the little paths we find ourselves upon

By: Aviantei

[Twelve Shots of Summer: DECK 8/12]

[Parameters: "XIII-Death" & "XIV-Temperance"]

August

The lanterns are lit
Parading through the darkness
Calling you back home

"Senpai, no, please don't—!"

If the scream and sobbing hadn't woken me up, the sudden impact of body weight dropping down onto me would have. Not even so much time out of the field had erased my battle instincts, and I was awake one instant and reaching for my sword the next. Except the latter wasn't necessary, and my hand hit empty tatami mat before I registered in full it was Zenitsu clinging to me and crying. If he was still calling me Senpai, I could just guess how distressed he was.

While I had the most nightmares, that didn't mean that I was the only one.

"Hey, hey, Zenitsu," I said, trying to take hold of his shoulders without using all my strength, since I didn't want to turn anything into a physical brawl—me lashing out at him back in the spring had been enough, thanks. Considering Zenitsu's sleepwalking tendencies, it was hard to tell upon being shocked back to consciousness whether he was awake or not. "Zenitsu, sweetie, it's okay, I'm okay. Can you hear me?" Zenitsu sobbed, loud, and I rubbed his back, nice and slow. "It's okay. I don't know what you were dreaming about, but I promise you're safe right now. I won't let anything hurt you. I promise."

No matter what, I was going to protect him; it didn't matter if the demons were gone, because that fact would never change, all the way until the day I died.

And with that resolve in place, I continued to murmur reassurances, Zenitsu crying all the while. Given the level of anxiety attacks he'd used to have in our training days, I was more than familiar with how long he could spend crying whenever distressed. If my presence helped, though, I wasn't about to complain.

"I'm always here for you Zenitsu. Just like I promised."

After who knew how long, the sobs started to die down to sniffles, though by then the front of my sleep yukata was soaked all the way through with tears and snot. Zenitsu whimpered a few times, but he adjusted, pressing his ear to my chest, right above my heart. It was a comforting sound to him, and I hoped that the cadence of my heartbeat was enough to give him whatever he needed to realize things were okay.

"Rairi," he whispered, his voice still hoarse from his crying. "Rairi, please don't leave me alone."

"I'm not going anywhere without you," I whispered back, patting his hair. He let out a pleased hum at the touch, though it wasn't enough to pull him away from my heartbeat. "You're the one that convinced me to stick around. No way are you getting rid of me that easy."

Zenitsu sobbed again, hugging me tighter. "Promise me," he said, and damn did my heart break in half from that. You didn't have to twist my arm to give him the answer he was looking for, though.

"I promise, Zenitsu. I'm not going to leave you alone." Not when I was so afraid of the exact same thing. "We're sticking together until the end of the road." Wherever that may be, I was always going to be right with Zenitsu whenever the time came.

"Okay." Zenitsu nodded. "Okay, Rairi, until the end of the road, I won't leave you alone, either."

With both of those reassurances spoken, we managed to fall back asleep, though we stayed in each other's arms the whole time.

About a week later, Ubuyashiki Manor was bustling.

Zenitsu and I had just arrived, but even that small amount of time was more than enough to see how different the atmosphere of the place was. Yes, it was still as beautiful and well-tended-to as always, but seeing it packed with so many people almost made me worried that I'd gotten lost and ended up at the wrong place. I opened my mouth to make a comment, but Tanaka swooped in to peck at my head before I could even get the words out.

"I get it, I get it!" I said, trying to wave him off without hurting him. All I got for my trouble was a couple of black feathers almost falling into my mouth. "I'm sorry, you did good, and I'll give you some of my dinner, please knock it off!" Mollified, Tanaka cawed once more and flew off with Tadashi to…wherever the hell Kasugai Crows hung out. "Sheesh. Shimizu-chan must've spoiled that bird for him to have such an attitude." Not that I didn't find the coincidence in personality funny, all things considered.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Zenitsu asked, stretching up on his tiptoes to try and get a better look at my head. "I know Tanaka's beak is sharp."

