Summary: Yuichiro has come to a decision, but he's not happy about it.

Muichiro

I can't believe it. Nii-san is awake! Nii-san is awake! I was so worried about him! But he's finally awake!

Amane-sama cooked us a delicious meal (I helped by the way) and I'm trying not to bother Nii-san while he eats. I'm also trying not to laugh because he's shoveling food into his mouth and getting crumbs and sauce all over his face and shirt.

But I'm also worried, not just about him, but what he will say. I know he didn't want me to join this organization but… I've already kind of did. I didn't go to this "final selection" test yet, but I've already been accepted by a trainer. I'll go off to meet him in Kochi as soon as possible. I was going to leave once they told me that Nii-san's condition was stable, but… I just couldn't go without telling him first, It wouldn't feel right.

But I'll worry about that later. Right now I'm just happy that he's here. I wanted to apologize to him when the time was right. I know I wasn't easy to look after, and that he was only so hard on me because I worried him so much… I'm about to make him worry again. He specifically told me not to join the Demon Slayers, yet I'm doing it anyways.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn around to see that it's Hinaki. We've done this plenty of times, where she or one of her siblings would sense that I'm troubled, and be there to comfort me. I'm no longer even embarrassed by the fact that they're less than half my age. She gives me a reassuring smile, and I already feel better as I smile back.

"Ouch! Aggghhh!"

I jump as I hear Nii-san cry out in pain, and his bowl clatters to the ground. He's seething and holding his left arm!

"Nii-san!" I jump to him and pull him into a tight embrace. He turns his head up at me, his face is covered in sweat and strained from pain, but he's smiling all the same. "Nii-san! Are you okay?"

Nii-san chuckles at me. Even though we're identical I have no idea what he's thinking. That's when Amane-sama comes in and gently pulls me away.

"Let me see your arm," she says softly to him.

He turns away from her, and won't look her in the face, but he lets her examine his arm, which is good. Finally, she tells him. "Your arm still hasn't fully healed, but there are exercises that the doctors recommended you do. I can go through them with you tonight, or tomorrow morning if you like."

"No," he tells her coldly, and I look down at my knees. "I just want to go to go for a walk," he says.

"I- I'll come with you Nii-san!" I cry as I get up to join him as he walks out. I turn around and give Amane-sama one more apologetic look, but she's already smiling at me, so sweetly and understandingly. I bow and thank her for the meal before I run outside to join my big brother.

"Nii-san," I call after him as I catch up. "Amane-sama said earlier that we should stay within the estate. There are Wisteria trees all around so the demons can't get in."

I'm so stupid. I said the word "demon" to him right after he woke up. Nii-san stops in place and starts trembling… I know him well enough to know that he isn't trembling from fear. He's angry.

"Bu- but it's okay because they only come out at night!" I quickly try to calm him down, but I realize that it's not helping. I hang my head, when, to my surprise, Nii-san pulls me into a tight embrace.

"I'm not angry at you Mui" he says, "you just… you really scare me sometimes."

"I scare you Nii-san?..." I almost laugh. Nii-san has never been afraid of anything.

"Muichiro." He says, pulling away so I can look him in the eyes. "We both saw what those demons can do. I don't want to hear any more about them, and I definitely don't want you fighting them."

I look down at my feet again. How am I possibly going to tell him about it?

"I saw you with a sword earlier today. I don't want to see you pushing yourself that hard either, got it?"

I'm scared to answer now. Nii-san wasn't scared of me, he was scared for me. And he's being so nice to me right now. I know he's just trying to protect me, but there is no answer I can give him that won't make him angry.

The only thing I can do is buy time. "Nii-san…" I say in my softest voice… "What a thing to say…" Im not sure if what I'm saying is right. My brother did just wake up a few hours ago, but… before I can keep thinking my mouth kept running.

"You just barely survived Nii-san! I was so worried about you! How could you even think to talk about that now!?"

He surprises me again when he pulls me into another embrace and apologizes to me…. Yui-Nii is actually apologizing to me!

"Your right Mui. I'm sorry for bringing this up. Let's just walk. I have a lot of excess energy I feel I gotta burn off, then we can go to sleep."

I am overjoyed, and I feel like I'm prancing more than walking as we tour the garden.

Nii-san has his left arm tucked in the fold of his Kimono, but I don't bother him about it. I hope he'll be nice to Amane-sama, and make friends with Oykata-sama too. It'd be nice for Yui-Nii to make friends with their kids since they are twins like us… Well… actually they are quintuplets, but Yui-Nii would never play with five-year-olds.

Maybe I am immature. Maybe I'm not ready to become a demon slayer yet. That's what I'm thinking when Nii-san puts a hand around my shoulder. I realize then how I had almost lost him, how there must have been so many others suffering out there because of the demons…

Something wells up in my chest. Oykata-sama called it "determination" and I know that I have to do this. I just won't tell Nii-san tonight.

