On the backs of the Kakushi…
.
Tanjiro and Nezuko were headed towards the Butterfly estate, under the orders of both Joichirou and Shinobu, after the entire fiasco had ended. Nezuko had passed out somewhere along the route, and had begun to rest, while Tanjiro thought about what happened during the meeting.
.
Just before the Kamado siblings left…
.
Standing within the shadows, with hatred within her eyes, Kaguya looked at the blood that had begun to drip from Sanemi's arm. He wanted to prove Joichiorou's words were wrong. That it was impossible for humans and demons to work together. After standing still for a full minute, Kaguya had begun to move. Smiling at the sight, Sanemi believed he had won, only to see his world become dark. As his body fell to the ground, Kaguya turned around and, bent down, her actions caused the other Pillars to place their hands on their weapons, only to see that it was only a false alarm as Kaguya ripped her haori once more and wrapped Sanemi's arm. As Sanemi remained unconscious, Kaguya sat down beside him and began to stroke his head.
.
"Sad." Was all Kaguya said.
"And there you have it." Joichirou spoke. "There exist demons who don't eat or attack humans, but instead care for their well-being over their own."
"I see." Kagaya spoke, then turning around to face the rest of the Pillars, he spoke once more. "There is your proof. But at the moment, we will allow Joichirou to find one of these demons and work alongside them. If the partnership works then we will all work alongside this mysterious group."
"That will not be a problem, for I have already set my sights on demon." Joichirou spoke as he rose to his feet and walked over to Kagaya and whispered into his ear.
"I see." Kagaya whispered back. "Then I shall await their arrival."
.
Present time…
.
"That Joichirou man, he's weird." Tanjiro spoke after coming back to reality.
"Oh, you mean Master Joichirou." The male Kakushi spoke.
"Master?" Tanjiro repeated. "I remember every Pillar calling him 'Sensei.' Why?"
"Oh, that's because he has watched over the Ubuyashiki since he became a demon slayer and has treated us Kakushi with more respect than he has treated anyone else."
"I know. It sort of makes us feel like we're the masters." The female Kakushi spoke up in the conversation.
"How long has Mr. Joichirou been a demon slayer?" Tanjiro asked, now curious about Joichirou.
"Hmm…about 30 years, give or take." The male Kakushi answered, not confident in his answer. "All I know is that he has seen at least three master's take the role as head of the Demon Slayer Corp."
"And is the longest lasting Pillar in the group." The female Kakushi added.
"Oh, that's right." The male Kakushi responded.
"Ohh, is that so?" Tanjiro said as he looked up towards the sky.
.
In a bamboo forest just a few miles away from the Demon Slayer Headquarters…
.
Sitting in the middle of a clearing sword in hand, Joichirou appeared to be meditating, before suddenly opening his eyes and in a single breath, sliced the surrounding bamboos and then sheathed his sword. Looking back, the cut bamboos fell to the ground, but the look of disappointment was plastered on Joichirou's face for the world to see.
.
"I've gotten weaker." Joichirou said to himself, before breathing outwards. "Well, it's to be expected. But from this point forth I have to be careful."
.
Placing the sword back on his waist, Joichirou set for a small cabin. Knocking on the small door first before opening it, gave the occupant inside time to hide in the shadows. Then after waiting for a minute, Joichirou entered and shut the door behind him. Seeing Mother Spider covering herself in a heavy blanket breathing heavily, caused Joichirou to grit his teeth in pain. It had been quite some time since she had eaten human flesh, so the withdrawal from it was causing Mother Spider to build up what looked to be a fever.
.
"How are you holding up?" Joichirou asked.
"Not…good…but I have to hold on." Mother Spider spoke through her heavy breathing. "Is…is this my punishment?"
"It's only part of it. Once you feel better, I'm taking you out into the field to work alongside me to slay demons." Joichirou answered as he light a waxed candle string, which lit the dark, heavy shadowed room. "I'm far too old to fight by myself, so this is a perfect opportunity to grab some assistance."
"But all I can do is control people with my strings." Mother Spider spoke, as she fully turned her face towards Joichirou to show that she was sweating up a storm. "And not to mention that it won't work without a forest."
.