"I'm not bleeding or anything, so don't worry. Besides, we should focus on checking in and letting Kiriya know that we're here." With so many people visiting, it was going to take a while to get into a room, though at least the place has plenty of space for everyone that was visiting. "Still, I'm a little surprised so many people showed up just to celebrate Obon here."

Because that was why we'd shown up, after all: Kiriya and their sisters had decided to host the holiday at their manor for any former members of the Demon Slayer Corps that were interested—and it seemed a great number were, in fact, interested.

I'd say I would've expected that most people would want to spend time at home with their families now that they had the chance…but Zenitsu and I are here, so we don't have any room to talk. Besides, plenty of Corps members didn't have still-living families in the first place, so celebrating the holiday with their comrades-in-arms made a great deal of sense, too.

And even more so since this holiday was all about reflecting upon the dead.

"Rairi-senpai!" a voice called, and I turned to see the shape of Michi wading his way through the crowd, waving at us. Since he'd been my former mentee, it wasn't all that surprising for him to keep an eye out for me. "It's been a while since we saw each other. How have you been?"

"It's been good. Zenitsu and I have been starting to get a good grasp on some of our lesson plans, so maybe you should stop by and get some extra training in if you have the time." Considering how I hadn't been able to complete my mentoring process with Michi in the first place, I owed him that much. "But how's everything been with you? You said something about finding a new place to stay?" Not everyone had the same luck with a free giant house waiting for them once they retired from the Corps, that was for sure.

Michi nodded, waving for us to follow him towards what I guessed would be the reception area. Zenitsu—who had some awkward energy happening with Michi for reasons he'd yet to explain to me—came along, just a few paces back. "The bonus money the Corps sent us helped out a lot. I'm going to be sharing some lodging, but that's fine while I'm still trying to find a good job."

"You can always come work for us if you need it. I promise we'll pay you well." Sure, we didn't have any official students at the moment, but the hope was to have a much larger class one day, and having other people around would make that easier in the long run. We settled into the end of the check-in line, and I slapped him on the back once. "But it sounds like you're doing alright for yourself."

"Yeah. I didn't realize it before, but it's kind of amazing to be able to just have a place that you can stay and call your home. Some of my other Slayer friends said they liked it, but all that running around kind of got to me."

I nodded, getting up on my tiptoes to see if I could get a good enough view to the front of the line, not that it was all that long or anything. "Oh, I get you. Though I'm still a bit antsy sometimes." In a list of some of the Worst Coping Mechanisms Ever, I might have used the regular travel and demon battles as a way to get over my nightmares on more than one occasion. Waking up in a panic and not being able to go tear into a monster with a sword was doing a number on me, though the Zenitsu cuddles helped out. "Oh, but being able to have food cooked at home instead of scrambling to eat out all the time is the best."

"Heh. Not giving up on trying to bribe me into coming and helping you out at your place, huh, Rairi-senpai?"

"Who, me? Michi-san, I would never." We shared a chuckle at the joke while the line moved forward. Up ahead and working the couple of check-in tables, I could recognize some of the ex-Corps clerical staff that I'd worked with on my mentorship project. They were all pretty efficient, so it wasn't going to take that long to get settled. "Are you waiting on getting a room, too, then?"

"No, I already got mine taken care of. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Rairi-senpai." His gaze glanced down, and I knew that, for whatever reason, Michi had been beyond concerned about my leg and subsequent recovery. "Have you been doing alright after coming all the way here? I know you two live a bit out of the way, so it took you a while, right?"

Zenitsu huffed, not that it was all that serious of a huff in the first place. "I can get that you think Rairi might be pushing themself too hard—" rude, but also too true for me to have a leg to stand on in an argument against "—but I'm keeping an eye out for them, and I'd notice if something is wrong."

"I can't deny that much," Michi said, and I smiled a bit. It wasn't like I was about to force my former mentee and my partner to be best friends or anything, but that didn't mean I was against them getting along.

