Insect Hashira, 17-year-old Kocho Shinobu.

Now that he thought about it, so many people in the corps were on the young side. Why was that?

In any case, they were escorted by a kakushi to a room that seemed to double as an office and a lab of some kind, and behind the desk sat the woman in question. She invited them in with a smile (that looked a little creepy) and they took the seats in the chairs in front of her desk. She asked them to report and so they explained everything, taking turns (although mostly Miyabe spoke).

Once they were finished, the Insect Pillar thanked them graciously and asked if they had any questions. And they certainly did. Asking after their comrades gave them the answer that many of their group members had officially quit or retired, but they hadn't lost a single member to death. There had been a total of five fatal casualties the night before, and many more injuries, but all in all, for the amount of demons they'd taken out, it would be counted as a huge success.

They were informed that the memorial service for the deceased would be held in two days at a currently undisclosed location.

For their next question, Imagawa had inquired after Kamado-san. The Insect Pillar studied them intently for several seconds before informing them that he hadn't woken up yet, but they were welcome to visit him. Then she asked a rather strange question herself.

"You were on Kamado-san's team, and you saw him kill demons, correct?" she asked.

Miyabe tensed up a bit beside him, but he just nodded. "Yes," Imagawa said firmly. "He protected us from at least two demons and went after Waning Five the moment he saw them."

She cocked her head to one side. "Did you see the person he chased?"

Imagawa blinked, surprised. "Yes. Small, white hair, white kimono or haori – I couldn't tell which – red obi… Why, if I may ask, Kocho-san?"

She thought on that for a couple of moments. "About the time you claim he went after the Waning Moon Five, Giyuu-san encountered the same figure you described. He ended up fighting and killing him, although only after losing the entire group he'd been with."

The two lower-ranked demon slayers shifted, exchanging uneasy and surprised glances before turning back to Kocho-san.

"Kamado-san fought someone in that clearing," Imagawa said. "I'm positive of it. The whole clearing had been trampled with large footprints that didn't match Kamado-san's."

She nodded. "So you said." The purple-eyed woman seemed to think about something for a couple more seconds before she asked, "Did Kamado-san show any… strange behavior last night?"

Again, Imagawa and Miyabe exchanged glances. "Well… he is a fourteen-year-old Kione," Imagawa said slowly. Funny, normally Miyabe did all the talking for them. He looked at her with raised eyebrows, silently asking if she would say anything.

To his surprise, her eyes narrowed a little. "He prayed for the demon he killed. When I confronted him about it, he told me that few demons actually want to become human-eating monsters – that we give even our worst criminals the basic right to a decent burial and demons don't even get that, so he prays for their souls."

Ah… right. That.

"And after the fight, when you found him?" the Insect Pillar pressed.

Imagawa felt his forehead furrow in confusion as he looked at Miyabe again. This time, she seemed to be at a loss and shook her head.

"No," she finally said. "He wanted to warn us about the Kizuki – we assumed it was the one he'd followed – and then asked if everyone was alright. He was so relieved when we told him everyone was alive that he collapsed."

Kocho-san mulled over that for a few minutes, looking away from them. Then Imagawa heard her mutter to herself, "And both Tomioka-san and Kanroji-san said they'd personally seen him down no less than seven helpings of rice and vegetables… so after, perhaps?"

This… was just getting weirder. Even for the Demon Slayer Corp.

"Kocho-san," Imagawa found himself speaking up again (this was so weird – he didn't like talking), "what is this all about?"

She blinked and looked back at them as if she'd forgotten they were there. Then she smiled that creepy smile that didn't touch her eyes.

"Kamado-san's teeth are… strange. We were worried that perhaps the moons had gotten together on Kibutsuji's behalf to turn him into a demon."

Imagawa's eyes widened and his stomach dropped. Beside him, Miyabe gasped.

"But… he didn't act like a demon at all when we found him!" she said. "He didn't have claws and his eyes are completely normal! He looked at us!"

"Hmm. But he fought at least one demon on his own – likely another of the Kizuki – and doesn't have a scratch on him either, despite his fatigued state. Also, his clothes were torn as if pierced by a weapon of some kind in multiple areas. We found blood, but no corresponding wound," she pointed out. "That is suspicious at least. Since he won't wake up, we need to know what to feed him.

