^ Chapter 56 - Dancing Into the Dusk ^

Police sirens filled the streets around an office building in downtown Tokyo, the officers not currently hiding behind the doors and bodies of their vehicles keeping concerned denizens back as far as they could. An armored troop transport soon arrived on the scene, its sides marked by a distinct white kanji that read "protect", and started unloading its passengers.

The individuals off loading from the troop transport were clad in full military attire and welding semi-automatic rifles, the same kanji on their truck present on sash around their left bicep. Waiting silently as another vehicle, a black car, drove through a gap made for it and the troop transport by the police and parked next to it by its driver. The engine was cut off and the door opened, a young man wearing a black suit, matching dress pants and shoes, as well as a white dress shirt and black tie stepping out. Running a hand through his short black and red hair he grabbed a sword and scabbard from the passenger seat and walked over towards the highest ranked police officer on site.

"What's the situation? Give me a rundown of all that's happened here." asked the young man with a serious expression.

"There was a reported disturbance here in the office building with a worker here, complaints of his throwing an angry fit and damaging company property. Security officers attempted to control the situation, but it got out of hand rapidly." the police officer spoke as the heavily armed officers stood at the ready next to their vehicle, weapons clutched to their chest.

"An angel transformation, right? How bad is it?"

"We had to evacuate the entire building, the person was inconsolable and wouldn't respond to commands. When it attacked some of our officers, our bullets didn't have any effect."

"So nichirin small arms didn't hurt it at all...you called the right people. Keep your men outside and make sure nobody gets close. We don't need to have an outbreak here."

The young man smiled confidently as he then took off his suit jacket, revealing standard-issue law enforcement shoulder belt straps with a holster occupied by a pistol, as well as several pouches for clips of ammunition. He threw the jacket over onto the hood of his car and tapped an earpiece in his ear, before looking at the squad of armed officers grinned while attaching his scabbard by a clip to his belt.

"Let's go see if we can try and save this guy!" he exclaimed before motioning towards the building, the twelve man squad following right behind him.

Entering into a completely silent building, they made their way through the lobby quietly, the officers checking around them with their weapons at the ready for any sign of their target. As they walked up a flight of stairs they heard a loud banging noise coming from up ahead past the elevators and they froze, the young man giving them silent orders to spread out. Once they were in position behind some planters and other outcroppings, the man walked forward with a hand on his blade hilt towards the ruckus, keeping himself loose.

"Come on out...I know you're there." he called out calmly, the noises stopping suddenly. Then, after a couple of seconds, from a hallway past the elevators to the office building out walked a horribly disfigured creature that clearly used to be a person judging by the half of their face that he could see. Like it had come straight out of a horror movie, the entire right side of the angel had bloated with large bulbous sections of black sludge, with its arm turned into a giant tentacle-like limb that dragged behind its body as it walked.

Cursing silently to himself, the young man widened his stance somewhat as the monstrosity looked his way and let out a distressed groan that sent chills down some of the officers' spines, making them grip their weapons that much tighter. The unfortunate soul before him had already progressed past stage two, thought the man, which meant their options would be extremely limited.

"Hey there big guy...you're not looking too good right now. It must hurt, I know...we want to help you though." said the young man as he raised his hands up, trying to appear as non threatening as possible.

"Careful, sir...we don't know how it will react." said one of the officers to him through his earpiece.

"I hear you, I hear you...don't do anything rash."

The young man undid his collar and pulled open his shirt somewhat, exposing a flame-like tattoo on the left side of his neck and shoulder blade. After doing that he kept his hands in the air where the Angel could see them, its groans softening a bit as he drew closer and closer.

It almost seemed like he was going to be able to make a breakthrough and have a chance to save the poor fellow. Once it got a glimpse of the birthmark the young man had though, a residual, inherited memory the man seemed to have activated and he almost instantly went into a frenzy. Lashing out at him with its huge tentacle arm, one quick draw of the blade and a burst of flames was enough to sever it cleanly off its body.

On the young man's command the armored officers opened fire, taking aim at its predetermined weak spots to hamper its movements and regeneration with specially made Nichirin rounds.

"I'm sorry that things had to turn out this way...I hope that you can find a better life in the next one." murmured the young man as he set his sites on the transformed Angel's neck area. With one soft breath and a tighter grip on his blade, the metal's sheen turned crimson red. "Hi no kokyū: Enbu."

In the blink of an eye, his blade cut clean through the torso of the Angel, severing his head from his body and bringing an end to the threat swiftly. With a gurgle the creature's headless body toppled over and ceased all movement, and with its death, the officers halted their barrage and stood up from behind their cover.