"I promise I've been recovering well, though," I said, making sure the conversation stayed on track. "I have a lot of my mobility back. That said, I still have to not go all out on running and stuff—" which was hard for me to accept as a Thunder Breathing user "—but traveling doesn't put anywhere near as much stress on me as it used to." I hopped in place a few times to prove my point. Michi couldn't contain his wince, and Zenitsu held up a hand to try and catch me just in case, but I was okay and didn't even need it. "See?"

Michi glanced at Zenitsu. "My sympathies go out to you for having to worry about them all the time."

"It's not that bad. Whenever they worry me, I get to ask them for kisses and cuddles, and they always say yes."

"Rairi-senpai, you're kinda easy to convince to do things for other people, aren't you?"

"Hey, look, we're next in line; let's go Zenitsu—"

After getting settled in our room and a little bit of cuddling (the recharge was essential for both of us), Zenitsu and I decided to see if there was anything we could do to help out with the Obon prep. I was unable to sit the fuck down for starters, plus I knew something so big involved a lot of work. Based on the invitation we'd gotten, volunteers were also welcome, so there was no point in not chipping in at least a little.

Not that it looks like there's much more we can do. The place where I'd once taken an audience with Oyakata-sama had been transformed with numerous bright-colored lanterns. Even in the middle of the day, the sight was impressive enough, but I was willing to bet it would become even more so once the sky went dark and everything was lit up.

That time was several hours off, though, so I tucked away my imagination and peered into the bustling people, trying to see if I could figure out who was in charge. Zenitsu closed his eyes to focus on his hearing, sure to pick out someone giving instructions quicker than I could. I would've just left him to it, were it not for a tug on my sleeve.

I turned to look, not finding anyone in that direction. Instead, I felt another tug on the opposite side, and looking there net me the same result. Seeing where things were going, I anticipated the upcoming pull back where we started, spinning around on my heel and scooping up Kiriya, who burst into giggles soon after.

"I see you've been practicing being a kid since we've last seen each other." Kiriya's smile was so wholesome that I wanted to pinch their cheeks, but my hands were pretty occupied for the moment. "How are you? Have you gotten taller these last couple of months?" Kids shooting up in size was a thing, right? Like I wasn't just making that up? As the younger sibling, I didn't have a lot of hands on experience in the matter. Where was Tanjirō when you needed him most?

"Minato-san said that I've grown three centimeters!" Minato-san being the former head of the Corps' clerical staff that had chosen to stay back at Ubuyashiki Manor as the primary caretaker for Kiriya and their sisters. "Everyone thinks that since we defeated Kibutsuji, our family shouldn't have the curse on it anymore, so they think I'll be able to grow taller than Otō-sama."

"That would be very impressive, huh?" I was having a hard time finding the right balance of treating Kiriya like a kid but not talking down on them since they were more than smart, but they seemed pleased enough by me running my mouth as per usual, so that's what I'd do. "I dunno if you can grow up taller than me, though."

"Rairi, that's cheating," Zenitsu said. "You were from the West, right? So there's a big chance you'll be taller."

"I don't wanna hear that from someone who's getting closer to me by the day." At my age, I didn't have much more growth in me, while Zenitsu had a handful of years left to spring up. If he ended up taller than me, I'd still enjoy it, but part of me would miss how cute he was at the moment. "But I'm happy for you, Kiriya. You can grow up as tall as you like." I ruffled their hair. "So, do you know anything that we can help out with around here?"

Kiriya hummed, using their new vantage point in my arms to look around the area. "It looks like they started to set out some of the stuff for the refreshments we're going to have later, so I bet they'd be glad to have some help over there."

"Alright, sounds good." If the people I'd seen when checking in were any indication, we were gonna have a massive crowd out and about, and that required all sorts of supplies and organization. In agreement without needing to say anything, Zenitsu and I headed over that way. From there, all three of us went ahead and joined in with the preparations, though Kiriya kept close to my side most of the time. I couldn't bring myself to complain, and neither could anyone else, so it worked out.

"Excuse me!" someone called out after we'd been working for some time. "We ended up with someone else's supplies. Is anyone able to go run these back to the kitchen?"