"For now, we will stick with bone broth, just in case. He's in the room at the end of the hall if you would still like to visit him."

Imagawa knew a dismissal when he heard one. He stood, bowed and turned to go out, but Miyabe's voice stopped him.

"If… if he has been… turned," she said slowly, hesitantly (so unlike her), "what will happen to him?"

The woman's fake smile grew larger. "Well, he could be the 'friend' I've been looking for! Wouldn't that be wonderful?! But if he decides to attack, then we will treat him like any other demon we come across. For their own good, of course. Have a good day!"

Neither one of them were willing to push the Hashira any further. The weight of her presence and her killing intent all hiding under that smile… It just wasn't worth it. They both hurriedly left and began a silent trek down the hall once outside.

Eventually, Miyabe broke it. "So… why did you do it?"

He swallowed at his partner's question. "Do what?"

He could practically hear her frown, but she answered him anyway. "You prayed… over a demon."

Imagawa sighed. "Yeah. It… just seemed the right thing to do, I suppose."

He immediately knew he'd said something wrong as Miyabe grabbed his arm and swung him around to face her. "The right thing to do? Seriously?!"

He shook his head. "You didn't see the look in her eyes, Miyabe! She looked so scared and alone and like she'd accepted her death! She looked… human!"

"Of course she's scared! She was dying! And she'd killed how many hundreds of people before?!"

"And did she have a choice? If you were given the choice of killing someone or dying, which would you choose?" he pushed back, frustrated.

"I wouldn't kill innocents!"

"Not every demon goes after children or mothers or siblings – some of them go after criminals or are attracted to eating strength! But we still kill them! Simply because they're demons! You heard Kamado-san! It's like they're sick! And they had no choice! I lose absolutely nothing by hoping their soul moves on quickly and they are reborn as someone who never has to worry about demons! You act like I'm personally turning my back on you for feeling sorry for someone who may not have had a choice in how they live their life!"

She still looked conflicted and angry. "Maybe not me, but what about your aunts and cousins?"

He narrowed his eyes. That was a low blow. "Pretty sure they never went anywhere near Mount Natagumo. Doubt that demon killed them. And even if she did, wouldn't it be my choice to forgive her for everything she did to me and my family? I'm not forcing you to pray!"

It was probably more than he'd ever said in one go to… well… anyone, but he had to admit, Kamado's words had touched him. And the boy had appreciated it so much when he'd thanked Imagawa… he'd looked like he didn't have to be alone anymore.

The older demon slayer knew how that felt.

"You don't know what it's like!" Imagawa froze at his partner's words. Were… were those tears he heard? He'd only ever seen her cry once before. "Watching someone you love die and not being able to do anything about it!"

Well, she had a point.

But he took a deep breath and thought about that before he turned around. "No, I don't. I have sympathy for you, but… I don't see how that's relevant. I feel badly for you, for your brother, for your family. I feel badly for my family – especially my mom who lost her sister for no reason…" he faded off for a bit as his voice broke. "I feel badly for Kamado-san who seems to care so much but was forced to kill anyway and he still cares somehow. And I feel badly for the demons who didn't have a choice in how they are forced to survive. I don't see why I shouldn't feel all of that or how one part negates another. I can still feel badly for the demons I kill. I don't think that makes me less human.

"The only person I think really deserves my anger and hate is Kibutsuji Muzan."

With that he turned and stalked down the hall, hoping no one could see his hands shaking. One of the doors had a demon slayer on guard outside of it.

"Is this Kamado Tanjiro's room?" he asked hoping the waver in his voice wasn't obvious. The demon slayer – a man with light brown, short hair – nodded. "Kocho-san said I could visit."

The man nodded again, this time more nonchalant and uncaring. Just to be polite, Imagawa knocked on the door and when no one answered, he walked inside. Three beds lay against one wall, all well away from the sole window in the room, although only the middle one was occupied. The unconscious fourteen-year-old looked far too still and blank.

Imagawa stepped inside, then looked back at his partner, who was still standing in the hall, then forced himself to keep his shoulders straight as he shut the door behind him. Only then did he practically collapse against the wall and slide down as his own eyes started to water. His father always did say he was soft – too soft for merchant work, let alone demon slayer work. He hated how weak he felt… but he hated that he may have offended Miyabe more.

