Author's Note: Thank you guys for all the follows, favorites, positive comments and feedback! Thank you all for interacting with the story, it makes me so happy to see so many people enjoying it!

This chapter was fun to write since we get to see Shinjurou's dream!

Anyways, I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! ^^

"To be able to die while dreaming. Just how lucky are you?"

The Demon stood on the top of the Mugen Train, dark chin-length black hair with a few varying lengths and whipping in the wind but the hair's part on the right side was still tucked perfectly behind his ear. A smile was evident on his face and his ringed blue eyes narrowed, with the left one that had the kanji Lower One etched into its iris, as he openly discussed his plans.

"It doesn't matter how powerful a Demon Slayer you are." He continued and the tails of the black button-up suit whipped around with the white dress shirt and pinstriped gray pants remained in proper condition, "A human's driving force is the heart, the spirit!"

The Demon's hand returned, crawling on the head of the train before the Demon raised its empty hand up with the hand leaping up and attaching itself back.

"All you have to do is destroy the spiritual core." He said and a maniac grin spread across his face, a sadistic grin overwhelming his features, "You can kill them just like that! Human hearts are the same. So fragile and weak, just like glasswork."

He loosely chuckled to himself and said, "Falling deeper into sleep, deep in their dreams. Forget to breathe, deep in their dreams. And even if a Demon comes, deep in their dreams. Even in the stomach, deep in their dreams…"

He trailed off and glanced back, sensing his Blood Art taking deeper into effect speaking up, "You're starting to have a happy dream, aren't you?"

"You are falling into a dream. It's a deep slumber that they can no longer awaken from." He laughed and pulled at himself, a sense of pleasure running through him at the notion of the Demon Slayers falling deeper and deeper into their dreams.

Meanwhile, in a different car, a rope tightened around Shinjurou's limp wrist and Eshima frowned as she stood up, observing the man with calm ease. She glanced over to the others, watching as they tried their best to get situated.

"Do we tie ourselves to them by the rope?" Ito asked, still trying to get the hang of it.

"You're right. Don't forget about what he warned us about." She responded and her eyes narrowed, staring at his wrist. Eventually, the others were all set, with Ougi's rope connecting with the boar-headed teen, Eshima's connected with Shinjurou, Ougi's connected with Zenitsu, and Uto connected to Tanjirou.

"Take a deep, slow breath." Uto spoke, barely a whisper from his harsh voice, "..while you count."

They closed their eyes and began to do what they were told to do.

"One." Ito said.

"Two." Ougi spoke.

"Three." Uto continued.

"Four." Eshima said and the feeling of ease slowly took over as they continued to count, falling into the Demon Slayer's dreams.

"Five."

"Six."

Eshima's eyes finally closed but she caught one last gaze of the man who offered them the delicious meal not that long ago.

Perhaps his death would be swift so she would no longer have to think about it.

The sight of the village greeted him when he blinked, confused as to why he would be there when he had been…somewhere else. He clicked his tongue and rubbed his aching head but something tugged at his hakama pants. He blinked and looked down to see his oldest son, about seven years old with concern written across his face. His big round eyes bubbled with tears and his yellow and orange kimono puffed around him. Shinjurou opened his mouth to tell him that he was fine but someone spoke up before him.

"Is something wrong, Shinjurou-san?"

His heart shattered at the sound of her voice and looked over his shoulder to see his beloved wife staring at him. Her hair was tied back like normal and holding onto their youngest son on her hip. He bubbled and giggled nonsensically and waved his chubby arms around once a small bug caught his attention.

She looked absolutely breathtaking.

He opened his mouth to say nothing but merely he shook his head, smiling at her.

"No. It was nothing, Ruka. Something of my imagination took over." He spoke and her name spilled off his tongue with true appreciation. She nodded, the soft look in her eyes eased his uncertainty, and their sons looked at him with bold wide eyes.

Unknown to him, an ominous pair of red-orange eyes stared at him with a maniac grin.

Shinjurou continued following his wife and children around the village, watching as Ruka made small talk with some sellers over the season changing as he noted small blossoms of sakura on the trees. He paid no attention to the others near him and he was content just being a bystander compared to the rest of his family. Kyoujurou shouted thank you to the seller while his brother offered the woman a wave, which caused Ruka's mouth to arch in a small smile.

This was the sort of mundane life he craved for.

