And now, I'm wide awake
A million years too late
I talk to you, imagining what you'd do
Remembering what we went through

"There goes the little terror himself, making a mess as usual."

The days were finally coming towards the springtime. Cherry blossoms filled the air along with the scent of freshly made grass. A warmer breeze entered the garden in the afternoon. The Whispers had returned from hibernation, gossiping among themselves about the newest additions to the family. Dahlia sat amongst her brethren, making a fuss about how she was close to one of them. However, once they all noticed a small child rampaging through the flowers, they all exclaimed in fear as fire erupted from its mouth.

This was Akasei, the most temperamental child on the face of the Earth. He had stubby horns, glowing red eyes, and tanned skin. Markings adorned his body, pulsing with bright red energy. His yutaka was red and orange, slightly singed from his fire breath. He wore no shoes as every pair would melt off his feet. The wild mane of red hair was covered with knots, twigs, and mud and trailed behind his body like a waterfall of magma. The symbol of Mars burned on his forehead, making him more irritated by the minute.

"I don't know about you, but this child is much more fussier than the other two." A snobbish flower named Poppy said, watching from her hidden alcove with worry. "I do prefer the more graceful Fuyuka than this one."

"Don't be so mean Poppy." The soft spoken Camelia whispered. "He is still a child and his gender differs from the others. Perhaps he is upset about something."

"Upset about what? He's causing a mess in our home!" Tiger Lily snapped, waving her hands around. "We were created by the queen to keep this garden in check and he's ruining everything! Someone call one of the guards and kick him out."

Dahlia stood in front of the now riled up flower gang. "Calm down ladies, I've known the children longer than most of you and Akasei is just expressing himself differently. Hotaru uses poison, Fuyuka has ice, he just got blessed with fire. The worse he could do is just make a small flame in the middle of the garden. I'm certain that his mother will stop him soon."

A loud explosion rung out as Akasei jumped from a maple tree and caused a portion of the garden to go up in smoke. Poor Dahlia gaped in shock as an evil grin appeared on his face as he raised a hand to create more flames.

"SOMEONE STOP THIS WICKED CHILD!" Poppy screeched, now fearing for all their safety.

Before Akasei could make a graveyard out of the garden, his hand was caught by the angered face of Muzan. The demon child tried in vain to wrestle himself from the clutches of his father, but stopped when he gave him a deep glare. Whimpering noises came from the child as he was rightfully subdued by his father.

"Akasei..." The tone of his father was that of slight irritation. "If you wish to get your anger out, then refrain from doing so in your mother's garden. She would be quite upset if she came back to see her beautiful garden up in smoke. Do you want to see her unhappy?"

Akasei growled, but turned away to avoid his father's gaze. "No..."

Muzan picked him up in his arms. "Good. I would hope that I would not have to discipline you even further. We need to get you a creative outlet for all this pent up aggression." He hummed in thought, walking out the garden with a contemplative look on his face. "I may have just the demon for the job."

The Whispers were happy that the devil child was finally out of their petals. In a strange way, the respect they had for Muzan grew slightly.

The demon progenitor held his problem child as they made their way through the Infinity Compound. It was days like this he wished to have Sorashi by his side. Since her return, she spent time getting much acclimated with the children, the moons, and himself. Both of them were able to re-ignite their relationship in order to raise the children better. Hotaru was happy to have both of them in her life, taking after him in every way. He praised her cold demeanor when addressing the lower moons except for Rui and Enmu. Her studies were improving, her usage of poison abilities made his pride swell, and she was nearly there to unlock her demon art.

Akasei was the complete opposite. While his sister was cold and calculating, he was wild and boisterous. When Muzan tried to get along with him, he would try to bite him or burn him. The only one that could tame his other side was his mother, which made problems like sleeping with her troublesome. The child would cling onto his mother too much and use his small appearance to sway her on his side. He refused to be jealous of his own child, but he made it so hard to forget it.

Muzan stopped in front of a new door, opening it to reveal a training room. Inside was Akaza, who was doing shadow punches at the wall. Knowing his Upper Moon 3, he was the perfect trainer for a child with anger issues.

