Gyutaro headed over to the Butterfly Estate, furious with Shinobu for allowing such a high-ranking Demon near his Siblings. Shigeru had told him that Hanako had been spending a lot of time at the Butterfly Estate, and with the Upper Rank there, that meant that his youngest Sister was in danger! He burst into the building, scaring two of the younger girls, who had been folding the washing, "where the hell is my little Sister?!" he demanded, "and while you're at it, where is Shinobu!" the Insect Hashira walked out to the courtyard upon hearing the commotion, "Gyutaro, I assume there's a reason you're scaring my girls while they're trying to work?" she asked, as Sumi, Kiyo and Naho ran to hide behind the teenager.
"1. What the hell possessed you to allow Upper 3 here?!" Gyutaro demanded, "and 2. What the fuck made you think it was alright to let Hanako come here when that damn Bastard is here as well?! May I remind you that he tried to kill Tanjiro, and could have killed Hanako?! I have no idea why he decided not to, but he's still a Demon! And unlike Ume and Nezuko, he actually fucking eats people!" the green-haired 27-year-old snarled furiously. "Would you mind not swearing in front of my girls please," Shinobu began in a sweet tone, but the vein pulsing on her forehead told of her anger, "if you want to talk, would you please follow me to my office Mr Gyutaro? And this is not a request" she replied.
Gyutaro clenched his fists, wanting nothing but to go find Hanako, and get her out of here, before the Demon ate her, but Shinobu, while younger than him, was still a Hashira, and therefore his superior. So the man sighed, and followed her into the building.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
As they walked to Shinobu's Office, Gyutaro tried to feel any bad Premonitions, but could sense none. He frowned, how did that make sense with a damn Upper Rank here, and while Hanako was here too!? Finally, they reached a sliding door, while Shinobu opened and let Gyutaro inside. Once there, the two sat in some chairs, "now Gyutaro, I understand your concern, however, a lot has happened since you and Tanjiro left for the Swordsmith Village.
Upper Rank 3, Akaza, or should I say, Hakuji, has defected from Muzan, and joined the Demon Slayer Corps in our efforts to destroy him. Along with that, Hakuji no longer eats human flesh, and only requires a small amount of blood to survive. He told us himself that that was the case, and I tested that myself. Hakuji is now our ally, and poses no threat to the humans here. Do you understand?" she asked. Gyutaro felt his brain melting, unable to comprehend what he had just been told. "What?! Are you saying that Akaza defected to our side?" he asked in shock.
"That is what I just said" Shinobu replied. Gyutaro groaned and held his head, "how could all of this happened in the few weeks we were gone!?" he demanded. "Oh, Hakuji has actually been here for a few months, ever since your Mission where you met Upper Rank Six I believe" Shinobu replied. Gyutaro stared at her with his mouth hanging open in shock. "WHAT?!" he cried when his brain had connected to his mouth again. "Yes, it was quite a shock to all of us Hashira, but apparently, he broke Kibutsuji's curse, and regained his humanity. Mentally, that is, he is still a Demon" Shinobu explained. "And Hanako? He hasn't hurt her at all?" Gyutaro practically whimpered, reaching his limit. He felt like he was gonna pass out soon.
"They actually get along very well. Whenever your Sister is not at home, she is here, helping with chores, alongside Hakuji. I dare say they're infatuated with each other" Shinobu said with a smile. This was the thing that pushed Gyutaro over the edge. His brain couldn't take anymore, and shut down, the man collapsing into a dead faint on Shinobu's floor.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
(Meanwhile, in the Infinity Castle)
The female Demon who'd turned Nezuko into a human toddler writhed on the ground at Muzan's feet. Her body was slowly dissolving due to the Demon King's fury after he'd seen her memories of what she'd done to Nezuko Kamado. "You. Did. What?" Muzan asked, voice sending an icy shiver up the Demon's melting spine, "do you have any idea what you've done? That Demon had conquered the sun. One thousand years of creating Demon's wasted" Muzan snarled. "P-please! I can, fix it! I prom-ise I- will! Please have mercy my Lord!" the Demon woman begged. Muzan glared down at her with furious red eyes, "find Nezuko Kamado, and reverse you Blood Demon Art, or I will destroy you, cell by cell, until only one is left.