His family approached him and he gladly took the basket full of vegetables from his wife who nodded to him in gratefulness. Kyoujurou smiled and stood in front of his father, fingers reaching up to him to hold him.

"Can you please hold me, father?" He asked and Shinjurou smiled at this.

"Of course." He said and Kyoujurou's smile spread ear to ear, as Shinjurou grabbed his son and proceeded to hold him on his hip.

"Thank you, father!" Kyoujurou shouted and Shinjurou chuckled at the enthusiasm his son projected out.

"Let us go see about what the fishermen have caught." Ruka stated and Shinjurou nodded, walking side by side with his voice. He desperately wanted to grasp her hand in his own but he respected her distance and she turned down a small path where he could spot some of the fishermen talking amongst each other and commenting on how their catch went. The small stalls were lined with fish and the smell was persistent but nothing as terrible as the smell of blood.

"Oi, it's Rengoku-sama!" One whispered to the other and Ruka remained blank face at this. She had grown close to the people of the village as she too lived among them as a child but they had grown to respect the Rengoku family.

"Good morning." She said to them and most returned the greeting besides a few who waved instead, "What do you have in stock today?"

One waved at the others to his stall which contained mackerel pike and skipjack tuna, looking like a fresh catch. Ruka remained silent as she looked at the fish other before moving to a different stall, one that had offered food to them at a lower price due to his prior relationship with her father.

"Morning, Rengoku-san." He said as he sat upon a bucket peeling away at an apple with a small knife, "How are ya little ones doin'?"

She looked pleased with his approach and replied, "They are well, thank you. How has your wife been faring?"

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the presented fish, which was just salmon, and he sighed. He shrugged as he proceeded to cut the apple into a small slice and offer it up to Kyoujurou. He smiled widely at this and thanked him as he took it. He observed it before he began to eat it and Shinjurou felt a smile approach his own face at this peaceful moment.

"Do you truly believe this false reality?"

A shiver rolled across him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, whipping around to see who had spoken. Surprisingly no one was around him but his eyes were now wide in concern and worry beginning to spread across him.

The voice sounded so familiar.

He nearly dropped the basket and Kyoujurou from his grasp at this. Everyone's attention now drew to him and he did not know why his breath seemed to be barely able to catch himself.

"You ok, Rengoku-sama?" The fisherman asked and his attention snapped back to him before he plastered a fake smile for reassurance.

"Yes, it appears I misheard something." He responded and the fisherman remained silent but looked at him cautiously.

"…perhaps you should head home today." Ruka spoke so softly that he barely heard it and he wanted to argue with her that he was fine but his racing pulse caused him to rethink his words.

"Perhaps." He muttered and sighed before he leaned down, allowing Kyoujurou to get off of him. He stared at his eldest, wanting to apologize for frightening him, but his voice caught in his throat.

And he did not know why he wanted to weep at the sight of him.

He gulped to force his composure and he gently caressed his son before saying, "Watch over your mother and brother for me, ok?"

With those words, Kyoujurou nodded and boosted his chest out, and shouted, "I shall, father!"

Shinjurou returned to his normal height and picked the basket full of vegetables up, knowing he could at least bring that back home with him. His wife looked at him with concern and he turned his back to her, slowly making his way back to the Flame Hashira Estate.

Shinjurou swore as he made his way through the village, scratching at his head, not even realizing that he was ruining his hair that was pulled up. He could not place it but something was clearly bothering him and it ruined the moment with his family because of it.

"What is going on?" He muttered under his breath and sighed, turning down the road. A headache pounded against his skull and he swore again, trying his best to calm down. His heart was racing and he felt sick to his stomach, leaning against a building to help carry himself.

Something was wrong. He just had no idea what it was.

Suddenly his eyes flickered and he felt his body drop, unable to move as something took over.

When he awoke, he was at the estate. He was clearly lying down as his vision was obscured by the ceiling and he breathed in deeply, placing a hand on his forehead and pulling away a wet washcloth. He frowned as he tried to remember what had happened but his memory seemed to be fuzzy. He slowly sat up, his clothes luckily not soaked with sweat, and he looked around to see that he was in his bedroom.

"You're up."

His head swerved around to see Ruka entering the room, a tray of food in her hands, and her expression calm as always.

"You worried us, Shinjurou-san." She said and sat down next to him, where he noted some rice porridge was placed on a plate, "One of the villagers found you passed out on the street."

He blinked and now recalled what had happened before sighing. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and Ruka waited patiently for him to respond.