But… what was he supposed to do?

Because Kamado-san had been right. And if Imagawa ever had that happen to him… he hoped someone would pray for him too.

He didn't know how long he sat there just quietly crying to himself at what he came to realize was the loss of his only real friendship when the door opened.

He immediately sprung to his feet and looked over to see…

"Miyabe?" he asked, hating how his voice cracked and how his face reddened in embarrassment. She just blinked at him, studying his tear-streaked, red cheeks and how he shrunk away and really, really wanted the floorboards to swallow him up, and then sighed.

"I need time," she finally said, sounding fondly exasperated – better than angry. He'd take it. "And even if we don't agree, well… that doesn't mean we're not partners. You'd still do what you could to save my life, right?"

He blinked, then nodded emphatically. "O-of course!"

"Then don't leave me behind again?" she said, annoyed as she pointed to the halls.

He shuffled and looked away. "Usually I'm the one that has to try and keep up," he muttered.

She snickered, then smiled warmly. "I always know you'll catch up."

He felt a shy smile begin to cross his own lips. "I knew you'd catch up too."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Did you really?"

Imagawa frowned and looked away, rubbing his arm. "I hoped you would."

Silence for a couple of seconds before she put a hand on his arm. "That's more than good enough. Friends?"

He blinked. She actually wanted to be friends with him? Not just partners?!

"Y-yes!" he said loudly… and maybe a little too quickly.

"Shh!" the guard from the hallway snapped. "And do you have to argue – or make up or whatever – in the hallway where everyone can hear? Other people are resting, you know!"

"S-sorry," Imagawa muttered. Miyabe didn't say anything, although she rolled her eyes as she stepped inside and closed the door.

"Come on," she said as she walked over to where Kamado-san lay. Imagawa followed with a happy nod and they approached the bed.

"Kocho-san said he hadn't woken up… does that mean he can't wake up?" Imagawa asked nervously.

"Pretty sure they can't wake him," she said with a sigh. "It's been too long. Although… I am curious…"

With that, she reached over and pulled up his lip.

"Miyabe!" Imagawa hissed, but his voice faded off when they saw the pair of large fangs sitting in his mouth. The two of them exchanged glances and then silently, he moved to the foot of the bed and peeked under the covers. Normal feet met his eyes. No claws.

"Normal," he said.

"Same here," she replied, holding up his hand. Then they looked at each other as Imagawa came to stand beside her again, both searching his face.

"You do it," Miyabe said.

"What? No!" he hissed back.

She snorted, very unladylike, but very Miyabe-like. "Fine, I will."

He bit his lip as she reached forward and, as gently as she could, lifted one of his eye lids with a thumb. They could only see half the iris, but it was most definitely a human iris – if a little strangely colored. Then again, they had people in their ranks with pink hair. What was stranger than that?

They got no response from him.

Miyabe quickly stepped back.

"I can see why Kocho-san's confused," Imagawa whispered to her.

"Yeah," Miyabe said back. "I'm confused too."

"Maybe he was just born with sharp teeth and we just didn't notice?" he suggested. "It can't be that unusual…"

"But that sharp?" she returned skeptically.

He shrugged and shook his head, at a loss. She sighed. "Guess we just have to wait for him to wake up to ask," she murmured.

"Yeah," Imagawa said with his own sigh. Then he put his hand on the sleeping boy's. "Wake up soon, Kamado-san."

"Yeah," Miyabe agreed, but made no move to touch him.

Only a couple of minutes later, they left to head to their homes. They would need a break – a long break – before their next assignment.

And maybe some training.

xXx

AN: The privacy violations in this chapter… I can't even… But I can see it happening like this given the time period and subject matter… BUT STILL!

Also, have I mentioned that I REALLY don't like getting inside Muzan's head? No? Let me say it then: I HATE GETTING INSIDE HIS HEAD. Gah!

I seem to be getting so caught up in writing this (and getting everything in place - just moved into my first house YAY!) that I tend to forget when to POST it. LOL At least you know that I'm writing this fic for me and so want it to be the best quality I can make it without killing myself or burning out. I still love comments though. :3

Thank you to TimeLordTim for his help on this!