Shinjuro Rengoku was at a loss for words.

When he found a child outside with a kitsune mask walking in the snow with nothing to keep warm but a blue and purple haori, the Demon Slayer didn't hesitate to bring him into his home. He had his own child at home, not much younger than the child that was now wrapped in a blanket, holding a warm cup of tea that Ruka had made for him. He didn't take his mask off to drink the tea, only using it to warm the child's nearly blue fingers. Kyojuro had found the stranger to be interesting, wanting to talk to the new stranger, but it was already past his bedtime.

"What were you doing out in the middle of the night, especially in this weather, kid? You're lucky you were found, you could have froze to death out there." Shinjuro commented, looking down at the kid from across the small tea table. They had done small introductions, the Flame Hashira introducing himself and his wife to the young child. Ruka was sitting on his right side, interested in the child's story, but she stayed silent while she looked at the child.

"I like to travel, that's all. I was actually trying to find you, to be blunt."

"Why and how are you here?" He asked, crossing his arms. Even if he was a child, he was still suspicious of him. The chances of him just coming across his home by just pure luck was slim.

He shook his head, still holding the cup of tea in his hands. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, sir."

"Try me, kid."

"I saw it in a dream." The child said, setting his cup down on the table to put his hands in his lap. Just by the way he held himself, the husband and wife could tell that he was nervous; more so than the first few moments when they met. They were all silent for a few beats, Shinjuro not knowing how to respond. Ruka looked at her husband, the both of them sharing confused and disbelieving expressions.

Shinjuro raised his eyebrows, looking back at the child. "You're right, I don't believe you."

"I want you to teach me how to a Demon Slayer." He requested, completely ignoring the skeptical duo. The Flame Hashira nearly choked on his own spit, once again not expecting the sudden mention of Demon Slayers.

"Wait, how do you know about the Demon Slayer Corps?" Now Shinjuro was on guard. The government didn't recognize them as a proper association in the country, so how did a civilian child like him know about them?

The child shrugged. "Like I said, I saw it in a dream, Rengoku-sama." With a sigh, he continued. "I know that you're very skeptical of me, with how some demons and people can deceive others, but I'm telling you the complete truth. From the few things I've seen, I don't want to see these things come to fruition right before my eyes. I want them to only stay in my mind as a bad dream. I want to save the people I care for, and I know you can share that sentiment with me. I will do anything to gain your trust."

"I have a question then." Shinjuro immediately commented, crossing his arms. "By the way you hold yourself, you seem like you're a smart child. Maybe you're wise for your young age. You must have a reason to wear your mask, but it can't help but make me wonder why you're wearing one in the first place."

He hesitated, Ruka and Shinjuro both noticed. Nonetheless, the child slowly reached up to remove the mask covering his face, leaving only the black bandana to cover his hair. "I made this mask myself, I always wear it whenever I travel to protect myself... My family has only ever seen my face, but I trust you, even if you don't trust me yet."

The child sighed. "I just recently started to see visions, and they scare me, Rengoku-sama. I want to change what I've seen, not just for my family, but for other people." He looked at the black haired woman. "Like for you and your sons, Rengoku-sama. I want to save them, because one day they will become very dear to me; like family."

The couple looked at each other, knowing that they hadn't said anything about the son that they had just received news about a couple weeks ago. In fact, they had just told Kyojuro about his new little sibling, making the five year old even more loud and excited than usual.

"I'm sorry that I'm intruding, I know I've come out of nowhere, but you were the only ones I could even start to think of to come to, since the person I'm going to meet in the future isn't in this profession yet." The child finally took a sip of his now cooled down tea, Shinjuro noticing the boy's shaking hands. "I know that if I do nothing to even try to and change these visions, I will be nothing short of miserable. The people I love and will come to care for will slowly, but surely, leave me alone."

"So please-" The child backed up, bowing down to put their forehead to the floor. "Please help me become strong enough to protect those I hold dear, Rengoku-sama, I will do anything I can to protect my people."

