Although Kagami and Tanjiro needed to follow the demons, who had introduced themselves as Miss Tamayo and Yushiro, to where their clinic was stationed, they needed to go back and retrieve Nezuko from the outskirts of the city. When they arrived, she was awake, waiting patiently on the bench next to her box in front of the udon wagon. Kagami instantly felt terrible about leaving her behind but felt worse seeing the large stain of udon broth on the ground near her feet.
Tanjiro and Kagami walked up to the owner of the wagon, hoping to still have a chance to pay him for the meal, when he suddenly rounded on them, red-faced and angry!
"Now, listen to me! It has nothing to do with money! That's not the problem here!" the owner began to scream in their faces, causing both Kagami and Tanjiro to scrunch back in fear, continuing, "What I can't forgive is your lack of intent to eat my perfectly good bowls of udon, all right?!"
"I'm so sorry!" Tanjiro immediately apologized. "Please serve me another bowl!"
"To actually eat?"
"Yes!"
"You promise?!"
"I promise!"
The owner nodded his head hard and exclaimed, "All right!" He then rounded on Kagami once more, adding, "What about you? You also wasted a perfectly good bowl of udon! I expect you to have another one to compensate me for the emotional pain you've caused me!"
Kagami shifted from foot to foot before sighing out, "Ok! I'll have another bowl!"
"You there!" he then wheeled on Nezuko who looked at him in confusion. She was minding her own business on the bench when he suddenly turned to her. "If you're gonna have some udon, you need to take that bamboo thingie out first! What the heck is it even, anyway?!"
Nezuko only gave him a look of annoyance and shifted away when he drew closer.
"Take these chopsticks, alright?!" he huffed shoving the chopsticks towards her and reaching a hand over to her bamboo muzzle.
Tanjiro immediately grabbed the man's wrist, prying him away from Nezuko, and determinedly said, "I'd like a bowl of udon! In fact, give me two of them!" holding up two fingers.
The man looked taken back at Tanjiro's protectiveness for Nezuko and the sudden firmness of wanting two bowls. Kagami knew Tanjiro asked for two to eat Nezuko's portion and to satisfy the man's bloodlust for their lack of eating earlier, but she didn't know if he could even eat two of them! Even one would be enough for her!
Soon, three bowls of udon were prepared and ready to be eaten.
Kagami grabbed her bowl and took a small wad of udon with her chopsticks when suddenly Tanjiro began to gulf down his entire bowl in a few seconds! She watched in both horror and awe as he courageously and determinedly slurped down his first bowl of udon in mere seconds. His face was scrunched in concentration, his hand holding the chopsticks moved in the speed of light, and he let out a giant sigh as he slammed his then-empty bowl down. Without waiting another moment, Tanjiro grabbed his second bowl and slurped it down with the same determination, concentration, and impossible speed! All three of them, Kagami, Nezuko, and the udon wagon owner, watched with wide eyes.
As soon as he slammed his second then-empty bowl of udon, he brought his hands together and prayed, "Thanks for the great meal!" loudly and happily.
Tanjiro turned to the man and exclaimed, "It was delicious!"
The udon wagon owner quickly shook himself back to normal and smiled, clearly flattered, "Well, I'm glad you liked it! Anytime!"
Kagami quickly realized Tanjiro and Nezuko were ready to leave and she still hadn't finished her bowl of udon! The udon wagon owner looked at her expectantly, clearly wanting her to finish the bowl she promised she would with the same enthusiasm and concentration as Tanjiro.
Taking a breath, Kagami immediately slurped all her noodles down. She could taste the savory, sweet, and spicy noodles hit the back of her throat and down to her stomach. Without breathing or stopping, in a fluid motion, she tipped her bowl over her mouth and swallowed the soy sauce broth down in a few giant gulps. She slammed her empty bowl down, placed her hands together, and choked out, "Thank you for this meal!"
Turning to the udon wagon owner, she nodded her head, agreeing with Tanjiro's opinion, "It was delicious! It reminded me of my father's cooking!"
Turning on her heel, Kagami quickly met up with Tanjiro and Nezuko, hearing the udon wagon owner exclaim from behind her, "Come again!"
As Tanjiro hefted the box over his shoulders once again, Kagami readjusting the sword belt around her waist, they began to walk away from the udon wagon and back towards the city. Tanjiro held Nezuko's hand, apologizing to her for leaving her behind, as they slowly started to trek down the path to where the clinic could possibly be when she all of a sudden stopped in her tracks.
