Akatsugi stared at Ubuyashiki-sama in bafflement.
"You're… letting me, a former Waxing Moon, learn your most cherished technique?"
The man blinked at him. "Did you change your mind and not want to after all?"
"No," he said hurriedly, "No, I do. It's just… why?"
"You asked and you have given us no reason since you joined for us to doubt you."
More blinks because he couldn't seem to process that. He'd been honestly expecting a very harsh 'no'. Or at least a polite but firm one.
"I… haven't been here for long."
The man's smile turned sad. "I don't think we have very long…"
That took Akatsugi by surprise yet again (how many times in the last couple of minutes?) and he glanced at Kyojuro standing at his side.
"What do you mean, Oyakata-sama?!" Kyojuro asked.
The older man shook his head. "Just a feeling I have."
"As far as I know," the former Waxing Moon started slowly, "Muzan hasn't found your place yet. I know he knows of a couple of estates where slayers train, but while I don't know which ones, I know it isn't here. You've been pretty thorough in hiding this place, so why…?"
The man shook his head. "I've lost my eyesight and I am no longer able to move as well as I could due to my failing health. One way or another, I will leave this world shortly.
"I do have contingencies in place, do not fear. But for now, we must train as hard as we can because I believe a confrontation is coming. Thus I am giving you permission to learn a breathing style and adapt it as you will."
That… was more information than Akatsugi expected, and he didn't really know what to say to that.
"Oyakata-sama, no matter what happens or how sick you are, we will protect you!" Kyojuro shouted enthusiastically.
The blind man's smile widened. "I know, and I thank you.
"Now, are you willing to teach Akatsugi-san your breathing form?"
Another large grin. "I am!"
The demon turned to stare at him. He doubted he'd ever get used to Kyojuro's enthusiasm.
"Then please proceed. Just, please do not leave the grounds without my permission, Akatsugi-san," Ubuyashiki-sama said with a nod.
Akatsugi did the only thing he really could do at that point. He bowed. It was… strange how much he wanted to help this man. With Muzan, he'd been too scared to even think to do otherwise. But Ubuyashiki just had this way about him that he couldn't help but respect. (And he knew he wasn't the only one.)
The last person he'd even remotely regarded so highly had been Sensei…
"Thank you, Oyakata-sama."
"You are more than welcome, Akatsugi-san. You may go now."
"Yes, Oyakata-sama," both he and Kyojuro said together. Then they turned and filed out the door.
As they walked down the hallway, the Flame Pillar spoke loudly (as usual), "You weren't expecting him to say yes!"
Akatsugi blinked. "No… I wasn't."
"Then let us prove to him that it was a good choice!" Kyojuro exclaimed as his grin widened even further. "I will start your first lesson today! Come, hurry!"
And with that, he rushed out the door. Akatsugi chuckled and shook his head before following. Eating Kamado's hand had been the best decision he'd made in a long time, even if no one had realized the consequences at the time. Now he'd finally get the strength he'd been chasing for so long. It was funny, he no longer had the same motivation as he did when under Muzan, but chasing strength still felt right, more like Hakuji. As a human, he'd found people to love and protect, and even if he'd lost that for literal decades, finding that again felt a bit like coming home. It was different, and could never be the same, but it also felt familiar and warm.
I can work with this, he thought, anticipating the upcoming training with a grin on his face.
xXx
"Tanjiro-san," Shinobu called as he walked down the hallway towards the cellar and his room. He would need to finish packing his traveling bag and make sure he had enough bandages and other medical supplies in case they ran into another Waxing Moon again. He wished he'd thought to do that sooner.
Shelving that thought for now, he turned towards the light voice of his hostess, smiling. "Shinobu-san." Then he saw the expression on her face. No false smile, no anger. It was… more blank than anything. And he could smell… concern? "What's wrong?"
"I wanted to discuss some findings I've made when it comes to you and your… demons."
He tried not to wince at that. He really did.
"They're not…" he started, but then sighed, not seeing a point in arguing. He took a deep breath and then focused back on her. "What did you find?"
"I just finished with some tests and I've found that you and your… subordinates, I suppose, are resistant to my poisons. More so than any other demon I've encountered."
Tanjiro frowned as he tried to grasp the implications of that. Wasn't that a good thing?
"Why is that a problem?"
She sighed. "I will need to try and come up with something more potent to render you or your demons truly unconscious without killing them."