"My lord..." Akaza saw him entering in, pausing in his training. "Is there a mission that you are sending me on?"

"No, there is another problem I have that only you can solve." He place Akasei down, the child glaring at him. "I need you to train my son in your martial arts ways. I feel as if your ways would suit him better than the others."

Akaza took one look at Akasei and grinned. "Alright, I'll make him my apprentice." He leaned down and ruffled his hair. "I don't train weaklings though. You better be strong enough to keep up with me."

Akasei narrowed his eyes. "I am not weak! I will destroy you!"

Muzan turned around, a small smile appearing on his face. If Akaza could smack some sense into his child, it would be a blessing if it changed his attitude.

Now...I wonder how my beloved wife is doing right now.

In the middle of a large wood, Bashira was seen making tea for her lady and her lady's companion.

It was days like this she cherished. It wasn't too hot, nor was it cold, so it was the ideal temperature for a tea break. The mansion they were currently having tea at was dimly lit, allowing their skin to not burn. Bashira was also content at the fact that the demon whom her mistress was chatting with was a lover of art and music like she was.

Not that she would tell him that. A man didn't need any more fuel for their egos.

However, Kyogai was not one to have an inflated ego. Instead, he would benefit from a boost in pride. His quiet nature made it harder for her to understand him. The way he spoke was soft, almost whispering as he conversed with Sorashi. The large demon had drums in his body for goodness sake! He should be naturally loud. Despite this, he was a writer and he was currently showing his latest work to Sorashi, whom was eating a plateful of cookies.

"Hmmm...I like where this story is heading. The direction is gripping me and I'm sure that your readers will hang onto every word!" Sorashi smiled, taking a bite of one of her cookies. "I hope you don't mind me selling your stories. I just think they're very well written and would make you a lot of money."

Kyogai rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "You have my gratitude, my lady. Ever since I was casted out of the Lower Moons, I was sadden that I couldn't spend time with you. After hearing about your comatose state, I was worried that you would never wake up again to read my stories."

She waved a hand, patting his own in the process. "You have no need to worry. I'm not going anywhere for a long time. Just know that there are alternatives to consuming humans. You can always use my blood tablets."

Bashira huffed, coming over with the tray of tea. She was careful to avoid the fallen papers scattered across the room. Last time, she made a mistake of stepping on one, triggering the larger demon to almost killing her. Luckily, with a warning from Sorashi, she was made aware of how special the papers were to him. If he had just informed her of their importance, then maybe she would've been more cautious around them!

"Tea for you milady and some for your business partner." Bashira placed the cups on the table before staring at Kyogai. "I don't understand why you wouldn't publish some of these works. I thoroughly enjoyed the one about the troubled male with his passions for writing, but being forced to play an instrument instead. I'm sure many would find solace in knowing that there are people out there that could overcome adversity like the character in your book."

"You read that one!?" Kyogai was surprised, blushing. "That wasn't a written story. That was my memoir."

Hearing this made her cheeks set ablaze. "What! That was based on a true story? I had no idea it was so personal. I just found it on the table and thought it was part of a larger story."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm not planning on publishing that one."

"Then I wish to gain a copy for myself! I've read it twenty times now!"

Sorashi sipped her tea as she watched her two friends converse with each other. Yes, she brought Bashira here to show her that not all men were mean and rotten. There were gems in the midst of the dirt and scum of the world. If she could break out of her shell a bit more, she would see that everyone shouldn't be generalized.

Not that it was going to change her preference in mates. Her mindset was female centered.

The evening came upon them as they Kyogai's mansion. Bashira and Sorashi were seen walking down a winding path in the woods, enjoying the silence of the night. Sorashi stared at the moon with a wistful look in her eyes.

"My dear friend..." She whispered, clasping her hands together. "Can you keep a secret?"

Bashira paused, snacking on the cookies that she had earlier. "What is it milady?"

"The anniversary of my death day is upon me. I know it is foolish for me to think of such a day as a joyous one, but I can't help in remembering where I came from." A smirk appeared on Sorashi's face as she leapt on some rocks. "I'm thinking of taking the children to my original village to show them where I came from. Maybe find some clues on the family that might still be alive."