"I can go!" I'd been stuck in the same spot for a while, so I needed to stretch my legs a bit. After a quick wave to Zenitsu and Kiriya, I'd grabbed the offered box, taking a few steps back to get out of the cluster of people I'd been involved in before spinning about and setting off, just to run right into a chunk of muscle, stopping me in my tracks. I rubbed at my nose. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attent…"

The words caught in my throat, unable to finish. It had been stupid for me not to expect running into the person who was now before me, considering I knew a handful of the Hashira would be present. Tanjirō had even told me Tomioka was coming, and Genya had mentioned he and his brother would be arriving, too. But in the busyness of preparing for travel and thinking of the friends I'd be able to see again, I hadn't thought at all about the possibility I was now facing.

Or, to be more accurate, I'd refused to think about it, just like I dealt with all my problems that didn't give me nightmares and force me to face them.

Himejima Gyōmei.

The man who had once helped raise Kaigaku.

The man whose life had been ruined because Kaigaku had let the demon into the temple.

My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't get any words out. Considering I hadn't been there, it felt stupid to have my own panic attack at the thought of it, but I couldn't help it. The incident had been floating around my mind ever since I'd read about it in Shimizu's journals, and it hadn't gone away. I wanted to believe in Kaigaku, wanted to think it hadn't been done out of malice, but with Kaigaku gone, there was no way to hear his side of the story. What if Himejima told me something that would ruin the safety of ignorance I'd held onto as long as I could?

"…you alright?" Oh, was I being talked to? Focus just wasn't on my side in the slightest in the moment, and breathing was just doing the bare minimum to keep me standing. "Are you hurt?"

A heavy hand landed on my shoulder—Himejima's—and it was a miracle I didn't try to slap him away. I did flinch, though, my own hands gripped into tight fists as my nails threatened to draw blood. That pain shot my battle instincts into gear, clearing my mind enough to remember where I was and what I was doing, though my flight instinct was still screaming at me hardcore.

"…I'm not hurt," I managed to croak out, though that was about it. The rest of me was in no way alright whatsoever, but if I kept it up, Zenitsu was going to worry, and then we'd have an even better mess. Trying to keep myself from disintegrating, I forced a smile. "Sorry, but I'm running to pick something up, so I—"

"Kuwajima?" Fuck, he'd managed to recognize me by my voice, which meant it would be rude to just ditch a conversation, and with someone who'd done so much for the Demon Slayer Corps at that. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I would like to have a conversation with you. Perhaps you could spare some time for me this evening?"

I swallowed, though that helped nothing whatsoever. In an ideal world, I would turn him down, but in the end my own curiosity won out. There may have been a lot of things I didn't even want to talk about when it came to Kaigaku, but there was just as many I did want to know, and it would be stupid to waste the opportunity when it was right in front of me. "…I should be able to do that, Himejima-san."

"Thank you." He rubbed his prayer bead between his hands. "I will send my crow for you, then. Don't let me take up any more of your time." And before I could even get in another word, Himejima had stepped away, leaving me with a box of supplies and a complete and total sense of dread bubbling in my stomach.

"Are you sure you don't want some support?" Zenitsu asked for the nth time since I'd explained my plans for the evening. His concern was to be expected—he worried about me over everything, no matter what—but the fact that Michi was also giving me a concerned look didn't help matters. "I know you know, but this is going to be rough. No one would blame you if you wanted to wait so you could be part of the celebration tonight, either. You've shouldered enough on your own, so don't make this any harder than it needs to be, love."

I didn't quite like the implication that I was trying to make things harder on myself. I also didn't like the possibility that it was kinda true. Times like these sure made me think about how much it sucked that effective therapy wasn't going to exist in my current lifetime.

"It's going to be hard no matter what, so I don't want to put it off." The whole debacle with Kei the previous month had shown me just how much of a punch in the gut it could be to relax into the status quo just to learn something upending and sending you in a spiral, and I wasn't eager to repeat the experience. I reached up, cupping Zenitsu's cheek in my hand. "I promise I'll come and talk with you straight away afterwards, so let me try my best on my own first, alright?"

