After Nezuko's nap, it was dinnertime. As everyone ate dinner, Rokuta decided to tell his Sister about their new friends, "and I played Kiriya and his Sisters the last time we played together. And then we made some new friends with the Shinazugawa kids too!" he said happily. "Oooh. There are lots of kids here to play with! I've never played with anyone besides my Big Brothers and Sisters" Nezuko said. Which was actually true. Their family had mostly stayed up on Mount Kumotori, and then when Nezuko was older, she'd spent her time helping their Mother and looking after their younger Siblings. She'd never gotten a chance to play with other kids before.
"How about I ask if we could have a playdate with either the Ubuyashiki kids or the Shinazugawa's? Might as well take advantage of this great weather" Gyutaro suggested. "Yay!" Rokuta cheered, throwing his hands up in the air. Nezuko looked hopeful, "does that mean we get to play with them?" she asked. "Yep! We'll get to play all day!" Shigeru said excitedly. "I can't wait to make some friends" Nezuko said with a smile. "I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you too Nezuko" Tanjiro said happily. Suddenly a Crow with a purple scarf on came flying in through the window. "Eek!" Nezuko squealed, but Gyutaro was quick to reassure the toddler, "it's okay. This is just the Master's messenger Crow" he said. Gyutaro held his arm out when the bird turned to look at him, and he hopped up onto it. "Gyutaro Kamado, the Master wishes to speak with you. It is of the utmost importance" he said.
The green-haired 27-year-old felt a bad premonition and shuddered. "Can I bring my Siblings to play with the Master's children while I'm having the meeting?" he asked. The Crow tilted his head, before nodding. "Alright. Please let the Master know we will come to the Ubuyashiki Mansion tomorrow" Gyutaro said. The Crow nodded again, then flew back out the window. "Looks like you're getting that Playdate guys" he said, but not cheerfully. Tanjiro stared at his Older Brother in worry, while Ume, who was keeping an eye an Nezuko while she ate, frowned at Gyutaro. As usual, she could read him far too well, and could tell that something was bothering him. Rokuta, meanwhile, hoped his best friend, and his Sister's were doing alright. Well, he would know for himself tomorrow.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
The next day, Gyutaro dressed Nezuko in her Kimono as the other kids got dressed. 'Surprisingly, it looks like all the damage done to this Kimono since Nezuko became a Demon was also reversed when it shrunk to fit her. How exactly does that Demons Blood Demon Art even work?!' he thought in confusion. After eating Breakfast, the Siblings went on their way, Rokuta talking the whole way about how excited he was. He'd even brought his Temari ball, so he could show Kiriya how good with it he'd gotten. All Gyutaro could think about though, was his vision of the Ubuyashiki Mansion blowing up, taking Kagaya and Amane along with it, and what he'd promised the parents he'd do for their children. He had a feeling that this meeting today had to do with that plan.
Anxiety squirmed in his gut. What if that night wasn't as far away as he'd thought? Finally, after an hour, they reached the Mansion. His Siblings ran ahead excitedly, making Gyutaro smile slightly. One of the girls met them at the door. "Uh, Kanata!" Rokuta guessed. The little white-haired girl smiled slightly, "Kuina actually" she replied. The 7-year-old pouted, "I'm gonna learn to tell you four apart one day" he said playfully. "Sure you will Rokuta" Kuina replied back just as teasingly. She looked up at the rest of them and bowed, "the Master is expecting you Gyutaro. Please come in" she said calmly. Upon entering the Courtyard, Kiriya and Kanata met them, Hinaki and Nichika following their Brother and Sister, "the Master is waiting for you Gyutaro. Please follow me" Kiriya said.
"Hey Kiriya!" Rokuta cheered. The other black-haired boy smiled and waved at him, "Hi Rokuta. I can play with you and your Siblings soon, okay?" he asked. Gyutaro left his Siblings with the other Ubuyashiki children, while, he followed Kiriya. "He's worried about you you know" Gyutaro said quietly, but loud enough for the black-haired boy to hear him. Kiriya sighed, but kept walking, "I know. I'm worried about us too. Father told us what he'd decided with you, and I'm grateful that it means that my Sister's won't have to die. I just wish-" he began, but forcefully cut himself off. He didn't speak another word until they reached his Father's room. He didn't have to, it was as clear as day what he'd been going to say: "I just wish we could all live'. However, with how much his family had sacrificed, saying such things seemed almost selfish.
They stopped in front of Kagaya's room. The boy knelt down in front of the door, "Father, I have brought Gyutaro Kamado to see you, as you requested" he said. "Please let him in Kiriya" Amane replied. Gyutaro felt his heart sink. If Amane was the one answering, then it must mean that Kagaya's condition must have deteriorated even more in the few weeks that they'd been gone. He entered the room when the door opened. When Gyutaro saw the man, a shudder wracked his body. There wasn't a clean patch of skin left on Kagaya's body. His skin was covered in bandages and the mark of his curse.