"I am sorry for worrying you." He mustered out and she sighed as she took the spoon, digging into the porridge.

"…Kyoujurou-kun nearly burst into tears. Please make sure that he knows you are ok." She told him and he nodded as she held the spoon out to him, a massive flush passing over his features at this act of affection. He leaned forward and took the food, such caused Ruka's face to soften.

"I'm glad that you are up." She said and he swallowed the food, as she raised a hand to his face, "Please let me know if you do not feel good."

A massive pang appeared in his heart as a memory flashed across his eyes.

"Don't lie to me! Ruka, something is clearly wrong with you!"

His eyes widen and grasped a hand to his chest, tightening his grip on his yukata. He looked at her and she remained silent as he said, "You would let me know if you were not feeling good, right?"

She stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "…of course, I would."

He did not know why but he felt like she lied to him, which made no sense. They should let each other know if something was wrong; they had promised each other this over their wedding vows and promises.

He grasped her hands and her eyes widen a bit at his action as he pulled her closer, enveloping her in his entire figure.

"Promise me that you will tell me if you are ever in any pain." He requested and Ruka remained still, trying to understand what prompted such an intense response from him. She returned his hug, hands gripping the back of his yukata, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Yes, I promise."

A sinister and overwhelming feeling of dread covered him as something whispered right in his ear, beads of sweat now coating him, "Liar."

Eshima's eyes slowly opened, trying to ease the stomach-churning from traveling into the depths of this man's dream. She had done this a few times before she could never get over the nauseous feeling of entering someone's dream. She shook her head to help clear the feeling and took a few deep breaths, hoping that it would ease up. She observed her surroundings in the meantime, noting that she appeared to be in a small room.

A kamidana dedicated to some god she had no clue about was placed against the wall while a small flame was lit and in the center was the taima. Small offerings of food were placed among them and ofuda lined it while the shimenawa blocked the kanji from being read. while the tatami floor brushed up against her skin causing a shiver. Her eyes grew large as magatama jewels and mirrors surrounded the kamidana as well, glistening and showing off her slightly distorted reflection.

The room was creeping her out.

She clicked her tongue and made her way to a beautifully painted fusuma, depicting someone with flame-colored hair swinging a sword down on what appeared to be a Demon. She remained silent and ignored it as she quietly opened it up. She frowned as the entire place appeared to be engulfed in the darkness beside a few small glimpses of light. The verdana seemed to stretch endlessly and a few shoji that she could barely see further down.

This dream was becoming odder and odder.

She sighed and stepped out of the room and before she could even look back, the fusuma slammed shut behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin from how harsh it was and her eyes grew wide as she whipped back around to it. She attempted to pull it open but it did not bulge and she swore under her breath, deciding that she did not need to go back into the strange room.

She had more important matters to think of.

She began to slowly make her way through the verdana, noting how eerily silent it was as she passed by the few shoji. She attempted to glance but there was nothing she could truly see through. Her thoughts began to occupy her time as she tried to find a way out.

It was odd that she was not placed closer to the man's dream but instead was in the building. Normally the Demon was quite focused on where to place her and the others when they traveled into the dream, close to see what the Demon Slayers hoped about.

But this man…what sort of dreams did he have to have such a dark tone to them?

She tried one of the shojis and to her surprise, it began to slide open. She cautiously looked in, noting that this one was quite dark as well with a singular candle flickering near a small wooden desk. She noted that no one was around and decided to dive into the room, hoping that it would lead closer to the outskirts of the dream.

This room appeared to have been occupied by the futon strung about but the smell of alcohol nearly caused her to cough in a fit. She pressed a hand to her mouth, trying her best to contain herself but something else managed to cause her to stop.

The sight of a singular ink painting caught her eye.

It was of a beautiful woman, someone who certainly had to have flocks of men trying to catch her attention. She had the smallest of smiles as if she were looking at her lover while getting the painting finished. She looked at her with long thin eyebrows and wise large dark eyes and a sharp nose struck out. Her expression was calm and her hair was fashioned simply to the side, falling over her shoulder.

She blinked and before her now was pair of jugs of sake, littering the floor and cluttering around her.

What the hell was happening?

"How surprising! An interloper!"

She jumped and looked around to see who had spoken but there was no one in her line of sight. Terror began to work its way into her and she pulled out the small blade she was given to kill the man's soul, ready to protect herself if need be.

"Who's there?" She hissed and darted around while trying her best to not step on the jars of sake.