"It's nice to meet you, Kyojuro-sama. I'm sorry to make such a fuss last night, my name is Naoto Kuze." I introduced myself to the younger Rengoku family member, finding myself smiling behind my kitsune mask at his excitement to meet someone new.

"Please, don't be so formal! We're friends now, Naoto-kun!" Kyojuro responded with a large smile. "I'm glad to have someone closer to my age, Father told me that you're going to start training alongside myself to become a Demon Slayers!"

I couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Yes, that's true. I can't wait to see how our journey goes together, Kyojuro."

"Um..." Kyojuro paused, crossing his arms with a quirked eyebrow. "If I may ask, but why is it that you're wearing a mask?"

I hummed, putting a finger to the chin of the mask. "Because... I'm terribly ugly! The last person who took a peek at my face ended up sick for a week!" I wiggled my fingers, trying to spook the younger child in front of me.

"That can't be true! No one is ugly enough to make another sick!" He laughed aloud, not believing my silly claim. "Can I please see? Please?!"

"Maybe one day, Kyojuro. But for now, it'll stay a mystery." I laughed. "You'll just have to be patient for that day to come, and I'm sure you'll be able to do that."

"Of course I'll wait! I will wait for an eternity, Naoto-kun!" His wide smile, bright as the sun, made my heart warm. "And even if I do end up sick from seeing your face, I will happily endure it!"

The Rengoku Estate had been quiet for a few days now. Ruka-okaa-sama had passed away from her illness she developed soon after Senjuro was born. Both Shinjuro-sensei and Kyojuro were less eccentric than they usually were. I understood how it felt to lose a parent, since both of mine were already gone, but I can't even begin to imagine how it felt to lose a partner.

I tried my best to help out around the house, which wasn't all too bad because I had already started helping Ruka-okaa-sama with different chores like making dinner and watching over Senjuro while she rested. I tried my best to keep on top of cooking us breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but it was hard when you were taking care of a toddler.

"How are you feeling, Kyojuro?" I asked, hearing light footsteps come into the room. More than likely, Sensei and Kyojuro had quality time with one another, since the latter hadn't been sleeping well lately. No one but Senjuro was really sleeping normally, since he was the only one that didn't quite understand the fact that his mother was no longer with us.

"Oh, Naoto-kun! I'm doing alright, thank you for asking!" Looking over my shoulder to see him walking down the hallway. I had just put Senjuro down for a nap after taking him outside for a walk in the garden. I noticed that his eyes were puffy, more than likely from crying recently. He tried his best to put a smile on for me, but I could tell that it was forced. "How are you doing?"

I smiled behind my mask, pouring a cup of tea for myself and Kyojuro. "I'm doing okay. I'm still processing all that's happened, but other than that; I'm just fine."

"Father said that we'll start training again tomorrow morning!" Kyojuro informed me with a smile, his eyes lighting up the slightest bit. "He's resting right now, but he said that he'll help us with dinner tonight."

"That sounds like a plan, but please don't overwork yourself, okay?" Passing over a cup to my friend, I quietly sighed. "I know it might be selfish by bringing my past into this, but I've lost both of my parents, so I can understand what you're feeling right now. Honestly, what you're feeling now will stay with you, but it can and will get easier in time."

We were quiet for a moment, Kyojuro processing my words.

"What happened to them?" I was surprised by his question, but more so of his soft voice. He was looking down at the steam coming from his tea, a troubled expression clear on his face.

"Well, my mother passed away when I was young, like Senjuro, but my father passed away just a couple years ago. It was only me and my older sibling before I up and started traveling. I thought it would be for me to get out of their hair, since there's a little bit of an age difference between us. But I still write home a lot and try to visit when I can. I still think about my father, and I try to imagine what my mother was like by the stories I've been told, but it's not as bad as it was before."