He didn't even seem to be able to open his eyes anymore, not that he could tell if he had, with the amount of bandages covering the man's face. Gutaro went and knelt down in front of the Futon, "you wanted to see me Sir?" he asked, trying to keep the tremors out of his voice. "Yes Gyutaro, we did" Amane answered. He turned his attention to the white-haired woman. She seemed remarkably composed, but he could tell, even without Tanjiro's sense of smell, that she was in emotional agony. "Our trap for Muzan is complete, and we need to speak to you about arrangements for securing our children and your Siblings before it is sprung" she explained.
Gyutaro composed himself and nodded, "alright" he agreed. "Thanks to both your premonitions and my Husbands Visions, we know that Muzan will find this Compound. As you know, we must sacrifice ourselves to weaken him and give the Corps the motivation to finally end that Monster once and for all. Before that man comes here, we are going to move our children and all of your Siblings into a secure location. One that Kiriya can give orders from, while his Sister's assist him. Your Siblings will be safe there as well, but it will be up to you to explain this to them, understand?" Amane asked. Gyutaro nodded, "understood Ma'am" he agreed. "Posted there as guards will be two former Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki and Shinjuro Rengoku. Both have already agreed whole-heartedly to this assignment.
So all of them will be perfectly safe. We have also contacted some associates of ours. I believe you also know them. The two Demons who are out of Muzan's control, Tamayo and Yushiro. They will bring the medicine to turn Demons back into humans here, then join in the fight." Amane continued. Gyutaro couldn't help but perk up at this, "the cure is finished?!" he asked in excitement.
The woman smiled slightly, and nodded, "yes. It is ready. Two doses have already been prepared for your Sisters" she replied. Gyutaro felt a huge weight lift form his shoulders. "If you can find and kill the Demon who turned Nezuko into a toddler, she will also be given the medicine" Amane said. The oldest Kamado sighed, "all of that effort was worth it, if this will really happen so soon" Gyutrao said. "For now, we have decided to try and make all the Corps members as strong as possible. So we are implementing a new training regimen. All of the lower level Corps members will train with the Hashira, to try and make them as strong as possible. That mark some of you have gotten, seems to increase physical abilities. In order to kill Kibutsuji once and for all, we need as much power as possible" the woman explained.
"True," Gyutaro said slowly, but trailed off. Something was nagging at him. "the marks. I have a conflicted Premonition about them" Gyutaro said slowly. "Oh?" Amane asked, confused. "I can feel that they are good, they make those who have them stronger, but at the same time, they are something bad. Dangerous. I don't know what this feeling is about, but I do know that having everyone get the Marks may not be a good idea" Gyutaro explained. Amane looked thoughtful, "even if that's true, we need all the power we can get to kill the remaining two Upper Ranks and Kibutsuji. We may not have a choice in weather to get the Marks or not" the white-haired woman replied. "Hm," Gyutaro began thoughtfully, "that is true, but still-".
He could feel himself trembling, "I just don't know. My Premonitions have never been wrong before." He replied. "We don't have a choice, unfortunately. If Kibutsuji isn't defeated in my Husbands generation, his curse with be passed onto our children. I want them to live Gyutaro. I want my children to live to old age and die with dignity. I want them to be able to choose to marry someone they love, and I want them to be free to live the lives they want. I want them to be able to be children. And I want them to be free. My Husband's family has already had to give so much in this war. I don't want my children to be another thing he has to give up" a single tear trailed down Amane's cheek. Gyutaro closed his eyes and breathed. "Alright. I get it. None of us have a choice in this, right? We all have people to protect. And if we don't even try to protect them, why did we survive?" he replied.
He opened his eyes, "alright. Let's all do what we can to become strong enough to end this war once and for all. Both me, and you" he held out his hand to the woman. Amane smiled and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, "thank you Gyutaro. Knowing my children are in good hands puts my heart at ease a bit. Even if I don't want to abandon them, this is what we have to do. At least our suffering will be over quickly" she said. So things were decided. Gyutaro left the room with a heavy heart. He looked over his Siblings, most of them happily playing with the Ubuyashiki children. He saw how bright those smiles were, and knew that they wouldn't last for long. But at least they would be alive to grieve their parent's loss.
He prayed that they wouldn't lose many in the upcoming battles.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Upon seeing Tanjiro watching their Siblings playing with a smile on his face, Gyutaro went over to the teen. Hanako was the only one not there. "So, what did you mean before, that Shinobu smelled like Upper 3?" he asked. Tanjiro shifted uncomfortably, "Well, while we were in the Village, Upper Rank 3, Akaza, apparently defected and joined the Demon Slayer Corps to help us kill Muzan. He's been working at the Butterfly Mansion for 3 weeks now" he explained. Gyutaro froze, staring unblinkingly at the wall. 'What' he thought deadpan. "What?!" he cried in shock, once his voice decided to work again.