Tanjiro blinked… and then he put it together.
"This is about me being able to burn out my own demon cells from other people," he said softly, suddenly feeling a little sick. He wasn't entirely sure he could even force his power to burn the source of said power out of other people, so he'd taken the idea Nezuko had presented to him to Shinobu-san. He was surprised (and thankful) she'd gotten back to him so quickly. "From your reaction, I would guess the pain could wake them. Probably even from a demonic sleep."
Shinobu nodded grimly. "I am going to have to do some experimentation to find the right balance of poison that will render one of your demons unconscious without killing them." She shook her head. "I don't know how long that will take. He may just want to deal with the pain—"
Tanjiro shook his head emphatically. "No. The last time I tried that, the demon died."
"Shinazugawa has a rather high pain tolerance—"
"But why take the chance?" he interrupted gently. Shinobu closed her mouth, but looked puzzled.
Tanjiro shook his head again. "Let's say it takes you a couple of months to figure out a good poison that would render Sanemi-san so unconscious he wouldn't be able to feel the pain of me literally burning him from the inside out. That's two months… or four or however many as compared to putting him through excruciating pain and potentially killing him right now. With how everything stands now, I won't do it."
He ran his hand through his hair as he sighed wearily. "I know he doesn't want to be a demon – I don't either. But waiting a couple of weeks or months for something safer… isn't that a better idea anyway? And I know Tamayo-san, at least, is working on a cure for demons. Maybe we won't even have to burn it out of him if we can just wait a little while."
The older Pillar stared at him for several seconds before a frown appeared on her lips.
"Those seem like rather weak excuses for you, Tanjiro-san." He winced and looked away, more or less confirming her suspicions. "We could also easily test a vial of Shinazugawa's blood to see if the burning process would potentially be more or less painful depending on the cells' reactions. There are still a couple of options available so what's the real reason?"
He bit his lip, feeling his fangs press into the soft tissue as he did so, but he didn't break the skin.
"I… I can't burn myself. With my fire," he whispered. "I've tried. I… wanted the demon cells gone and if I could do it to Nezuko then maybe… But it… it doesn't work on me. It may not work on them. Even if it does, I don't know how well it will burn the cells out. I… have this mental image of them – any one of them – writhing in pain while I try to burn the cells out, but not being able to, or only being able to so slowly that…" He shook his head. "I can't do that. Not to anyone else… and especially not to Akatsugi-san or Sanemi-san."
"I… see," Shinobu-san said slowly.
He took a deep breath. "I'll do whatever they want, once we've taken care of Muzan. If a cure hasn't been found by then, I'll burn it out if they ask. If you find a way to render them unconscious, I'll see if I can burn it out then. I'll even run your tests on their blood and burn whatever you need me to there, but… we need strong fighters for what's coming. And… maybe it's selfish of me to want them to remain as strong as they can be, even if that means they remain demons."
He didn't want to admit he could still hear the last demon's screams… how they haunted his nightmares, and the idea of making anyone else scream like that made him sick.
Shinobu frowned thoughtfully. "I still need to tell them both."
Tanjiro blinked, surprised. "I… never thought you wouldn't."
The older teen relaxed a little at his words and she nodded. "I'll try and emphasize your point of view to Shinazugawa-san, but he my still insist on trying. I am sure he'll listen to the compromise of testing his blood, though. He's not completely unreasonable. Usually…"
"Yeah," the time traveler acquiesced. "But if… If I can't, I mean… it'll just be a couple of months. I know he hates it, but a couple of months and a far better chance at success… that's really worth it to me."
She sighed and nodded. "Let me go talk to him."
After that, Tanjiro expected to see the Wind Pillar storming up to him, demanding that Tanjiro burn the demon cells out. However, Shinobu's argument must have swayed him because the expected confrontation never happened.
Later that night, Shinobu called him in to see if he could burn his own demon cells out of another's blood. It turned out he could, but at a much slower rate than normal demon blood. He could definitely feel a resistance. It would only prolong the pain in the best case scenario.
With a heavy heart, both he and Shinobu came to the conclusion that at the current time, it wasn't feasible, currently.
xXx
Nezuko watched the older Shinazugawa as he stood just inside the shadow on the Engawa. He'd already been there for several minutes, the light creeping towards him as the day moved on. He looked so… resigned.