Zenitsu looked conflicted, but I could recognize that he wasn't about to put up a fight. "Okay. But the moment that I hear something's wrong, I'm running over to you, alright?"

"Okay. I'll try not to make you need me." That reassurance did help me feel a bit more confident, at least, though I wasn't sure how long that would last. Hoping for a bit more courage, I snuck in a quick kiss from Zenitsu, earning a deadpan look from Michi. "Sorry, Michi-san. No kisses for you."

"Stop trying to act tough, Rairi-senpai." Fuck, he'd seen right through me, though I shouldn't have expected otherwise. Michi bumped my shoulder with his fist. "I don't know how much help I can offer, but I'm here, and sometimes that's all you need, yeah? We'll be waiting for you when you're ready, so don't stay out too late or you'll make Agatsuma worry."

"Hey! Don't go talking like you wouldn't be worried, too!"

Knowing what lied ahead, I didn't have it in me to chuckle, or to even smile. But watching the two of them bicker at least gave me enough reassurance that I'd have somewhere to go and have a mental breakdown once all was said and done.

Alright, let's go ahead and do this.

How much of a mistake could something feel like before you did the smart thing and bailed out? For me, it seemed I hadn't hit that threshold at all, because of course I never learned my lessons; why the fuck would I?

But the alternative is missing out on the opportunity to learn more about Kaigaku. In an ideal world, I would have wanted him to tell me himself, but that wasn't an option anymore, so I'd have to make do. And so it was with that last bit of resolve that I made myself knock on the door Himejima had invited me to and pull it open.

Evening had fallen, and it was dark inside the room, nothing but the light from the hallway adding a gentle illumination to the tatami mats. An additional effect was that Himejima was almost nothing but a big hulking shadow, his looming form reminding me of some dramatic final boss. Since he couldn't see, I supposed it checked out that he didn't need a light to navigate his surroundings, but damn was it bad for my already frazzled heart.

"Ah, there you are, Kuwajima. Apologies. I was focusing on meditating, so I forgot to light the room for you."

"It's not a big deal." Hm, maybe the whole situation would be easier if I couldn't see him? No, that was dumb; nothing was going to make our conversation easier. "That said, I was a little bit surprised that you wanted to even talk with me in the first place." I did kind of put a lot of effort into avoiding you, after all.

"That's because I believe we have something—or rather, someone, in common." Ah, so that was what we were going to be talking about. Lovely. "At the Hashira meeting where you shared your insight to the future with us, you mentioned that one of your fellow apprentices had become a demon."

"Yes, that was Kaigaku." Part of me had hoped that just ripping the proverbial bandage off would've made it easier if I said it myself, but, nope, that still stung like hell. "I can already tell you that we are talking about the same person." Shimizu's notes had confirmed that for me, after all, but Himejima didn't have that privilege, so I supposed I had to be the one to tell him.

Himejima was a rather stoic man, so I hadn't expected any sort of explosive reaction, but the fact that he let out a long sigh was enough to catch me off guard. "I see," he said, tears flowing from his eyes. "I'd hoped that there was a chance otherwise, but it seems not. Were you able to defeat him?"

"Zenitsu did." It was all we'd been able to do, though we'd had the best option of an ending that we could. Those moments were just the three of ours, so I had no intention of sharing. "For whatever it's worth, he seemed to come back to himself in the end." Enough to thank me for staying around, if nothing else. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear about what Kaigaku was like when he was younger." Preferably without any of the details about the demon attack, but that was just me trying to ignore the things I didn't want to deal with all over again, so I didn't voice that.

"I can provide that much, so long as you don't mind if I ask about what he was like when you knew him in return." It was a more than fair exchange, so I had no intention of disagreeing. "Let's see… It's fair to say that Kaigaku was one of the more difficult children I had to tend to. I think he might have been jealous that many of the other children had at least known their parents before coming to stay with us."