A small angry growl emitted from her as she stared off into the trees.
"What's wrong, Nezuko?" Tanjiro had asked her but something approached from the darkness.
It was Yushiro, and it looked like he was waiting for them. Nezuko must've sensed he was a demon and wondered if he was going to attack them or not. She sensed him before either of one them could.
Knowing he was a friendly, until something tells them he is no longer, Tanjiro and Kagami approached him, Nezuko trailing them, with Kagami asking, "You were waiting for us?"
Yushiro didn't look one bit happy. His lavender purple eyes squinted at them with suspicion and skepticism, his short green to black hair shining under the light post he was standing under, and his arms were crossed impatiently. His white button-up shirt under his all-white kimono and dark blue pants were very clean and didn't have a trace of dirt on them. His pale chin was lifted into the air slightly with his eyes casted downwards on them. Kagami almost scowled at that.
"I'm here on her orders. I'm supposed to bring you back with me," he almost huffed at them.
"You know, I could've just tracked your scent, or Kagami could've sensed your aura to where you live," Tanjiro informed him.
Yushiro almost looked offended when Tanjiro had spoken of other means of finding them. "Our place is under a concealment spell. No way you would've found us," he once again huffed at them turning his nose up. Then, he pointed at Nezuko, a look of disgust written on his face, asking, "Before we go, do you know that girl is a demon? And not much to look at."
Kagami cocked her head slightly at Yushiro, confused, until it suddenly dawned on her.
Did he just call… Nezuko ugly?
Nezuko looked sad, lost, and even confused when she realized Yushiro had called her ugly! Kagami thought smoke billowed out of her ears as anger quickly coursed through her blood, her vision turning red, and her fists clenching at her sides. The same thought must've entered Tanjiro's head because he immediately turned bright red, angry, and jumped in Yushiro's face, screaming, "You gotta be out of your mind! Who would look at Nezuko and think she's ugly?!"
"What the hell is the matter with you?! You don't just call a girl ugly! Nezuko is not ugly! She is, in fact, very beautiful!" Kagami screamed.
"Just take a good look at her features! She was the most beautiful girl in our whole town, you know that?!" Tanjiro added waving both hands at Nezuko who stood there staring wide and doe-y eyed at Yushiro.
Yushiro just stood there watching them with annoyance, not even flinching or wincing once as Kagami and Tanjiro screamed at him in Nezuko's defense.
"Let's go!" he huffed in annoyance as he turned around to walk away.
Kagami and Tanjiro grabbed Nezuko's hands, anger and disbelief still coursing through them, and followed him, screaming, "I know! We're already coming! But take back what you said about her! You just need to take a good look at her somewhere with better lighting! Come on, over there! Let's go!"
It took half an hour to travel where Yushiro had said he concealed his and Miss Tamayo's residence. Kagami didn't know whether it was longer or felt longer because she and Tanjiro never gave up on screaming in Nezuko's defense. They kept rambling about her physical and personal beauty, berating Yushiro's poor eyesight and opinion, until no end. Even as they walked up to a dead end, in a part of the city where not a lot of people frequented, they still kept screaming!
"I know what it is! It's this stupid muzzle, right?!" Tanjiro finally deduced, grabbing Nezuko's face and forcing it to his, still continuing, "That's the only explanation! You just need to behold Nezuko's beauty when she's not wearing this ugly thing!"
Their anger immediately dissipated and was quickly replaced with confusion when Yushiro walked straight into the fence and disappeared.
They paused for a few moments until Yushiro's annoyed head appeared from the other side, huffing, "Hurry it up! While nobody's looking."
Kagami tentatively placed a hand close to the fence and nearly recoiled when it phased right through. The three walked through fence with ease and immediately had to crane their head upwards. What used to be a dead end actually led to a large plot of land with large wooden mansion sitting in the very center! She could barely make out a tiny piece of paper with a red eye drawn in the middle plastered at the very top of the house.
"No way! We would've seen this house from a mile away!" she gasped.
"I could've sworn that street was a dead end!" Tanjiro added with a gasp.
Yushiro was already at the front door and hurried them over to him with impatience in his tone, "Pay attention!"
When they stood beside him, he explained sternly, "Listen. Make sure you don't offend the lady in any way." All of a sudden, he jumped right in their faces, hissing, "Because I couldn't care less what happens to you! I only brought you here because she insisted, got it?"