After returning outside members of the Kakushi, who in the modern age weren't as concerned with hiding their identities as in the past, filed inside to help clean up the mess and repair any damages that were made in the rampage.

"Here comes the media, sir. Good luck." said one of the officers with a chuckle while nudging the young man before he walked away.

However, what he didn't see was the person standing behind the flood of news reporters beginning to flood the scene to ask questions about what had just occurred on the last day before the start of a new year. After grabbing his things that he left behind and putting on his suit jacket he started walking towards the oncoming flood of news reporters for Japanese media. When they reached him he apologized and told them they could have their questions answered by the chief officer on station, before pushing through to who waited on the other side.

With shoulder-length black hair that faded to purple, a pair of small horns, and a characteristic butterfly hair pin that matched her butterfly-patterned dress, seeing her brought a smile to the young man's face as he approached her.

"Mom! When did you get here?" he asked as he walked right into the awaiting arms of Shinobu, who looked slightly older than what she did many years prior.

"Just a little bit after you, Sumihiko. I figured you could use a ride home after your last call for the night." Shinobu replied lovingly while giving her eldest son a kiss on the forehead.

"But I drove here...I don't want to just leave one of the Corps' cars here!"

"Oh, I already called someone to get it for you. Now stop arguing with your mother and get in the car~"

Shinobu winked and giggled at him before opening the driver's side door of her car, climbing in and starting up the engine with her key while Sumihiko slid over the hood with a laugh and got in on the passenger side.

They then drove away together, Shinobu driving them through the streets of Tokyo out into the country back home where they and the rest of their family would be celebrating the welcoming of the new year.

The world had changed drastically around them, from the dawn of demons living among humans, and the rapid modernization of technology after the nations of the world put aside their differences to work towards the benefit of both human and demonkind. Even to this day the debate still waged on about what it meant to be human, and if demons were the next step in humanity's future.

This has also come with the threat posed by "Angels", or transformed humans or demons that undergo a rapid mutation due to the pollen generated from the Progenitor Flowers that still grew around the world as a result of Torres' machinations at the end of the Great War. Modern science has enabled the Civil Protection Corps, the successor to the Demon Slayers Corps, and its international brethren organizations to help some of these unfortunate souls recover and return to society. The rate at which mutations did occur had not slowed down however, and so it became a goal for leading scientists and researchers to discover a cure to the Angel Virus.

One such person, a botanist by the name of Aoba Hashibira, had recently made a breakthrough in those efforts with the discovery of the coveted flower that Muzan Kibutsuji had spent his entire life searching for. The Blue Spider Lily, which only grew one day a year in the sun, was found to be related to the Progenitor Flower, and if properly synthesized and studied, it could be just what the world was looking for as a cure. Since it had been the flower to transform Muzan, it could be used to safely negate the effects of the pollen and enable both humans and demons to live without fear.

For humans and demons, thanks to the mass distribution of a vaccine carrying the new father of demons' blood, modified using knowledge taken from Tamayo's studies, that enabled them to coexist peacefully. Requiring either little blood or none at all, the threat of demons preying on humans had become nonexistent.

For religions such as Christianity and all of its other associated branches and sister religions, accepting that demons truly existed in a different way than how they were described in scripture was a hard pill to swallow. It was only because of the open-mindedness of some members that gradual acceptance worked its way into places such as the Vatican, which had been rebuilt along with the city of Rome.

"Will everyone else be coming too? Hashibira-san and the Agatsuma siblings? Their parents?" Sumihiko asked as they left Tokyo behind, Shinobu sighing and shaking her head.

"Not this year, Sumi. They're celebrating New Years with their families, so it will just be us this time." Shinobu replied, before looking at her son and cupping his cheek with a smile.

"That will still be a lot of people, Mom." Sumihiko replied with a laugh. "It is a little weird to think about though. That he and the Agatsuma siblings are the great-grand children of Dad's closest friends and sister, while me and my siblings are your sons and daughters."

"It's part of being a demon. It hurts to watch your loved ones pass with time, but even though they're gone, you can still see them living on in their descendants."

Sumihiko nodded and smiled a little before he leaned back and got comfortable for the car ride back home, watching the landscape change as they drove by. It was around evening when they drove up the snowy country road made into the mountain outside of their family's hometown, eventually reaching the clearing where their home resided. With the world's modernization came the modernization of their family home, but it still gave off the same feeling of serenity and tranquility among nature even with the new technologies it now contained.

When they were climbing out of Shinobu's car they were almost immediately greeted by the other members of their large family, with Sumihiko's siblings coming out of their home at once, followed by their parents.