"He didn't know them, then?" Kaigaku had talked to me about his past just the once, and that had been to tell me that he'd once lived at a temple where there had been a demon attack, and that had taken place after we'd known each other for several years. Anything else I knew, including the whole Himejima connection, had come from Shimizu's notes, and it seemed the manga hadn't been forthcoming with details, either. Any extra knowledge felt all the more precious because of it.

"Not to my understanding." I raised an eyebrow, then caught myself and made an inquisitive hum instead. "I didn't come to the temple until a few years later, and I was still young. But I do remember being told so by the former monk in charge." Himejima may have been a decent chunk older than myself, but that still would have made him a teenager around then. "He did have a charm he was left with, also. Some sort of gift he kept with him."

"His magatama." I reached up to where they very charm hung against my neck, the surface cool under my fingers. It had already felt more heavy than it should have, but knowing it was a precious relic increased its weight all the more. To think he'd put it on me back during our mission against the mirror shell demon… "He wore it all the time," I managed to tell Himejima.

Himejima nodded. "I'm not surprised. I remember mediating a fight once. Someone had tried to take it from Kaigaku, and he retaliated." Ah, so he was as much of an aggressive little shit when he was younger, too. "He wasn't a bad child, though. Quick to pick a fight, yes, but he did do his part. I'm just not sure I was able to provide him and everyone else with what they needed."

"He'd mentioned that there were a lot of you." Before the demon happened, I couldn't help but think.

"Yes. There were." The following silence was so oppressive that I opened my mouth, hoping for something to pop out, but for once it seemed I didn't have anything to say. "I assume you're aware of what happened?"

"More or less." I swallowed, but hadn't I been looking for answers about the very scenario Himejima was bringing up? "According to the notes I had, Kaigaku stole some money for the temple, the other children chased him out, and that's when he ran into the demon." After which he'd taken away the incense protecting the temple, leading to the ensuing massacre. "Do you blame him for what happened, Himejima-san?"

"No. I blame myself." Tears were flowing from his eyes again, but his answer had been so immediate that it felt rude to doubt the sincerity of those words. "I was supposed to protect the children there, and I did no such thing. I didn't even know that he'd stolen anything at the time. I feel if I'd been involved, the whole tragedy could have been prevented. But we have no reality but the one we are alive in now, so I cannot prove that. Still, I do ruminate on it more than I should." Himejima let out another deep sigh, followed by a customary Namu amida butsu. "In any event, could I impose to hear more about what he was like whenever you knew him?"

"Well, I can't fill in all the gaps, since Sensei didn't pick him up until he was a teenager, but…" Once I started talking about it, the words kept on flowing, much easier than I'd thought they would. Even with the tragedy of our final encounter, I had more than enough good memories of Kaigaku. Just like Himejima, I had no doubt the harsher memories would linger with me for quite some time, but I could hold onto the good ones with even more force, so I could remember the man I'd fallen for and everything I admired about him.

It was a little bit embarrassing that Himejima listened to me the whole time at perfect attention, but by the time I'd recognized that, it was far too late, so oops, I guess.

"I am glad we got to discuss this, Kuwajima," he said once I'd exhausted myself on the matter. "I have been certain I don't have much longer to last." I swallowed, but I couldn't deny ignorance on this matter. After all, Himejima along with the rest of the Hashira had manifested Demon Slayer Marks in order to face Kibutsuji, and the supposed side effect was that anyone who had done so wouldn't live past the age of twenty-five. "I understand that Kaigaku meant much to you, and I do not wish to ruin that. Despite how things ended, I am glad to hear that for a while, he was safe and had someone who cared so much about him." My chest ached all over again, and I wrung my hands together in my lap, as if that would change anything. "This will make it easier for me to rest in peace as the time comes."

Desperate for any topic of conversation that didn't involve having to confront my very conflicted and overwhelming feelings, I asked, "Do you think that you are going to die soon, then?" I didn't have tact on a good day, let alone in the middle of the emotional shitstorm I was dealing with.

Himejima didn't look bothered at all, but I was willing to bet that was in part because I had no idea how to read his expressions in the slightest. "I believe so. Over the past several months, I have been able to feel my physical capabilities declining. I sleep much more often, my appetite is gone, and even my regular conditioning has become much more difficult no matter how much I focus on my breathing." Himejima had been the bulkiest Hashira by far, but to think he was losing his strength was disheartening to say the least, and beyond concerning to say the most.