Yuichiro

Muichiro stuck by my side that entire night, not that I have a problem with it. If he hadn't followed me out there that night, I would have called out to him and asked him to do so.

We slept like babies that night, the two of us in the same futon. I didn't let him see it, but there were tears of relief in my eyes that night as he clung to me. It wasn't until I woke up the next morning that I remembered how angry he had looked as he was swinging that stick and the disgusting sounds he made when he was coughing up blood.

I turned to look at him. He was still sleeping soundly, his arm over my chest. I patted his head before getting up. I wasn't going to let anything happen to that kid. I reminded myself of that over and over as I washed my face and saw my reflection in the mirror.

That woman had only helped us because of our damn bloodline. I'm getting Muichiro out of here as soon as possible. My arm is still killing me, and It's increasing my irritability.

I walk past Muichiro one more time and plant a kiss on his head. "I'm not angry at you Mui" I whisper to him.

Amane is the one I'm angry at, but when I walk into the kitchen, she isn't there. None of that family is. Kobe is the one sitting at the table.

"Ahh, you must be Yuichiro. Good afternoon. Amane-sama and her husband are out right now, but I thought it would be better if I spoke with you alone. Why don't you sit down and breakfast with me?"

I know this guy is the one who saved us, but I still don't trust him. I sit down cross-legged on the other side of the table and grab a roll, not taking my eyes off of him. I don't like the way he's smiling at me. I don't like the way he's looking at me.

Just then My brother enters the room, and to my dismay, he knows this guy, and even worse, he likes him.

"Good morning Nii-san. Ah! Kobe-san! Welcome!"

"Good morning Muichiro-chan" he says waving his fingers.

I don't like this. I don't like how friendly he is with my kid brother. This guy is a former Demon Slayer, and I know he's got plans for us, but what he says next is like a stone dropped in my stomach.

"So, Muichiro-chan, I heard you're off to Kochi tonight to start your training."

I whirl around to see Mui's face. He looks as stunned as I am, but… for different reasons.

"Tonight!? But Kobe-san! I wanted to spend some more time with Nii-san."

"Your leaving tonight boy" Kobe retorts. There is sadistic malice in his voice as he says that, almost as though he enjoys my brother's discomfort. "Even trainers are extremely busy, and you've kept yours waiting after he graciously accepted you as his student. You're going to go tonight if you want to be a demon slayer."

"He's not going at all!" I cry as I jump to my feet. I'll pound this guy later, but first I have to stop my brother from throwing his life away. "Muichiro, you're coming back with me to the mountains, and we are never talking about this again. Got that!?"

Muichiro looks down at his feet, and hesitates before he shakes his head from side to side as he answers me; "No Nii-san! I can't go back with you. I have to join! Look at what they did to your arm! I can't just go back to our normal life after that! Didn't you say-"

"Enough!" He flinches as I shout. "What have I told you? Why don't you listen to a word I say!? For the last time! We're just kids! This is not what we are chosen for!"

He is silent he doesn't lift his head. I hear him sniff. He's done this so many times when after I've yelled at him. He just hangs his head, with his arms at his side, and tries to hide the fact that I just made him cry.

Call me a monster, I probably deserve it. But as much as I hate doing this to him, and as wrong as I've been so many times in the past, this time I'm right.

Us being kids didn't stop that demon from attacking us, but it's sure as hell going to stop me from letting him go looking for monsters like that.

Finally, looks up at me, and responds. "Nii-san, I have to. Please don't yell!" He says that next part in a panic, and I feel guilty because I know that he's been terrified of me exploding at him since last night.

As I said, I know I'm a monster, but If it means keeping him safe, I'll be as mean as I have to.

"I didn't want to tell you so soon Nii-san. I wanted to have more time with you, but I have to do this. Please don't be mad."

This is the closest he's ever come to defying me, and he's still trembling. For better or for worse, I know I have that kind of sway over him, but the anger I saw in his eyes yesterday… Wasn't from me. It was that damned demon who did that to him!

Truth be told, I totally get his anger. Anyone who would do that to my brother deserves hell, but the thought of him taking a sword and going after those monsters himself, makes me wanna hurl.

"I am afraid," Kobe now says, "That this is not your decision to make Yuichiro. It wasn't mine either. The final selection is no walk in the park. Of course, even though the trainers only send students whom they think are ready, in every selection, there is a handful of kids who don't make it out. And sometimes we get even less lucky than that."

"But that's absurd!" Are these people crazy? They are going to send an eleven-year-old who couldn't even go more than a few hundred meters from our house alone without getting lost; to a test where people die?

Kobe is chuckling now, and I'm liking him less and less. "To be perfectly honest Yuichiro, I'm in agreement with you here. But my opinion of your brother doesn't matter. He's going to Kochi tonight.