Feeling a smack to her head, Mother Spider held her forehead in pain as she looked to see Joichirou's hand extended outwards.
.
"Quit telling yourself that your weak, and useless. Even the most useless people have the best potential when given the right opportunity." Joichirou answered.
"Even the most useless have the best potential. What do you mean?" Mother Spider asked. "Rui said that the weakest shouldn't survive, only the strong can thrive."
"Look at me. I'm the weakest of the Demon Slayers, but as you can see, because of that I was able to defeat some strong demons." Joichirou answered. "The stronger the opponent, the stronger the wall to protection becomes. But the weaker the opponent, the weaker their walls become." Listening to his words intently, Mother Spider became aware of her faults and began thinking of ways to improve herself.
.
After their conversation ended, Joichirou left the small cabin, leaving Mother Spider all by herself to her own thoughts.
.
"How…how can I improve myself?" She thought to herself as she closed her eyes.
.
A few hours later…
.
Sitting in the moon's warms rays, Kagaya sat down without a care in the world when he heard several footsteps he did not recognize. Smiling at it, he slightly turned his head and spoke.
.
"I was told to wait for your arrival. But I am honestly surprised at the fact that you two could walk through wisteria without flinching." Kagaya spoke.
"If you were expecting us, then that means that man we met at Mount Natagumo was trustworthy after all." Suzuha spoke.
"If it's alright with the both of you, might I know your names." Kagaya asked with a tender sweet voice.
"It's proper etiquette to name oneself before asking for the names of others, isn't it?" Suzuha spoke up once more.
"Ah, forgive me. My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki. The current master of the Demon Slayer Corp." Kagaya gave his introduction and began to wait for the two girls to introduce themselves.
"Suzuha, demon. And a member of the Stars." Suzuha introduced herself.
"Koharu, same." Koharu answered a bit cautious about the new man in front of her.
"Suzuha and Koharu. Very well, if you don't mind my asking, may I know your purpose for being here?" Kagaya asked.
"I'm here to return something." Koharu answered Kagaya's question.
"Koharu, correct?" Getting a respond of agreement, Kagaya continued. "What is it you wish to return?"
"A butterfly hairpin that belongs to one of your Demon Slayers." Koharu pulled out the hairpin and presented it to Kagaya. "I was with one of your slayers when I awoke some 7 years ago. But sadly, I had grabbed onto this when was I sent flying away by another demon."
"I take it that the hairpin belonged to Kanae?" Kagaya asked once more.
"I was not aware of her name at the time, but when I noticed the slayer's family member back at the mountain, I knew I had to return it no matter what." Koharu answered.
"Very well, I'll be sure to find a proper way for you both to meet, until then will you stay with my family. I'm sure they will accept you." Kagaya replied to Koharu's demands. "And now for you Suzuha. What is your purpose for being here?"
"I'm simply looking for my mother. It has been quite some time since she had eaten human flesh. So, she could be going through the withdrawal state, and could be suffering as well." Suzuha spoke as she was asked. "I simply wish to give her Lily's blood as a means to sate her desire for blood."
"Wouldn't that do the opposite and cause her to grow more agitated?" Kagaya questioned Suzuha's actions.
"No, Lily's blood is the opposite of Kibutsuji's. It actually destroys his cells and creates pseudo demons such as us." Surprised at the fact of hearing a demon saying Kibutsuji's name come from a demon, Kagaya couldn't hide his astonishment fast enough before Suzuha spoke up. "Don't worry we get that a lot. I'm not quite sure of the details myself, but from what I'm seeing from Lily's memories she was made to be the cure for Kibutsuji, or something of the sort."
"Is that so? Now, I'm curious about meeting this Lily you speak of. Do you think that could be possible?" Kagaya curious at this new demon, asked.
"Keep asking, and she'll appear before you." Suzuha answered.
"Then I'll continue to do so." Kagaya answered with a giggle.
.
As the three continued their conversation, the two demon sisters tried their best to answer all the questions Kagaya asked, and Kagaya in turn answered the questions the two sisters had. Eventually before the three realized it, the night had begun to end.
.
The Next Day…
.