What about everyone else that manifested a Demon Slayer Mark? What about Tanjirō?

"Is there anything you can do?" Damn, I was as selfish as ever, wasn't I? The idea of just watching my close friend—not to mention the remaining Hashira—count down the days to their deaths just sounded awful. They'd all done so much, and while that hadn't stopped Mitsuri, Kochō, and Iguro from dying in that battle, robbing all of them the chance for a long life was just frustrating as all hell.

"I'm not certain." I bit my lip, knowing whatever I would end up saying would help nothing, helplessness building up inside me. "I have been discussing matters with the other Hashira, though, so they've all been in preparation for what is likely to happen. They've all agreed it's better to know the possibility instead of the alternative."

"But how the hell is any of that fair?!" I hadn't manifested a Demon Slayer Mark, so I might've been out of line to complain, but I couldn't help it. Someone had to be angry about the whole mess, and it might as well have been me, since no one else seemed interested in doing so. "Fuck storytelling tension; who even came up with this mess?!" It didn't matter that the mangaka had had no way of knowing their creation would have a world full of real people that had to deal with their plot beats and world-building; it still sucked for everyone involved. "Even if everyone can reincarnate someday, it's still unfair!"

If it was going to turn out the same either way, then what the hell had I even been brought to Kimetsu for in the first place?

"I understand your concern, Kuwajima, but it's not as if being angry will change anything." Well, no, being angry on its own sure wouldn't, but feeling pissed off was a sign to take action, so I wasn't just going to sit down and take it. "We all were aware that manifesting such strength would have its consequences. In my case, as well as many of the others, the choice was between us dying one day or failing to defeat Kibutsuji, and we decided that the latter was unacceptable. Perhaps I am speaking out of turn, but I have no doubt you would have made the same choice." He wasn't wrong—I had put myself in immediate danger to protect Zenitsu, after all. "I suspect you will not be satisfied with leaving the matter like this, though."

"Damn right I won't." I was kind of tired of people dying around me all the time, thank you very much. Even for the Hashira I wasn't all that close to, I could call the whole thing some downright bullshit. "I know that you all pushed yourselves hard to manifest the Demon Slayer Marks, but it doesn't make sense that it should degrade you all enough to make you die." There had to be some sort of loophole out there that we hadn't considered; my otaku instincts were shouting at me. I wasn't naïve enough to think we could power of friendship our way out of it, but if we pooled all our resources together… "Himejima-san, do you happen to know if you or anyone else has been getting medical examinations?" Just because Taishō Era medicine wasn't as advanced as the twenty-first-century equivalent I'd once known didn't mean doing so wouldn't have benefits.

"I have not done so myself. I am uncertain about the others."

"So let's find you a doctor." Himejima didn't need to say anything for me to feel the skepticism rolling off of him. "Some information is better than nothing. I understand if you think you're too far gone to be saved, but anything we can learn about your condition can help the others, you know. Or are you going to tell me you just want to roll over and die without helping those that are left?"

"…I see your point." Good, this wasn't going to be a big fight. I would have had a stubborn showdown if need be, but it was nice to skip those steps. That way, we could skip right to the triple-question mark then profit stages. "Regardless, I'm not sure if there is a doctor out there who can help with this. Not even the Demon Slayer Corps' records didn't have much to say on the matter, other than the end result, and it is not as if Total Concentration is a widespread practice."

All good points. However, my brain had managed to connect the dots well in advance. "Lucky for you all, we already know a doctor. One that understands demon physiology as well." Yushirō was still alive, after all, and I had no doubt he'd help (with a bit of griping in advance) if he knew he could help Tanjirō out. "You remember the demon doctor that helped Kochō-san make her serum to fight Muzan, right? Her assistant is still alive and well, so there's a chance he might have some insight."

"I understand. In that case, I am not against consulting with this doctor. I just do not wish to get the others' hopes up."