Tanjiro and Kagami exchanged glances, muttering, "Uh, sure."
When Yushiro got out of their face, Kagami resisted the urge to kick him in the back of the head. She doesn't take kindly to threats, especially ones targeted towards her friends, and she wanted Yushiro to make sure he wouldn't do it again. But they were guests, and her father would surely roll over in his grave if he saw her acting out in someone else's house.
You may have taught me manners, father, but you never let me leave home in the first place.
Yushiro led them through the large house and up to a closed door. He knocked twice and they heard a soft, "Come in," from within.
Opening the door, Kagami noticed Yushiro immediately dropped his arrogant and impatient attitude as he greeted Miss Tamayo. "I have returned, my lady," he spoke kindly and not in the authoritative way he had spoken to the three of them.
Miss Tamayo was wearing a white set of robes over her medium-length dark-purple flowery tomesode kimono. She sat next to a woman laying unconsciously in a bed, the one who was bitten by her husband and who Kagami was tending to stop the bleeding. Her large, gentle, purple eyes greeted them, kindness and welcome lingering, her striking red lips lifting into a small smile. Her long dark brown hair was pinned and held in place into a low bun by a tama-kanzashi hairpin.
"Welcome back," she greeted them all.
Yushiro closed the door behind them when they entered and Tanjiro immediately bowed, apologizing, "I'm sorry that we left everything for you to take care of earlier. How is she doing?"
"She'll make a full recovery," she answered. Her warm eyes then turned sympathetic, adding, "But unfortunately, her husband has to be restrained in the basement."
Kagami saw how Miss Tamayo looked at her patient with sympathy and sadness, but she remembered she was a demon. Demons need blood to sustain themselves, unlike Nezuko, and being around it must've been difficult for her to do her job.
"I don't mean to cause any offense but, isn't it difficult for you to treat people's wounds?" Kagami had asked and immediately regretted it.
Her breath was knocked from her body and she wheezed for air at the painful punch at her chest.
Yushiro removed his fist from her body, a nasty growl spreading across his lips, hissing, "Is that what you think? She chokes back her own drool when she treats a human? Because demons can't control themselves?"
"That wasn't what I meant—" Kagami had begun to say but stopped herself.
She would be lying if she said that. Even though they were demons, and she vowed to kill them all, they were different. They were treating humans and they hadn't given Kagami, Tanjiro, or Nezuko a reason why they shouldn't be trusted. They were honest about their intentions. The last thing she wanted to do was offend them after they offered information and help.
Kagami held her chest and softly mumbled, "I'm sorry."
Miss Tamayo stood from her seat and spoke, "Enough." She then turned her head to Yushiro and sighed, "Why must you always resort to violence?"
Yushiro dropped his head in shame and apology.
Clasping her hands in front of her, Miss Tamayo continued, "I know we've already introduced ourselves but just in case, my name is Tamayo. This is Yushiro. I hope the three of you could be friends."
Friends?
Tanjiro and Kagami eyed Yushiro beside them.
His fists were clenched, his body was stiff, and she could tell he was grinding his teeth harshly against each other underneath the forced smile he plastered on his face. He hid his face from Miss Tamayo but she could see the annoyance and irritation at the prospect of needing to become friends with them.
It was something Kagami didn't see happening.
"It's not all that difficult," Miss Tamayo suddenly spoke. "At least not for me, but it is different for other demons. My body's physiology has gone through considerable changes. And I've removed Kibutsuji's curse."
"A curse?" Kagami and Tanjiro spoke aloud in confusion.
Removing her white robes, Miss Tamayo walked over to a different set of doors and encouraged them to follow her. The pristine professional clinic quickly turned into what felt like a home. The room had a soft yellow lighting from the multiple lit candelabras, a painting of an active volcano, and bookshelves full of books lining the room.
They knelt on the matt in the very center, facing each other, but Nezuko laid herself down on her back.
"Hey, Nezuko! That's bad manners!" Tanjiro quickly chastised her.
Miss Tamayo didn't seem to mind. She simply smiled and giggled, "That's quite all right. Please make yourselves at home."
Nezuko took that as a sign to kick her feet up in the air and swirl them all around.
"As I was saying," Miss Tamayo started, "I've made several adjustments to our bodies so we can continue to live without harming any human beings. We can survive on just a small amount of human blood."
Blood?