Then he seemed to steel himself and he put a hand forward, letting the sunlight touch it, and then snatched it back. He blinked and Nezuko rolled her eyes. They'd already told him that he'd be fine in the sunlight.
Slowly, he put his hand back out again into the light and left his hand there. Then he moved his arm and eventually his whole body. A wave of relief seemed to wash over him and she sighed. His new situation couldn't be pleasant, especially for someone like him who had hated demons so much. She was glad he had the comfort of being able to walk under the sun at least.
She shook her head and continued on her way, taking her freshly dried laundry back to her room so she could pack. They would be heading back to Urokodaki-sensei's place shortly and she couldn't wait to see her family. She looked forward to seeing how far Takeo and Senjuro had come. Had Shigeru begun training yet? Had Hanako come home? What about their mother and Rokuta? What about Urokodaki-sensei?
She couldn't help but smile at the knowledge that all of these questions would be answered very soon.
"NEEEEEEEZUUUUKOOOO!" Zenitsu yelled from the room next to hers as she approached it.
She sighed. So he and Inosuke had probably heard. Well, it was time to break the news to them anyway.
Zenitsu threw open his door and saw her at the end of the hallway. He ran up to her, eyes tearing up and snot beginning to drip from his nose. She really hoped he'd grow out of that… soon.
"Yes, Zenitsu-san?"
He stopped and looked at her in horror. "What's with the 'san' all of a sudden? No! Just Zenitsu! Just Zenitsu!"
She sighed. "I did that to get your attention. You promised you wouldn't yell my name out like that again unless you were in danger. Were you in danger?"
He sniffed and looked down. "No."
She knew it was manipulative, but that childish attitude of his would just be detrimental to him and everyone around him in the future unless someone helped him get over it. Sometimes she felt like she was friends with a boy no older than Rokuta, no matter how old he actually was.
"Okay, please calmly tell me what is going on and we can address it, okay?" She made sure to add a smile on at the end.
"Aoi-san said you're leaving!"
"Yup," she said with a bright, very genuine smile.
"B-but… what about us?"
She sighed and reached out to pat his head. He squawked and backed away, pouting. "It looks like you'll just have to pack."
He blinked. "Huh?"
She giggled. "I got permission to bring both you and Inosuke with us. We're all going to go and do some training with Urokodaki-sensei!"
His face immediately brightened. "Really?"
"Of course," she replied fondly. "Now go find Inosuke. We're leaving tonight after dinner."
Zenitsu grinned a huge grin and went to rush off, but then stopped and looked back at her. "Why tonight?"
"We all slept this morning," she said with a shrug. "We're used to staying up into the night." Besides, there would be two demons with them, and while they could easily walk under the sunlight, they would be the most comfortable at night.
Making small allowances for Shinazugawa-san seemed like it might be a good idea right now.
"Also, our escort," she had to concentrate to not make a face at that, "arrived early this morning and is still sleeping."
"Escort?" The yellow-haired boy asked.
Nezuko shrugged. "I haven't met them yet."
"R-right," Zenitsu muttered. Then he shook his head and forced a bright smile. "I'll go find the boar. We'll be back soon!"
"Okay," she said with a wave, then continued to her room. She didn't have much to pack, just an extra uniform and some of her personal items, but she also wanted to make sure she had all of the candy and little wooden toys she'd bought for her brothers and sisters. Having her own income was very nice indeed.
xXx
Shinobu wasn't surprised when neither Tanjiro nor Shinazugawa came to dinner. Completely understandable in her opinion. Preferable even. Their newest resident demon claimed he didn't have much control over his appetite yet, and being around people gathered specifically to eat seemed like an invitation for trouble.
She, Kanao, Aoi and the 'triplets' (as she'd secretly dubbed them) set the dining room up and finished just as their guests began to show up.
Kamado Nezuko came to the room first, looking around excitedly, but then slumped a little when she didn't see her brother there. She still bowed politely and made her way to where Aoi gestured for her to go to sit.
Nezuko was followed by the two very loud, young demon slayers she'd arrived with. Thankfully, both of them took one look at Shinobu and her smile and decided to behave themselves. She knew they were both smart. It took some digging to find that intelligence, but she could see it.
Then Himejima-san and the younger Shinazugawa came in and both relaxed in relief at the lack of any demons in the vicinity (or at least, that was what she assumed, although she'd be willing to place money on said assumption).