I propped my hands on my hips, hoping that Himejima's senses would let him know just how done I was with him. "You say that like I'm not going to ask Yushirō to examine everyone else." Oh, no, if we were doing this, we were going all the way, buddy, no holds barred. "I'm sure if I mention to everyone that Tanjirō-kun is going to be impacted by this, they'll all volunteer, anyways." Never underestimate the power of a good old fashioned guilt-trip. "Himejima-san. I do think we can do something about this. You're willing to help, right?"

"Yes, Kuwajima. If you think there's something I can do, I will be glad to do so."

"Do you just sit around thinking of ways to make more work for me? Or does it come to you without even trying?"

"I'm glad you could come and see us on such short notice, Yushirō-san. I mean it." I'd sent out Tadashi with a message the same night I'd talked with Himejima, and Yushirō had managed to show up by the next day—a feat helped by the fact that Tanjirō had invited him to visit for Obon in the first place. That coincidence just fueled my confidence even further that we could work something out. "Whenever we're done here, you can come over to our place and relax for a while."

Yushirō scoffed. "If we're going to do anything about this, I won't have any time to relax for a long time to come." Good thing I knew him well enough to tell if he hadn't wanted anything to do with my idea, he wouldn't have shown up. "Tamayo-sama was able to figure out how to create a medicine to cure demons. I have access to all her research notes, so I should be able to do something on this front." He let out a sigh, observing the collection of Hashira and Tanjirō all already sitting in the room. "At least you gathered all the patients in one room for me. Alright, we're going to do some initial checkups, so let's get started."

Knowing there wasn't much I could do to help, I stayed the hell out of the way and let Yushirō do what he was capable of doing.

There were no solutions waiting for us after that first session, but I had no doubt we'd find something. It was just a matter of time.

When evening fell on the third and final day of Obon, it was time to complete the last rites. While I'd been busy with Himejima, everyone had brought the spirits of our fallen comrades in with the lanterns, then, after allowing them to join us, we were working to escort them back to their rest. Kiriya, Kuina, and Kanata all lead the procession, the Hashira following after them, and everyone else went together. Zenitsu and I held hands, walking in tandem along the path from Ubuyashiki Manor to the Demon Slayer Corps' graveyard. We all spread out, visiting our friends and comrades until, one by one, we blew out the flames, leaving us in a darkness that lingered with the warmth of the souls, living and departed, assembled together.

That night, I had a dream.

In it, the world was bright, nothing but blue skies and grassy fields, flowers popping up along the riverbanks in small bursts of color. There was a faint breeze, but everything felt comfortable and warm. It was the sort of place I could stay for a long, long time, and yet, it didn't quite feel like home, just somewhere to visit.

At first, I was alone—and then people started to take shape. First was Jaden, ruffling my hair as they went past. Then there was Shimizu, catching my hand and giving it a squeeze. Mitsuri was soon after, leaping at me in a hug with enough force to almost topple me over. It took me a moment to balance myself, but Kaigaku caught me with an arm around my shoulders, hesitating a moment before leaning in for a quick kiss. Coming at the back of the group was Sensei, who patted me on the back before urging me back where I came. Taking a deep breath, I gave everyone a wave before turning around and walking to where Zenitsu was waiting for me.

I had seen their smiles, and that felt like enough.

[Author's Notes]

This week's prompts worked out super well. I first used Death to connect to the Obon idea, and them Temperance let me pull him Himejima for a conversation that was a long time coming! This is as good as it's gonna get without Kaigaku alive to explain his own actions, so Rairi can have a little bit of closure. Plus the Demon Slayer Mark thing! Stay tuned; we'll finish out this plot thread in another chapter.

Thanks once more to readers and those dropping kudos on AO3. You're all amazing.

I don't have much else clever I want to say here. Today is a planned chill at home day for me, and my primary goal is to binge Bungo Stray Dogs, so I'll leave it at that!

Next Week: September, featuring the prompts "XV-Devil" and "XVI-Tower." Please look forward to it!

[07.22.2023]