But Yuichiro, the one I was interested in wasn't your brother. It was you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I didn't think that your brother had what it took, but you've definitely inherited the Tsugikuni blood."

On on the brink of snapping right now. Tsugi-what? Who cares!? We are not samurai! We're just kids! This guy and this organization are insane! Moreover, I don't like the way he's putting Muichiro down. But this guy just doesn't stop.

"I had no interest in your brother. The trainer who will be teaching him will be responsible for him from now on. But Yuichiro, if your brother does get sent to the final selection, he probably will end up being one of the casualties."

I've thought the same thing myself, but… The way this guy says it sends me over the edge.

"Wipe that fucking grin off your face!" I grab him by the shirt collar and pull his face to mine. "I don't care who you are. I don't even care that you saved us. You're a miserable bully. What do you know what Muichiro can do? Huh?"

Kobe moves so fast, and without betraying any emotions that I don't even realize what he did, but my left arm has exploded with pain again.

"Arrgggggghhhhh!" I can't even stand anymore. I collapse to the floor.

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"Nii-san!" My brother rushes to my aid, and he's trying to pull me away, but I'm almost blinded by the pain… I'm pathetic.

"Let's do an experiment here, Yuichiro-sanyo" Kobe says as he rises to his feet. Unlike when he addresses Amane, this guy is using our honorifics mockingly. "Let's pretend that this is Muichiro-chan's time at the final selection, and I'm an evil man-eating demon."

"Don't come near him!" I shout.

"But what can you do with your current strength Yuichiro-sanyo?"

The pain is starting to go back to normal, and with my brother's help, I sit up and look at the man, and then I look at Muichiro. He's known Kobe a lot longer than I have… He doesn't look scared for himself, he looks… I shudder, as it dawns on me, just what is going on.

Muichiro wants to help others. I just want to help him. But also, I want to get revenge for him. The pain hasn't left my arm for a moment since I woke up, but Muichiro has been going through a different kind of pain. He's angry because of what the demons did to me, and In that moment, I realize exactly why he can't just go back to cutting wood.

"I'll leave you with the decision Yuichiro," Kobe says as he puts that dumb hat back on and prepares to leave. I'll be in the area. I'll come back to the manner around dinnertime, and then I'll leave with or without you. I am hoping you'll come with.

Muichiro.

"Kobe-san Isn't really a bad guy" I try to assure Nii-san as I massage his arm. "He acts mean, but he does have a good heart." I don't tell Nii-san that he reminds me of him.

"He's an ass." Nii-san responds, "But I'll go with him to see what he can teach me. I can't let you take that final selection alone"

What did he just say?... Did Nii-san just?...

Yui-Nii's just noticed that I've stopped before I even do. "What?" He asks me as he turns around.

"Are you joining the demon slayers with me Nii-san?"

"Don't make me change my mind" he grumbles.

I can't possibly hide how happy I am. I know his arm still hurts, so I make sure not to tackle him when I hug him this time, but I just can't stop laughing. My big brother and me… we're going to be demon slayers together! We're going to be demon slayers together! I'm dancing around the room when I suddenly realize…

"But Nii-san… what about your arm?"

"What about your head?" he retorts.

I smile again. Nii-san knows what he's doing, so why should I be scared?

Later that evening, I say my goodbyes to the Ubuyashiki family at the train station. They've all been so good to us. I wish Nii-san would see that. He is still very cold towards them and stands on the sidelines as I part with each of them. Amane-sama, Oykata-sama, Kanata, Kuina, Hinaki, Nichika and Kiriya… I miss them all already. But then another good thing happens as Nii-san walks up to tell me goodbye.

He turns to Amane-sama and asks her; "Trains are safe, right? My brother will be alright?"

"Yes, very." She replies. "They are the safest mode of transportation"

"Thank you," he says, "for everything."

Nii-san likes Amane-sama now! I'm so happy I can't stop myself from throwing myself onto him for one last hug. After a moment, he hugs me back, and we stay like that for a while... I wish it can last for longer.

"Hey, Muichiro" He tells me, "If it gets too rough, you run away okay?"

"Hehe, that won't happen Nii-san"

"Don't miss your train."

"I won't. I hope you and Kobe-san make friends."

"That won't happen."

"I love you Nii-san" I finally say.

Yui-Nii looks uncomfortable like he doesn't know how to respond, and for a moment I feel sheepish. He smiles awkwardly, and before I know it we both start laughing.

It's hard for Nii-san to say "I love you too" but I don't mind. I know how he feels. We embrace one last time, and I board my train. I'm excited about this trip, I've never ridden on a train before.

I climb my seat and watch Yui-Nii out the window. I see Kobe-san walk up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, and Nii-san grimaces as he does it. I hope they get along.

Happiness never lasts long, but today… I am happy.

Notes: This chapter was pretty fluffy. Don't worry, It won't all be peaches and cream. Yuichiro's training day starts in the next chapter!