Last but not least, Obanai-san came in looking rather grumpy. He still bowed politely and took a seat.
Shinobu introduced him to the people there and then they began to eat.
The dinner that followed also happened to be one of the most stilted, awkward dinners Shinobu had ever eaten. Conversation was short and terse and it appeared that no one wanted to break the long silences that seemed to be becoming alarmingly common.
She was both concerned and relieved that so many would be leaving her house that evening, to be honest. Both of the Shinazugawas and Obanai could be volatile. Add in the demonic transformation and the whole situation in general could… turn out very badly.
But at least she wouldn't have to be the one dealing with it anymore.
No, she'd only be dealing with the demon doctor who would be coming to the Butterfly Estate in the next couple of days so that they could compare notes and begin to formulate (hopefully) a cure for demonic transformations. And, if they were very lucky and hard working, a poison that could affect Muzan himself.
She doubted she'd be getting much sleep.
How was this her life?
xXx
"Hello! I'm Kamado Tanjiro," Nezuko's older brother said with a bow to Iguro-san, who was apparently the Pillar who would accompany them to see the Kamado family. Behind them, Shinazugawa stood away from everyone else, glaring at everything and nothing when he wasn't staring angrily at the ground as if it had personally offended him. "I'm pleased to meet you in person," Tanjiro finished with a bright smile.
The new Pillar snorted and didn't introduce himself back. Rude. Especially to someone who still sounded so kind… and completely like a demon…
Nope. Not going there. Not right now.
When Iguro did respond, he surprised more or less everyone. "If you ever hurt Kanroji – at all, in any way – I will find a way to destroy you utterly. I don't care how powerful you are. And they won't find the body."
Next to Zenitsu, Nezuko gasped and looked somewhere between shocked and furious. He could also hear Inosuke take a deep breath, either trying to make himself look larger (like an animal protecting their own) or about ready to shout something out. Zenitsu himself couldn't help but just be mortified that someone would be that ill-mannered. No, mean. He'd been downright mean.
However, before anyone could really react to that, Tanjiro spoke, sounding confused.
"Of course no one will find a body if I die. I'm a demon."
If everyone had been taken aback before, they were outright shocked now. Even Shinobu-san's eyes widened in surprise. Nezuko's expression had turned pained and frustrated and Inosuke didn't seem to know what to say to that so he just deflated, letting out a long puff of air. Zenitsu could relate.
And with those spoken words, the Lightning Breath user couldn't avoid acknowledging what he heard anymore. Any sound of human from the older Kamado sibling had either vanished or was buried so deeply under the sound of 'demon' that it may as well be nonexistent.
And yet he didn't look offended at all… or like he would attack anyone… or… well… anything demonic. The angerpainragehurt was still there too, but still sounded as if it were buried, just as it had before.
The Pillar didn't seem to know how to take that either as he just leaned back, as if trying to get the whole view of Kamado Tanjiro because he'd missed something.
'Kind,' Zenitsu thought. 'You missed his kindness. And apparently, his bluntness.' Shinazugawa had rolled his eyes and turned away with clenched fists, although he didn't sound really angry, just… hurt. And frustrated too.
"Besides," Tanjiro spoke up again, drawing everyone's attention. "Why would I ever hurt Mitsuri? She's my friend."
The Pillar bristled and that was when the rope around his neck (that he'd worn throughout all of dinner) moved, causing Zenitsu to realize that it was actually a snake…
He'd thought the second sound of a rather slow heart-beat had been part of the guy's breath style or something…
But no. It had been a snake.
Around his neck.
While he ate…
What?!
Pillars were all crazy.
And loud. He could hear the dark-haired Hashira practically screaming inside his head about how Tanjiro had just confessed that he was a demon…
Right.
Just… what had happened there? Tanjiro had been so determined to not let whatever had been turning him into a demon go any further… and yet, here they were. He made a mental note to talk to either Nezuko or her brother later… if he could work up the courage.
It looked like the new Pillar was gearing up to say something, but before he did, Tanjiro spoke up again.
"I'm relieved though," he said with that bright, bright smile that showed off his too-sharp teeth again. "You and Mitsuri…" he paused and glanced over at Zenitsu and Inosuke, then shrugged. "I was going to tell you guys anyway." He turned back to the new Pillar.
"The first time, you two were planning on getting married before… well… I'd love to see that happen here!"