"Who do you think, little girl?" The voice hissed again and her grip tightened, disliking the usage of the voice's tone towards her.

"…you better not get in my way." She snarled back and laughter burst out, sounding very hollow at her threat.

"You really think you could frighten me?" The voice retorted back and her eyes narrowed as the shoji on the other side began to open, the smallest glimpse of light peeking through. She glanced around and thought that this might be her best chance to escape the building and go find the man's core. She shuffled around and watched her surroundings, keeping her eyes peeled in case of any sort of attack. Once she neared the entrance, she looked through the hole and her heart sank at the sight.

She wasn't any closer to his core, she had done the exact opposite and approached the dream head-on. The opening showed the woman with two children, one looking just about seven or eight years old while the other was practically a baby while cooing at the woman. She looked like an exact copy of the painting and a cool wind rushed around, a small chime echoing around. The woman smiled at her children and the dirt from the courtyard picked up a little.

"Shit," She swore and pulled away a little. She needed to get her distance or she could get pulled into his dream.

"Ah, Ah, Ah, where do you think you're going?" The voice snarled and she quickly picked herself up, choosing to recklessly run away, "You should understand the situation you're in."

She swore again as she choose to turn left, the overwhelming sense of dread practically drowning her, and she continued weaving through the verdana.

What was going on?!

This apparition was something else completely different!

Suddenly something pulled her and she nearly cried out in shock but a hand was placed over her mouth, shushing her and her eyes grew wide in terror.

"Quiet." A deep voice hissed and pulled her against the wall. She looked over to see a young man just around her age, battered with bruises and open wounds. One eye was swollen shut and blood spilled out from wounds on his cheek and what looked like one large wound on his chest from red seeping out. His orange and yellow hair was pulled back from his face and his eyes were wide in terror.

"Who are-?" She tried to say but he shook his head, grasping her mouth tighter.

"You don't belong here." He hissed and she blinked, "Leave before you get hurt. It won't stop."

Her eyes narrowed as she was ready to snark back at him but he shoved her away and she landed on her butt, ready to yell at him for doing so but he gagged out blood, spilling down his face. A katana clearly impaled through his chest and he coughed again, pain clearly evident on his face.

"Get out of here!" He yelled and chuckling was heard behind him before she scrambled away.

It did not matter that she was tasked with killing this man.

She feared for her life now.

Senjurou gasped for breath as he reached the gates of the estate and Muichirou watched as he forced them open with a somewhat dull gaze. He watched as they were opened up and Kyoujurou stood in front of it, confusion knit across his face as to why Senjurou was there.

"Ah, Senjurou! What a pleasant surprise!" Kyoujurou exclaimed and Senjurou's expression betrayed the happiness Kyoujurou had a moment ago, "Is something-?"

Senjurou pulled out his letter and slammed it into his brother's chest, his expression shifting to sorrow. Tears build up in his eyes and Senjurou ground his teeth together.

"Did you get a letter from father?" Senjurou asked with haste and Kyoujurou blinked before shaking his head no. Senjurou scowled and pulled the letter away, crinkling it up more.

"We don't have time. We need to go now." Senjurou told him and grabbed his hand before he attempted to start dragging him away. Kyoujurou's eyebrows raised at this odd interaction and he stood his ground, which caused Senjurou's expression to turn for the worse.

"…please, Aniue." Senjurou practically begged him and Kyoujurou frowned before he sighed.

"Let me get my sword." Kyoujurou said and Senjurou nodded as he pulled away, watching as his brother went into the estate. Senjurou sighed and placed the letter back in his pocket, his eyebrows knit together.

"Why did you not tell your brother about your father?" Muichirou asked and Senjurou looked over to his mentor, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Aniue doesn't need to worry about it. We need to keep his focus on the matter at hand." Senjurou responded and pulled himself together, knowing if he told his brother that would led to them being behind in catching up to the Mugen Train. Kyoujurou returned with his sword tied to his side and his haori placed on his shoulders, ready to set out.

"Will you tell me about what is happening once we set out?" Kyoujurou asked of him and Senjurou nodded in response, knowing that they needed to hurry or they would not make it in time.

End Note: Watch out Demon Slayers, the Demon is getting ready to prepare for a big fight!

The next chapter will be about how Eshima will face the dream and what will happen to all of them!

Anyways, thank you guys for checking out the story! Have a good rest of the week everyone and take care!