Pushing aside my tea, I crawled around the table to put a hand on his shoulder. "Kyojuro, I-" I was interrupted when he reached out and pulled me into a tight hug, jostling my kitsune mask the slightest bit. After a second of processing what was happening, I silently sighed as I returned his hug.

"Thank you, Naoto-kun. Thank you so much." He mumbled into my shoulder, his voice more quiet than I have ever heard before.

"Of course, Kyojuro."

"You really think what you're doing is something she wanted for you or your children?!" I yelled, finally losing my temper. Kyojuro had been on a mission for a few days now, while I was just getting ready to leave for one. We had been Demon Slayers for less than a year now, while Shinjuro-sensei had been retired for a few years. His drinking had started to get out of control, he barely left his room at this point. Kyojuro and I had tried our best to train Senjuro to become a Demon Slayer, but it was hard with an outsider and no actual master of all Flame Breathing techniques. While Kyojuro was close, he was still learning himself by the texts left by his ancestors. "You're nothing but a shell of the man you were when I first came here! I've kept quiet as long as I could, but I'm exhausted! I came here to grow stronger, to save and support the people I love, like you did in the past, but I'm not getting anywhere at this point!"

"You used to smile, take care of your kids and train them everyday, but now you barely even leave your room to shower! What happened to you?!"

"You can leave at anytime you want, you fucking leech!" He finally yelled back, throwing the book he was reading at me. "If you want to talk to me like that, you can take your ass and live on the streets!"

Smacking the book away from my face before it could hit me, I launched myself down to grab Shinjuro-sensei by his loose fitting kimono. "If you ever, ever decide that it's a good idea to lay a hand on your children, the children that take care of you like they're the parent, I will come back here and set your ass straight. I don't care if you were a Hashira, if you're stronger than me, I will stop in the middle of my mission to come back here and keep my promise to you." Pushing him away, I didn't waste a moment turning away to leave the musty bedroom.

I slammed the door, walking away with my hands clenched. I had to remind myself to breathe properly, don't loose your temper over a lost soul like Shinjuro-sensei. At some point, I know that he'll finally realize what he's doing, and I can only hope that I helped push him towards that path.

"Naoto-kun?" I paused, seeing Senjuro peeking his head out from his room. No doubt that he heard the whole argument, more so my screaming at his father.

Sighing, I shook my head. "I'm sorry if I bothered you, Senjuro-kun. I didn't mean for our conversation to become a screaming match, but-"

"No, it's okay. I understand." He smiled sadly. "Father is probably having a rougher day than usual."

"That's not an excuse to be almost completely absent from his children's lives, Senjuro-kun."

"Are you really going to leave?"

I nodded, shoulders sagging. "I'll stay until Kyojuro-kun comes home, but then I'll be on my own."

"So you're leaving?" I stopped, pausing at the door. Turning around, I saw Kyojuro and Senjuro standing not too far away from me. It looked like Senjuro was the one who asked, his concerned expression more visible than Kyojuro's. It had been about a month since I had that argument with Shinjuro-sensei, and if it was possible, he left his room even less than before. He didn't even attempt to talk to me, let alone look at me whenever we did run into each other.

I sighed, looking down at the ground. "Yes, unfortunately. With the way that Shinjuro-sensei has been acting these days, I'm unfortunately at a point where I can't continue to grow. I'm sorry-"

"You don't need to apologize, Naoto." Kyojuro interrupted, walking forward to put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, noting how he was now a head taller than me. "Just know that you are always welcome here, even if Father says otherwise."

"Perhaps not after what I said to him, but I will always make time to visit with you both." I responded, pulling him into a hug as I stood on my tiptoes. "Perhaps Shinjuro-sensei will change his mind someday, but that day is not today. Senjuro?" I called out, kneeling down so the younger brother could run to me for a hug. "If he ever hurts you, physically or verbally, you tell me. Even if you can't tell your brother, you must tell me."