"Kokomi, Kanata! Kèqíng, Tanjūrō! It's so good to see all of you again!" Sumihiko said happily while embracing all four of his siblings.

Sumihiko was the eldest among them, having been born first from Shinobu, with Kokomi being the second eldest. Like her mother she had inherited her outlandish pink and green hair color, only she had it in a single braided ponytail that went down her back, and she possessed her monstrous strength as well. The third and fourth, Kèqíng and Tanjūrō, were twins that their foreign mother had given birth to, with the former receiving a Chinese name and the latter the name of their grandfather. Both of them inherited their mother's characteristic white hair, with Tanjūrō having maroon tips in his from his father's side.

One of the biggest differences between them was that Kèqíng was with her mother more often than not, learning the art of business from her so that way she could operate her business when the time was right.

Last but not least was Kanata, the youngest member of the Kamado family, even though comparatively she would be nearly three times the age of a normal human young adult. Like his mother he wore a blank expression more often than not, and spoke in a monotonous tone, but just like everyone else in his family, he cared greatly about his brothers and sisters.

"I always appreciate days like this, when we can all be together as a family." Mitsuri said happily as she, Kanao and Níngguāng were joined by Shinobu.

"I second that. I used to always enjoy being engrossed in my work, but now that I'm part of such a large family...it's a feeling I wouldn't want to trade, even for all the money in the world." Níngguāng added with a smile as she crossed her arms underneath her chest.

"After they're done catching up, let's get everyone inside and feed them that way we'll be ready for Tanjirō." suggested Kanao with a smile, the other three wives nodding.

Calling out to Sumihiko and his siblings, the Kamado family retreated into their home as the news report was being broadcast on the television, detailing an interview held today with the current oldest person living in the world. It was Kiriya Ubuyashiki, who had grown up and lived past the age of 110, which brought a smile to the adults of the family because of their history with the former leader of the Corps.

"Mitsuri, would you like to go check up on Tanjirō and see how he's doing?" Shinobu asked while Kanao and her started preparing the food, leaving Níngguāng to entertain their kids.

"Sure~! He should be at the shrine, right?" Mitsuri replied while grabbing her snowshoes.

"That's right. Just be sure to not disturb him, this is important after all."

Mitsuri nodded before she grabbed a coat too and went outside again, the snow surrounding their home crunching beneath her feet as she followed a rocky trail over to the left side of their home.

Constructed there amongst a field of flowers that were covered by the snow was a shrine dedicated to their family, as well as their closest friends, and kneeling before it was Tanjirō himself. He was currently in the middle of praying, so Mitsuri didn't say anything and only observed him for a few moments before heading back.

Tanjirō smiled to himself as he heard her footsteps crunching away from him until it was silent once again, with it just being him and the shrine. He had built it a few years ago and he came to it every week, or before every time he would travel, as a show of respect and as a way to stay connected to those who had passed on.

Tonight was an important night for him, just as it had been for years now. With the turn of the new year came his family's tradition of warding off bad luck and evil spirits through the Hinokami Kagura, which he knew now as Yoriichi's Sun Breathing. It was a symbolic passing on of the technique from father to son, and currently it was Sumihiko who was the current inheritor.

He had yet to receive his father's, which were also originally Yoriichi's, earrings, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be giving those away as well. It warmed his heart to know that he was carrying on Yoriichi and his ancestors' legacy by performing the Kagura dance. Tanjirō liked to think that wherever they were now that they were smiling on him and his family, happy for him and for what he was able to accomplish.

Back in the Kamado Household, dinner was well underway with the parents asking their children how their lives were going, whether it be in service to the Civil Protection Corps or with schooling, as each of them had taken a different path in life. There was nothing but good news all around, and it made for a very pleasant meal that ended with Shinobu informing them it was nearly time. The sun had finally set behind the horizon, so under her direction everyone bundled up so that they could be warm outside in the cold, then led them through the door into the front yard where the show would be held.

While they had been eating, Tanjirō had been busy setting up where he would perform the ritual by clearing out a circle of snow and setting up lit torches around it so that they could provide light and heat. The way the flames' light flickered off the snow and made it glisten already made the atmosphere incredibly beautiful, but its what came next that took their breath away.

Walking into the clearing was Tanjirō himself, clothed in his father's Iwami Kagura outfit that he would wear when performing the Hinokami Kagura. Of course this was not the first time, but every time was also important to him, and he stressed following every single motion so that it would be as perfect as possible.