Sneaking around in the shadows of the estate, Kaguya was trying her best to remain within the shadows given to her but was eventually stuck at the large hallway with glass panes that showed the garden outside. Trying to figure out the best plan, Kaguya train of thought was interrupted when a voice spoke up.
.
"What are you doing?" The voice asked, but Kaguya's grip on the ceiling slipped and felt towards the ground. "Are you alright?"
.
As Kaguya looked up she noticed Ozaki, extended her only good hand out to help her up. Grabbing it, she was helped to her feet.
.
"You look to be alright." Ozaki spoke. "Are you trying to get to Tanjiro and the rest?"
"Mm." Kaguya answered.
"Wait, can you not talk?" Ozaki confused at the response she was given, since she clearly heard Kaguya speak the night before.
.
Rubbing both her fingers on each side of her head while making a face in pain, was enough for Ozaki to understand the situation. Then asking for Kaguya to wait within the shadows of the hallway, Ozaki walked through the hallway and entered the room where Tanjiro and the rest of the boys were and came back with a heavy blanket. Then crouching down, she turned her head around and spoke.
"Get on, I'll carry you inside, since there's light shining in there, too." Doing as she was told, Kaguya grabbed onto Ozaki's shoulders and climbed onto her back. The heavy blanket was then tossed on to cover Kaguya. Then they proceeded to the patient's rooms.
.
Later that night…
.
While she stood in the center of the garden, Kaguya looked up towards the moon. Then as a thought came into her mind, she extended her right hand to try and grab it, but to no avail. Hearing footsteps approach her, Kaguya turned around to see Shinobu standing there.
.
"I take it your Kaguya?" Shinobu asked, and Kaguya nodded in response. "So, I take it you don't talk much?" Seeing the young demon trying her best to speak, Shinobu lifted up her hand to stop her. "If you can't put your thoughts into words, then it's fine."
"Can…talk." Kaguya said ever so slowly, before turning her attention back to the full moon. "Difficult…so many…thoughts? Memories?" Kaguya began to think about her words, trying her best to find the right one.
"Memories?" Shinobu repeated, now curious as to what this girl meant.
"Memories…so, many. Sad. Happy, angry, fear, disgust." Continuously stating one emotion at a time, Kaguya eyes began to drift farther and farther down, until they met the ground below her. "So many people, and so many memories. It's hard to take in."
.
Waiting for her to continue, Shinobu just stared at the young demon girl, who looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Then lifting up her hand, Kaguya slapped each cheek until they became completely red. Stunned by her sudden behavior, Shinobu was about to ask, only to see Kaguya walk up to a tree and hit it, causing its occupant to fall to the ground.
.
"She wishes to return something that belongs to you." As Kaguya spoke, Shinobu noticed her growing a bit older, and her appearance changed to that of a 13 year old. "Don't screw up." And with that, Kaguya walked away leaving both Koharu and Shinobu alone.
.
10 minutes later…
.
After she left both Koharu and Shinobu, Kaguya looked up once more at the bright moon, and took a deep breath in, but in that same moment, she felt a pain in her chest. The pain hurt so much that it caused her to fall to the ground. Then the image of a woman who shared a similar appearance to her, had disappeared from Kaguya's mind. Holding onto her head, Kaguya began to breath more heavily, then spoke to herself.
.
"She's dead. She's dead. If she's dead…" Kaguya looked up towards the moon with fear in her eyes. "…what will happen to me?"
.
Meanwhile, after the "meeting" in the Infinite Fortress…
.
A female version of Kibutsuji was seen standing outside of a plain Japanese style house looking into the distance. After transforming back into his original form, he felt a pain in his heart, and had begun to laugh. Knowing what that pain meant, caused him to become hysterical.
.
"After a thousand years, you let time get to you, Lily." Kibutsuji spoke while laughing uncontrollably. "You…your curse has finally subsided. There is but only one thing that holds me back from finding the flower. That curse, which you placed on me, is now useless. Because you're dead." Feeling overjoyed at the fact that Lily's life had ended, caused Kibutsuji to feel like he was on the top of the world. "And now, I'm coming for that little girl you made, and I'm going to kill her before she can do anything."
.
As Kibutsuji looked up towards the moon, he smiled. He smiled, knowing that his plan to beat the sun was now closer than ever, with the Lily's death being the turning point.