Wait… what?! What did he mean 'before'? If he knew the new Pillar before, why was he introducing himself? And was he actually giving up on a super cute girl?! What was going on?!
The Hashira looked as utterly shocked as Zenitsu felt and he once again leaned back a little. "Wait… what? What do you… what are you saying?"
Next to Zenitsu, Nezuko burst out laughing (although he could tell that it was at least partially strained). "He sees Mitsuri as a sister. Just like I do."
Tanjiro brightened at that and turned to Nezuko excitedly. "Oh, do you think we could get mom to adopt her?! I mean, I know she already has a family but… just imagine how much Rokuta would love her!"
"Or Hanako," Nezuko agreed, her voice soft and warm.
The older sibling's grin widened for a couple of seconds, then he seemed to remember where he was.
"Oh, right! In any case, you should totally ask her or her family for an official omiai! She'll be thrilled… although, I have to say, if you hurt her, you'll regret it." And with that, his smile turned sharp and his sound gained a threatening edge and… even though his threat's words seemed far more vague and less threatening, he meant it… and just his intent made it so much scarier than the other man's!
How was this family so scary?!
The newcomer spluttered as what was visible of his face went red. "You… you can't just say that?!"
And the clueless, innocent boy was back. "Why not? You just did, didn't you?" How did he seem so utterly sincere when he said things like that?
The snake-man looked about ready to draw his sword, and behind Tanjiro, Shinazugawa seemed awfully conflicted and like he wouldn't intervene, which was likely why Shinobu-san strode past them.
"Iguro-san, you haven't introduced yourself to Kamado-san! Don't you think that you, as a Pillar, should set a good example for the upcoming generation?" With that she turned and gestured to Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke and her own Tsuguko, Tsuyuri-san (who was still super cute – not as cute as Nezuko, but really close).
The Serpent Pillar shot a betrayed look at Shinobu-san and from what Zenitsu could hear, he was grinding his teeth. Then he inclined his head, ever so slightly towards Tanjiro.
"Iguro Obanai, Serpent Pillar."
It was funny. As he said the words, he didn't sound as angry as he had before. Zenitsu only heard more confusion, actually.
Kamado Tanjiro seemed to have that sort of effect on people.
"Perhaps everyone should introduce themselves again before we get going?" Shinobu-san said, cocking her head to one side and still smiling. Zenitsu gulped, not wanting to take his eyes off of her… she had to be the worst threat here. She had to be… Demons or no.
"Kamado Nezuko! Please take care of me!" the younger Kamado sibling said as she bowed politely. It took Zenitsu a moment to realize that he was next.
Trying not to panic (again…) he quickly bowed as Nezuko straightened, and shouted, "Agatsuma Zenitsu! Pleased to meet you!"
Inosuke didn't even bother bowing. "Lord Hashibara Inosuke! You may bow before me!"
Nezuko giggled. Zenitsu face-palmed. Even Tanjiro sighed fondly. Boar-head must have really made an impression at the Final Selection.
"Let's just get out of here," Shinazugawa grumbled and stepped past the two Pillars in front of the gate.
"After I speak with Shinobu-san," Iguro practically growled and stomped past everyone then took Shinobu off to the side.
Zenitsu wasn't sure if he should listen in to this or not, but in the end, his curiosity got the best of him.
Just this once.
"Oh! I'm so glad you want to speak with me now instead of just leaving like you wanted to earlier!" She sounded so happy… and yet there was an underlying edge of censure too. No wonder Shinobu-san scared everyone…
"Why am I the only Hashira that's going? Against two demons that are Pillar level or higher!"
Now that Zenitsu thought about that, it really didn't sound like the best situation. He gulped. But Tanjiro (who was now talking happily to Nezuko about how they'd get to see their family soon) didn't sound like he wanted to attack them. No… he'd never do that.
Shinobu-san's voice gained a grim, serious tone. "We don't have much of a choice. All of the other Pillars are needed for their own missions, it's your turn to train and someone needs to go with them."
"The best I could possibly do is hold them off while the others escape," Iguro returned.
The Insect Pillar sighed. "I don't think you'll need to worry about that." She shook her head. "He's had so many opportunities to really do damage to a large portion of the Corps. If he hasn't already, I seriously doubt he's going to."
Zenitsu glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. Iguro did not look appeased. He did seem resigned though.
"And Shinazugawa?"
A pause. "I'm less sure about him… but as long as you take precautions, I don't think you'll have a problem with him either."