As he took up his symbolic wooden blade he stood in the center of the clearing, surrounded by the torches so that he was illuminated on all sides by their flames, he waited. His family watched in silent anticipation, the sky growing ever darker until the last wisps of light had finally disappeared.

Then, like clockwork, Tanjirō began to dance. With each step he took he performed the Hinokami Kagura with exceptional accuracy and grace, wasting not a single movement at all. Shinobu smiled as she stood next to Mitsuri, Kanao and Níngguāng behind their children, the four of them all holding one another's hands as they watched in silent awe of their loved one performing what was near and dear to his heart.

Sumihiko and the rest of his siblings were just as awestruck as ever when they witnessed their father dance to usher in the new year, and for him personally, he hoped that one day he too could learn to dance just like that. To dance forever without losing a single breath, from dusk till dawn.

During the dance was when Mitsuri let go of Shinobu and Kanao's hand for a moment in order to pull something she had grabbed with her up, the other three women taking a glance at it and feeling a new kind of warmth creep into their hearts.

In her hands was an old picture that was taken many years ago, after they had won against Torres in Rome. Being surrounded by all of their friends when they were young, with bright and smiling faces. And centerstage was none other than Tanjirō and Nezuko, the siblings that brought about such change, it shook the very foundations of the world itself and opened the door for what would later be the future, today.

Mitsuri held that picture throughout the night, even when their kids eventually left them to sleep, with just her, Shinobu, Kanao and Níngguāng remaining put even after the fireworks began to go off in the town in the valley. The new year had begun, and just as the sun would eventually rise to begin the day, so too would another year begin for a changed humanity.

To be human or demon, it didn't matter. Because deep down inside, they had been, and always were one and the same. To live and to die, to love and to cry. To be alive, and to appreciate one's life that much more. Perhaps becoming a demonic was just what the world needed after all.

A/N This is it...this is the end. I'm kind of speechless right now, to be honest. To think I'd be arriving here at this point, a year and month later after first posting chapter 1. It's crazy to think it had gotten this big too, I for one was not expecting it. But I'm glad regardless. This story was incredibly fun to write, and Im so incredibly thankful to have had you guys along for the ride as well.

I know this chapter was really short compared to so many of the previous ones, but to be perfectly honest with you guys, I actually struggled a bit to figure out how to end it. I could have gone to some of the characters in the future after they had gotten old and such, but at the end of the day, I felt like I should end it with Tanjirō and his family alone. Maybe I'll revise this chapter later on, who knows, but right now...I'm satisfied. A happy ending after so much strife and chaos. But again, to see that this will be the LAST chapter...it blows my mind, honestly. I remember first starting out with such anxiety because I didn't know how this story would be taken, considering it was sort of a pioneer in regards to the kind of stories being written for Demon Slayer. What shocked me most of all was all of the support it got from you guys, the readers, and it genuinely fills my heart with joy to know that this was something you guys cared about to.

It was honestly one of the best experiences I've had writing. Every time I'd upload a chapter I'd always check my email first thing in the morning to see any reviews it got, and some of them made my smile ear to ear. Just...it was amazing. I can't thank you guys enough for this. I'll also say that I wasn't originally planning on ending this story with Tanjirō performing the Hinokami Kagura dance just like his father had, but when somebody said (Ranger I'm looking at you, you rascal) that they called that would happen, I just had to use that idea because I thought it would be exceptionally fitting. I hope that some of you can take away some of the lessons from this story too, about what it means to be human, and being yourself even against somebody who wants to take all of that and shove it right back in your face.

But it's over now. There won't be any more posts to this, and I'm gonna be selecting that "COMPLETE" option on my side to show this story as done. It's been an absolutely incredible ride, and for those of you that haven't left a review yet, I hope that you leave a final one here! But man...it's gonna be weird not writing for this. I'm gonna be taking a long break from writing, because this took a lot out of me, and I have to focus on real life stuff, but what I do know is that, as of right now, I don't really have any plans to write another Demon Slayer-centered fic. I feel as though this one is everything is what I would have wanted to be in a Demon Slayer fic, and that if I did write a second one, it wouldn't even come close to matching this one.

With all intents and purposes, this is my Magnum Opus.

And I thank all of you, once again, for being a part of it. From the bottom of my heart.

This will be the last you hear from me, but who knows? Maybe I'll catch some of you again on a brand new story in the future, but until then, I hope you live your lives to the absolute fullest. Leave your final reviews here, telling me what you think of either this ending chapter, or the story in general, and I'll see you on the flipside.

~DemonLordGalm

Translation(s):

Hi no kokyū: Enbu

- Sun Breathing: Waltz