Then, once you've regrown, I'll toss you out into the sun. Maybe you'll prove useful and conquer the sun like that girl had" he hissed. "I swear, I'll fix this!" the Demon woman whimpered. "See that you do" her creator said coldly. Then the Biwa Demon strummed her instrument, and she was dropped into a dark allyway. She gasped as the sliding doors above her faded away. The Demon forced herself up as her body healed, "I have to find that girl, and turn her back into a Demon, otherwise Lord Muzan will destroy me!" she whimpered.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Gyutaro woke up on a bed in the Butterfly Mansion. He groaned as he rubbed his head. "What happened?" he muttered. "You fainted after I told you that Hanako and Hakuji were infatuated with each other" Shinobu said from a chair beside his bed. He groaned and clutched his head, "why him? Why did she have to like an Upper Rank Demon?" Gyutaro muttered. "I told you that he had defected from Muzan, didn't I? He's joined the Demon Slayer Corps now, the Master agreed to have him help us" Shinobu said. The green-haired man rubbed his face, "oh god" he groaned. "Well, I'll let you get some rest" the Insect Hashira said, getting up and leaving the room.
Gyutaro sighed deeply and dropped his arms down onto the bed, "damn it, what the fuck. This is so fucked up. I still can't sense anything wrong. But still. That Demon tried to kill Kyojuro, and Tanjiro. I can't forgive him for that. How could I just accept him? And especially with my baby Sister! What the hell" he muttered, turning on his side and clenching his eyes shut. He stared at the wall, 'what the hell happened while we were gone?!' Gyutaro thought.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Eventually, Gyutaro was cleared to leave. Surprisingly, despite the massive battle against Upper Rank Four at the Swordsmith Village, he had hardly suffered any injuries at all. Tanjiro on the other hand was still in bed. Shinobu was worried that she would have to perform surgery on his foot to make sure all the bones weren't shattered and were in the right place to start to heal. Gyutaro was worried about him, so he decided to go check up on his younger Brother before he left. It was as he was walking towards his Brother's room, that he nearly ran into someone.
Gyutaro managed to stop himself before he slammed into the person, "sorry, I was lost in thought. "No, it was my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going" a familiar voice replied. The green-haired man looked up to see a younger man dressed in a males version of the Butterfly Mansion's Uniform. His sash was a dark pink. The man had black hair and blue eyes, with his eyelashes a light pink, almost translucent. He was carrying a basket of laundry in his hands. "New Nurse? I didn't know Shinobu was hiring" Gyutaro said with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, I kind of found myself without a job. Or a home. Very suddenly. So Shinobu offered me a job here" the black-haired man replied uneasily, glancing away.
"Oh, well that's great. The Butterfly Mansion is good for that kind of thing. Gyutaro Kamado, nice to meet you" Gyutaro introduced himself with a smile. Something was odd about this young man. He wasn't getting a bad premonition, but still. And he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met Hakuji before. The younger man's eyes widened, before he looked away. If Gyutaro had to describe his expression, it would be: oh crap. "Nice to meet you. Sorry, I have a lot of chores to do Gyutaro" he said, before darting away faster than he thought was possible without dropping anything. "Okay. I guess he would be really busy with how beat up everyone got at the Swordsmith Village" Gyutaro shrugged, before continuing on his way to visit his younger Brother.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Once Gyutaro reached Tanjiro's room, he was surprised to see Kyojuro already there, while Tanjiro was resting in his bed. "Visiting your Tsuguko?" Gyutaro asked the younger man. Kyojuro turned back to look at him as he entered the room. "Ah! Gyutaro! How are you?" he asked in a stage whisper. To his credit, Tanjiro didn't even stir. "I'm alright. Except for the Upper Rank Demon who's trying to prey on my little Sister that is!" Gyutaro said, slightly hysterically. "Ah! You must mean Hakuji! Yes, he and young Hanako have been spending a lot of time together lately" Kyojuro said brightly. Gyutaro froze, except for slight twitches of his body. "Oh dear. Are you alright?!" the Flame Hashira asked. "What did you say his name was?" Gyutaro asked, continuing to twitch.