Tanjiro shifted backwards slightly, nervously mumbling, "Wait, blood?"
Miss Tamayo didn't seem offended at their apprehension of the thought of she and Yushiro drinking human blood. "I understand if you find it distasteful, but I buy it from those in poverty under the guise of transfusions. Of course, I never take enough blood to impair anyone."
It was beginning to make sense to Kagami.
The reason she never picked up their auras, their surrounding air and wind, was because they weren't the same as other demons. They never forcibly took human blood from another human being. Although, the fact remains they still need blood from a human being. She couldn't help but feel conflicted. They were demons, but they weren't evil. They took blood from consenting people but… they're demons.
Should that be the sole reason to kill something? Just because they were labeled as one? Nezuko was a demon but she never killed or harmed a human being. She, instead, saved and helped them. The same as Miss Tamayo and Yushiro.
"Yushiro can get by with even less blood. I'm the one who turned him into a demon," Miss Tamayo divulged causing gasps to spill from Kagami and Tanjiro's lips.
Kagami couldn't help but ask, "How? We were told only Muzan Kibutsuji could make new demons."
"You're right. As far as anyone knows, Kibutsuji is the only one who can create demons, and that's more or less accurate," Miss Tamayo answered. "It took me 200 years, and after all that, I could only transform Yushiro."
Wait… 200 years?
Tanjiro's hands on his lap turned into fists and his body began to shake. He looked at Miss Tamayo in shock and surprise, screaming, "Two… hundred years?! It took you 200 years before you could figure out how to transform just one person?! How old are you, Miss Tamayo?!"
Kagami blinked and, all of a sudden, Yushiro was jabbing his fist multiple times in Tanjiro's chest, screaming angrily, "You should know better than to ask a lady her age, you ill-mannered lout!"
Miss Tamayo's kind demeanor quickly turned to a stern one, speaking firmly, "Yushiro. The next time you hit that boy, I won't forgive you!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Yushiro immediately responded sitting back down in an instant.
His angry attitude and violent behavior subdued itself in an instant, the kind and gentle demeanor he had when he first greeted her quickly replacing it.
Tanjiro wheezed in bits of air, painfully holding his chest, with Nezuko staring at Yushiro, irritated, from the ground.
"I'm sorry, I'd like to clarify that further," Miss Tamayo spoke up, her gentle behavior coming back once more, as she looked at the two of them. "Creating more demons is not one of my goals. I only do so when necessary; for the terminally ill or gravely injured. Only when they won't survive. And even in those cases, I always ask them beforehand if they wish to live on even as demons."
At the sound and movement of Tanjiro's whiff, Kagami took that as a sign to feel the aura around Miss Tamayo. Once again, her aura was completely different those of other demons she had encountered. It was pure, honest, soft, and gentle. She was beginning to believe she, Tanjiro, and Nezuko could trust her.
Tanjiro must've been thinking the same.
Clenching his fists, he picked up his head and gasped out, "Once someone becomes a demon, is there a way to make them human again?"
Their eyes landed on Nezuko and she was happily kicking her legs up in the air, moving them back and forth, minding her own business.
"Turning a demon back into a human?" Miss Tamayo mumbled to herself then nodded her head, answering, "There is."
Kagami and Tanjiro gasped at the unexpected yes.
They had been searching so long for an answer, and were always hit with no's and at rock bottom, but when they finally got their first yes it sent them skyrocketing with surprise and joy!
Tanjiro, in his excitement, sat up from the ground and moved closer to Miss Tamayo, exclaiming, "Please tell me how!"
In the blink of an eye, Yushiro moved from his spot on the ground and towards Tanjiro, demanding angrily, "You keep your distance from Lady Tamayo!" He had grabbed Tanjiro's arm, twisted it around, and threw him over his back, forcing him on the ground. Tanjiro screamed at the unexpected movement and groaned when he landed harshly.
Miss Tamayo's stern demeanor once again reappeared at Yushiro's violent outburst.
"Yushiro," she drawled on in warning.
Yushiro immediately sat back down, nervous sweat beading down in his fore-head, trying to look as innocent as possible, speaking, "I'm sorry! I only threw him. I didn't hit him."
"Neither is acceptable."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Tanjiro stood from the ground, rubbing his head painfully, mumbling, "Wow, that really hurts." Without daring to take one step close to Miss Tamayo, Tanjiro asked again, "Can you please tell me how?"