Iguro looked pained at her answer. "We should have just killed them when we had the chance."
And her teasing tone came right back. "Now, now, Iguro-san, that isn't a very nice thing to say about the person supporting you in your love!"
The Serpent Pillar hissed (literally hissed) at her before he turned and stalked past everyone again. "Come on!" he yelled and practically stormed out of the gates. Shinazugawa watched him stomp past, looking torn between amusement and pity. Thankfully, Iguro either didn't see the expression or didn't care. Zenitsu had to put his money on the former. The Serpent Pillar didn't seem like the kind of man who would let that slide.
"Goodbye, Shinobu-san! Thank you so much for your care!" Nezuko said as she hurried after the Pillars and her brother who was also waving as he walked out of the yard.
"Y-yes!" Zenitsu said hurriedly as he turned and bowed. "We are in your debt!"
"No we're not, Ranetsu!" Inosuke said, sounding offended.
"Don't listen to him!" Zenitsu practically yelled. "Goodbye!" And with that, he grabbed the boar's arm and dragged him out of the compound, ignoring Inosuke's yells to let him go. He only conceded to the demands as they caught up to Nezuko and Tanjiro, both speaking quietly.
"Nii-chan," Nezuko whispered, her voice worried, "I'm not so sure about… them." She pointed to the two Pillars walking (very angrily in Iguro's case) ahead of them.
It really was so cute how much she cared for her family and friends.
Then again, everything about her was cute. Zenitsu sighed happily.
Tanjiro, for his part, smiled over at her, warm and real. "I'm fine, Nezuko. Shinazugawa… needs time. And as for Iguro, well, that's just how he is until he gets to know you."
"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better," she returned, voice just a little dry.
Tanjiro reached up and patted her head. "We'll be fine, Nezuko. This is a good thing. We just have to get him to see that."
His younger sister huffed good-naturedly. "You're too positive for your own good, Nii-chan."
Suddenly, something sounded off – discordant almost inside of Tanjiro. His sister's words had brought up something that hurt him. But his smile still looked all too real.
How utterly terrifying.
"Yeah. But that's who I am."
That off note was still there…
Nezuko looked a little exasperated at that but she didn't say anything else. Instead she shook her head fondly.
"Come on, Ranitsu! The sooner we get there, the sooner we can train to become stronger and fight more people!" Inosuke suddenly said, as if his ranting for the last five minutes at Zenitsu, and the Pillars…. and everyone else hadn't happened.
With that, the crazy boar-headed guy took off.
"H-hey!" Zenitsu yelled, worried about being the last one in the party. "Wait for meeeeeee!"
xXx
Akatsugi felt as if his lungs were on fire… along with the rest of his body. This had to be close to what most demons under the sun felt.
But…
A face of yellow and red hair leaned over him, grinning widely. "You did it, Akatsugi-san!"
"Is this… what you slayers… have to do… all… the time?" the demon asked, because that had hurt. He could already feel his healing working on his body, but still…
And humans didn't have that luxury.
Kyojuro just closed his eyes when his grin widened. "It is!"
Akatsugi didn't groan… but it was a near thing. With this new perspective, he'd have to reevaluate any demon slayer he came across who could use a breath form of any kind. Definitely not weaklings.
"And now it's time to try it again!" Kyojuro said with his booming voice, straightening as if that would give Akatsugi the motivation he needed.
It didn't.
He rolled over, though, and pushed himself to his hands and knees, and then to his feet. He didn't know how long he had to learn this, so he didn't have time to rest now, no matter how much it hurt.
"Alright, let me try again," he said and braced himself.
He would get this down.
He would.
xXx
AN: There! A nice long chapter for you all. :) Hope you enjoy it.
Taisho secret - I had serious issues with spelling names in this chapter for some reason. Zenitsu became Zinetsu and the Serpent Pillar became the Serpant Pillar and I have NO idea why. Heh... oops.
Also, the reason this is so long is because I initially forgot the scene where Tanjiro and Shinobu discuss burning his cells... but so many people have pointed it out and I DID think about it and had it all adressed in my mind! So yeah... long chapter for you because of that. AKA KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS! I may not get a chance to answer them, but I do read all of them. :D
Thanks to Quathis, TimeLordTim, Found and Kaylessa for their help on this!
Discord: discord. gg/q4pkrymvvr (no spaces)