"You have a linage that still thrives to this day?" Bashira asked her, not believing what she was hearing.

"The Breath of the Stars is still being followed by my family. The last I saw them were these two twins that wore sun and moon masks. I'm sure that if I were to visit them now, they'd still be Hashiras." Sorashi blinked, noticing a small town in the distance. "I guess we should stop for the night to recuperate."

"Are you sure we should? Shall I don my human disguise as well?" Bashira wondered, taking out the bag that she used for disguises.

"To keep it on the safe side. Say, maybe you can use your musical talents to get us some money while I sing along?" Sorashi suggested, writing something down on a small piece of paper. "I'll send a message to Mu-chan so that he doesn't worry. I'm sure my daughter will take care of Akasei."

Bashira fretted a bit. "Your son tends to be a bit...wilder than the others. I can at least raise Hotaru."

"Not to worry. He just requires an outlet to get that extra energy out." Sorashi stared at the town, a smug look on her face. "Now, let's go earn some spending money."

Tengen Uzui was a very flamboyant young man.

Being a shinobi, his family valued strength and following the ninja way. However, he went the route of a demon slayer to purge the world of their grasp. Finding Muzan's base and taking him out was the key to a world without demons. However, according to the Ubuyashiki, there was one demon that none of them could ever touch and should be brought back alive. Apparently, this demon was the queen of all demons and was told to have never consumed another living being.

Sure, like he would believe something like that.

He was in this small town that had a terrible demon problem. So, being as flashy as possible, he managed to kill the town demon and get a small vacation out of it. The townspeople were so grateful that they gave him a large feast.

There were benefits to being a demon slayer.

Now, as he drank and ate surrounded by gorgeous women, he wondered which one he would choose as his wife. That was one of his ambitions to have a large family with nice wives. Maybe one day he'd have three good ones and then some more to make the family larger. He was still young though, so he was going to have all the time in the world to find his wives.

A hush went through the crowd as the stage was set for a performance. Tengen leaned forward, eagerly to see what was about to happen. Gasps were heard as two women came on stage. One was a geisha with extravagant clothing; a red and gold kimono with camelia floral patterns, hair adorned with golden ornamentations and put up, bright red lips, and holding a bamboo flute. The other woman looked almost exotic with her mocha skin, long green hair in a braid, a pretty forest green haori, and brown sandals. Her hair was even decorated with white asters.

"Konbanwa minna..." The dark skinned female said in a gentle voice. "My name is Hoshihime, and this is my friend Yua. We are here to perform for you a traditional song and dance called The Kingdom of the Stars. We hope that you enjoy."

The one called Yua placed the instrument on her lips and trilled a hypnotic tune. Hoshihime craned her body with fluid movements, dancing gracefully as she sang her song. A story about a kingdom beyond the stars, a utopian society, and a benevolent ruler. The people lived in peace and their princess had knights to protect her. A red star kidnaps the princess and they both fall in love. Their marriage brought the two kingdoms together, celebrating their differences and embracing each other with love.

The crowd cheered the two performers, placing money into the colorful vase they set on the ground. Tengen was blushing profusely at the two. His eyes were trained mostly upon Hoshihime as her movements were both rhythmic and dominant. Mixing styles of martial arts with balletic nimbleness, he could sense a fighter was inside her.

He made up his mind. Getting up, he approached the two as they were eating food provided by a restaurant owner. Kneeling downwards, he grasped the hand of Hoshihime as sparkles danced around his face.

"Hoshihime, please be my flashy wife!"

Muzan...I may have enraptured a young man.

I don't believe he knows who I am.

Seeing one so young makes me feel so old.

Then again, I am perpetually in my twenties.

Please make sure Hotaru and Akasei never here these tales.

I rather not explain why you keep trying to kill all human males.

We've now started seeing some of the younger versions of the Hashira. I wonder how they will take it when they realized the people they keep meeting are related. Also, I'm setting up the next arc with more moments of Sorashi bonding with the other demons and humans. Her children are getting some new additions.

A little heads up, get ready to see how I treat Kotoha and Inosuke!