"There's always some kind of medicine or aid no matter the wound or ailment," Miss Tamayo began. "I don't know how to turn a demon back into a human yet, but there must be a way. I promise we are going to find it. We are dedicated to establishing such a treatment. Toward that end, I'd like to ask you to do something for me. In order to discover a cure, the first step is studying the blood of several different demons. Which means I have two favors to ask you."
Miss Tamayo turned her head to Tanjiro, continuing, "First, I'd like permission to study your sister's blood." Looking at both Kagami and Tanjiro, she added, "Second, I need more samples. I'd like you retrieve them from demons as closely related to Kibutsuji as possible. Nezuko's condition is extremely rare, and perhaps entirely unique. I understand she was asleep for two years straight and I believe her body underwent changes during that time. Normally, if a demon cannot consume human blood or flesh or animal for that long, it would unquestionably grow violent. However, against all odds, Nezuko is showing none of those signs. That miracle could be the key to finding a solution."
Nezuko… was a miracle.
To survive and live without needing the taste of human flesh was amazing in of itself. Miss Tamayo had confirmed Nezuko was unlike any other.
Kagami smiled as Tanjiro rubbed Nezuko's head and watched as she grabbed his hand, nuzzling her head into it affectionately. The bond between those two siblings was unquestionably strong. Kagami could only hope to strengthen it and create a bond just as strong as that with someone.
"My second request is not a simple one," Miss Tamayo added. The gentleness of her voice nearly disappeared at that sentence. She explained, "When I say "demons closely related to Kibutsuji", I mean demons with powers such like those of Kibutsuji himself. Extracting blood from that kind of demon won't be easy. What do you think? Are these requests acceptable, if not pleasant?"
Kagami hesitated… for a moment.
She couldn't imagine herself fighting demons who had the same terrifying and paralyzing aura as Muzan Kibutsuji did. Back in the middle of Asakusa, she failed Tanjiro by not running after Kibutsuji. How the hell is she going to manage to kill demons as terrifying as that monster.
She will have to do what she always did and had been doing up to that point: gritting her teeth, steeling her resolve, and continue fighting.
"Kagami," he started turning to her, "I know it's a lot to ask of you, but will you help me? You always have a choice to continue traveling with me or not. I don't want to put you in danger that you don't want to be a part of. I won't be upset or hate you if you choose to leave on your own. We'll always be friends." He smiled at her happily and nodded his head.
That is so like you, Tanjiro. You're always so considerate and always see the bright side in everything.
Kagami blushed slightly at him but nodded her head, speaking, "I will see this through with you, Tanjiro. You showed me kindness and compassion when you didn't need to. As your lifelong friend, I will help you get the blood you need to create a cure for Nezuko."
Tanjiro smiled wider then turned to Miss Tamayo. "If it means you'll be able to research all the demons' blood and create this medicine, not only Nezuko, but many others will be saved. Kagami and I will make sure many people who are suffering be a human being once more," Tanjiro asked smiling happily at Miss Tamayo.
"Yes, indeed," Miss Tamayo nodded her head, smiling.
At that small gesture, Tanjiro blushed heavily… then quickly steeled himself when Yushiro leaned over his way, growling under his breath, clearly jealous of Miss Tamayo's newfound affection for him.
At that moment, for that split second, everything felt like it was going to be okay, until—.
"Get down!" Yushiro screamed at the top of his lungs.
As Yushiro jumped over Miss Tamayo, and Tanjiro huddling over both Kagami and Nezuko, two colorful balls smashed through the mansion. Wooden planks and splinters fell all around them like hard rain, the light immediately going out engulfing them in darkness, and the sound of chaos erupted all around her. The balls bounced all around the room in light speed. Kagami's eyes could hardly follow them as they bounced, bounced, and bounced at impossible angles!
Dust, dirt, and debris clouded the air around her, hiding the childish cackle penetrating through the air, as the balls suddenly disappeared.
"Did you decide how to kill them?" a male voice haughtily asked from—somewhere!
Another childish cackle answered, "Brutally, of course!"
When the dust and dirt cleared, standing outside of the giant hole made in the wall of Miss Tamayo's home were two demons. They looked at them with clear bloodlust and evil smiles were plastered over their faces. They're… They're there to kill them!
Kagami thought they were safe at Miss Tamayo's home, away from Muzan Kibutsuji and his influence, but she thought wrong. They all thought wrong.
Now they must fight to stay alive.