"His name is Hakuji! That was Akaza's name as a human!" Kyojuro replied. Gyutaro's face darkened and he began to give off a murderous aura so strong, it even caused Kyojuro to flinch, "that guy?" Gyutaro hissed, thinking of the "young" man he'd just met in the halls. Then he lunged for Kyojuro's Sword, "I'm gonna kill him!" he shrieked furiously. There was a great commotion in the room, as he and the Flame Hashira fought over his Sword, "HOW DARE THAT BASTARD GO AFTER HANAKO AFTER WHAT HE DID TO YOU AND TRIED TO DO TO TANJIRO!" "Calm down Gyutaro!" "IF YOU WON'T GIVE ME THE SWORD, I'LL RIP HIM APART WITH MY BARE HANDS!" Gyutaro shrieked.
Crashing sounds followed, as Shinobu walked towards the room with a smile and a tick mark on her face. "LET ME GO ALREADY KYOJURO!" "I can't if you're going to do something foolish- ow! Did you just bite me?!" Kyojuro yelped. Shinobu opened the door, a terrifying aura emanating from her, to see the Flame Hashira struggling to restrain Gyutaro, and get his Katana from him. "Boys," Shinobu called, catching both of their attention. They both flinched at the murderous vibe coming from the 17-year-old, "Tanjiro is trying to recover from fighting Upper Five. Now, why are you fighting each other in my Hospital?" Shinobu asked dangerously cheerfully.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Shinobu sighed at the two once they'd relayed the story to her in her Office. "So, after finding out that the young man you'd met in the halls was in fact Mr Hakuji, you tried to go and kill him for trying to kill Tanjiro and for going near your little Sister, while Mr Rengoku tried to stop you. Is that correct?" she asked for clarification. "Of course I did! Miss Shinobu, how could you let Hanako be anywhere near that Bastard?!" Gyutaro asked, bristling with fury.
"Hakuji has proven himself to be no threat to humans, and has done good work here at the Butterfly Mansion. He has picked up the information about medicines and medical practices quickly and has treated all patients carefully and effectively. Not once have I seen or heard of him harming any humans since he's come here, and he only needs a small amount of human blood to survive. Trust me, if he Hakuji had tried anything, he would not have lasted long" Shinobu replied. Gyutaro clenched his fists, protective instincts flaring up. "Tell me Gyutaro, what makes Hakuji any different for Ume or Nezuko?" Shinobu asked. "Neither of them eat humans!" Gyutaro cried.
"Hakuji doesn't eat humans either. We've checked" The Insect Hashira replied calmly. "He has eaten humans, while my Sister's have never eaten anyone!" Gyutaro snapped. "Maybe he has eaten humans before, but he truly wants to change himself, to make up for all those he's hurt or killed. He wants to help us kill Muzan, and finally end this war" Shinobu countered. "He tried to kill Tanjiro! He nearly did! But he decided to stop when Hanako told him not to, which I still don't get!" Gyutaro buried his face in his hands. "Then that proves that he isn't just a killer, doesn't it Gyutaro?" Shinobu asked. "Why are you defending him? I thought you'd be one of the ones who'd want his head the most?" the green-haired 26-year-old asked in confusion.
Shinobu took a deep breath and let it out. "I once told Tanjiro this. But I used to have an Older Sister. She was just like Tanjiro, so kind, especially for Demons. She pitied them, these poor creatures who were forced to kill and eat humans to survive, who had been turned against their will. Her dream was to befriend them, and save them from themselves. So that we didn't have to kill each other. Then she was killed by one. I'm not like my Sister. I've tried to be, but I could never forgive these monsters, who've slaughtered and killed so many of us. But Tanjiro does. He sees them as humans first. Humans who were forced into terrible situations, who deserve sympathy. I entrusted my dream to him.
Seeing Ume and Nezuko, who don't eat humans, and who have such mental strength so as to hold onto their humanity for their family's sake, it gave me hope again. And now here's Hakuji, who is also trying to become better, to make amends for all of the horrible things he's done. I gave him a chance for my Sister's sake. For the sake of our dream. The one I could never accomplish. Things are changing Gyutaro, and this is one more part of that. That's why I am giving Hakuji a chance" Shinobu explained, her eyes intense in a way he'd never seen before. Gyutaro stared back at the Hashira for a moment, before sighing deeply, "alright. I guess I can give Hakuji a chance. But I still won't accept him being with Hanako" he stood up and made to leave the room, before pausing.
"I'm sorry. About your Older Sister" he said softly. Then he left the room. As he walked he thought about the situation, 'an Upper Rank Demon likes my little Sister. I never thought something like this would ever happen. Damn, I have too much to deal with already, at this rate, all the stress will kill me!' he thought with a groan.