Senjuro pulled away, tears in his eyes. "We'll miss you, Naoto-san. Maybe Kyojuro more than me."

I laughed, noting that Kyojuro's cheeks did turn pink for a moment. "I'll send you letters, and visit as much as I can. That's a promise, got it?" I stood up, facing Kyojuro again so I could grab his hands in mine. "Continue working towards your dreams, Kyojuro. I will always cheer you on no matter what!"

"Of course! I'll be the one you can always turn to, Naoto-kun! No matter how far apart we are, I'll always be by your side!" It was my turn to blush, not that either of the Rengoku brothers could see it.

"I'll send Mio to you with a letter once I reach my destination. I would send gifts, but I don't think she would like it too much, since I like to spoil my friends and family."

Kyojuro laughed. "Don't worry about gifts, seeing you alive will be a perfect gift!"

"Of course. Well, I must be off then." I waved, feeling my eyes water slightly.

Once I had gotten a few miles from the Rengoku Estate, I sighed; looking up at the blazing sun. Sure, I had gone on multiple missions, but I hadn't left the estate like this before, realizing that it had been just about eleven years since I had ended up here. We had just celebrated my twenty first birthday, we being just Kyojuro and Senjuro, since Shinjuro didn't budge from his spot on his musty-smelling futon. Nonetheless, the boys had remembered that I had been spending time with Mitsuri, growing found of sakura mochi; so they had tried their best to make homemade mochi. I had put some aside for Shinjuro, putting a plate outside his room so he could enjoy it as well.

Hearing a bird overhead, I put an arm out for them to land on. Mio cawed into my ear, gripping onto my arm. "Where to next?"

I hummed, scratching underneath her chin absentmindedly. "Well, send a message to Oyakata-sama, I might need his help with this one. What do you say we go on a little scavenger hunt, look for someone called Uzui Tengen?"

"Roger! The message will be delivered, Naoto-kun!" Mio squawked before taking off, flying off into the cloudless sky.

Sighing, I started walking once again. Taking into consideration with how fast Mio usually delivered my messages and how far I had already come into the ranks while being a Demon Slayer, I would more than likely going to see Mio within the next two to three days. I wasn't a Hashira yet, but I felt like I was close. I didn't want to steal the title of Flame Hashira from the Rengoku family, especially Kyojuro, so I needed to find something different; something new.

I felt my eye twitch, looking at the man before me. Within a few minutes of knowing each other, he had already tried to deter me from my goal.

Uzui Tengen had been nice enough, letting me into his home, meeting his wives, and he even offered to let me stay with them for a while. But he couldn't take the time for a Tsuguko.

"Why do you even have a mask like that, kid?"

"I'm not a kid, I'm older than you. And I just so happen to like my mask, okay? It's not like it's any more odd than the jingly jewels on your headband. But that's not the point, I'm here to-"

He sighed dramatically, crossing his arms. "I know, I know, you already made your point multiple times. And I've already said no."

"But I'm already here, and you're the only one I can learn from with the breathing style I want to create." Pushing my tea away from me, I put a hand on the table. "Listen, I know you have an amazing sense of hearing, and so do I. I want to create a branch off of Sound Breathing and I have already trained under the former Flame Hashira. I'm not a complete novice at this. I have written notes about the different forms of my breathing technique-"

"So you've already been practicing? And you have notes?" Uzui interrupted me again, making me grit my teeth in annoyance. "So what do you need me for?"

Clenching my hands together before releasing, I took a moment to calm my thoughts. "Like I said, I trained under the former Flame Hashira. As of now, I have nowhere to go. I'm basically homeless and I have no teacher. In my opinion, you are the most ideal teacher for me right now. Even if you keep telling me 'no', I'm gonna stay here as long as I want. Besides, I think the wives already like me."

He clicked his tongue, putting a fist on the table while leaning forward. "Fine, you can stay. So dramatic..."

"I'm dramatic?!"