They were allowed two more weeks of recovery before Kagami, Tanjiro, and Inosuke started their Rehabilitation Training made by Lady Kocho but conducted by Aoi. Kagami felt slightly better and only wished to stay in bed longer. Though, if that were to happen, she would have to stay by Zenitsu's side and that was something she would rather avoid. There's only so much screaming and crying a girl could take. The last of her nerve was about to snap and when it does, Zenitsu's medicine would be going forcefully down his throat. And it would happen without complaint.
The first day... The first day...
There were not enough words... to describe on how agonizing the Training was and how exhausted Kagami felt. Her pride, her spirit, and her soul had been broken more than a few times in just a few hours. Mr. Urokodaki's training didn't amount to what Lady Kocho had in store for them. Her arms felt like they were barely hanging onto her body. Her legs and feet dragged her back to the hospital ward through pins and needles. Her eyes could barely stay open and they stung as if she hadn't blinked in hours. Her entire body was numb to the touch. On second thought, she couldn't feel any parts of her body. Her legs were operating on auto-pilot at that point.
They slid the door opened and Zenitsu stared at all of them worriedly.
Groaning and moaning under their breaths, Kagami, Tanjiro, and Inosuke stumbled slowly towards their beds, feeling and looking like the undead awaken.
"Hey, welcome back, you three! H-How did it go today?" Zenitsu asked them with a nervous smile but they didn't answer him.
It wasn't that they were rude, mean, or annoyed with him. Kagami's always annoyed with the boy but the reason for not answering him immediately was because... she just wanted to get back in bed. To heal not just her body but her spirit. Slipping under the covers quietly, she only heard Zenitsu shakily ask, mumbling under his breath, "What's the matter? Did something happen?"
As Kagami tried to hide herself under her sheets, Tanjiro faced away from Zenitsu, whispering weakly, "Sorry."
"Don't mind us," Inosuke grumbled out just as hurt as.
"Please tell me!" Zenitsu immediately cried out in terror seeing their reluctance to explain, or even speak of the Training. "I'm gonna be in the same boat as you starting tomorrow and I need to be mentally prepared! AH!"
Kagami lifted her head from her sheets, stared dead in Zenitsu's eyes, and mumbled, "No kind of preparation will help you."
"AAAAHHHHH! NOOOOO!"
She ignored the rest of his screaming, crying, and persistent questions about the Training and closed her eyes. She didn't think she'd knock out so quickly but, when everything throughout her body felt absolutely destroyed and the only meaning in life at the moment was surviving to get through Training, she was grateful to at least get some rest. Not even Zenitsu could disturb her at that point. She laid like a log and slept like a rock.
The next day... Oh, they were all dreading it.
Kagami, Tanjiro, and Inosuke slowly stumbled through the corridors with their heads down. More groans and moans spilled out of their mouths, nervous sweat creasing their foreheads, as Zenitsu nervously tugged at Tanjiro's shirt, mumbling, "Scared, scared, I'm so scared! I don't wanna go!"
Eventually, they made it to the training room. It was large, wide, and had a high ceiling. On the back right corner of the room laid four white mats with the four Butterfly Mansion assistants right beside them. In the center of the room was Kanao Tsuyuri kneeling at a chabudai filled with at least a dozen cups of the most foul-smelling liquid Kagami's ever smelled. Then, in the back left corner of the room, standing there silently was Karasuma Tsuyuri. He was delicately polishing his Nichirin Sword when all four of them entered the room.
As they knelt in front of Aoi, with their heads down in shame, she explained firmly, "All right, since you'll be joining us starting today, Zenitsu, I will explain the Training Regiment again." She pointed to the four assistants of Kiyo, Fuji, Sumi, and Naho, explaining further, "You will begin there. Those girls will get your bed-ridden bodies limber again." She then pointed at Kanao patiently waiting with a small smile. "Next is reflex training. These cups contain medicinal tea. The objective is to throw the medicinal tea onto each other, but if your opponent blocks your cup before you can pick it up, you can't move that cup." She then pointed at Karasuma, Kanao, and then gestured to herself. "Last, full-body training. Or, put simply, a game of tag. You will be put up against myself then Karasuma and Kanao over there."
All of their heads, except Zenitsu's, dropped lower and lower at each reexplained station.
Zenitsu slowly raised his hand, quietly asking, "Excuse me. May I say something?"
Aoi's firm gaze landed on him and it didn't falter when she asked him, almost rhetorically, "Is there something not clear?"
"No, not that," Zenitsu stood from his spot and walked a few steps away. Kagami and Tanjiro watched him curiously but Inosuke's glare stayed on the ground when he spoke, "You three, come with me," In a menacingly low voice.
"Don't feel like it," Inosuke immediately grumbled out.
Before they could all react, gasps falling out of their mouths, Zenitsu's rage turned and he twisted sharply at them, screaming at the top of his lungs, "I'm not going to ask twice! Just shut up and follow me! Now!" He grabbed the scruff of Tanjiro and Inosuke's shirts and began to drag them ferociously and carelessly out of the room! "You're coming with me! Come on, dammit! You lowlifes! You dirtbags! I got an earful for ya!"
Kagami chased after them seeing Tanjiro and Inosuke struggle against his surprisingly-tight grip. They were dragged outside and they all stared at Zenitsu like he was crazy! What the hell did he do that for?!
"All right, you maggots! Sit up straight!" He then commanded of the three of them. "You miserable bastards!"
Inosuke's quiet demeanor immediately turned to one of anger. "What did you say to us?!" He screamed clenching his fists.
Zenitsu did not hesitate to throw a devastating punch in Inosuke's face! His body spun in the air for 2 seconds before slamming into the wall of the mansion! He collapsed on his rear and stayed still for a few moments.
"Inosuke!" Kagami gasped rushing to his side.
Zenitsu let out deep breath of air the sparkled with tiny blue electric bolts but it didn't stop Tanjiro from chastising him. "What were you thinking?! Apologize to Inosuke!" He demanded of him.
As Kagami and Tanjiro held back the furious Inosuke, Zenitsu towered over them and she could feel the latter was just as angry, or maybe even more! His eyes were completely wide to the point where his eyelids disappeared! With a finger in their faces, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Me apologize?! You should be apologizing to me! You're the ones acting like you came back from Hell! How dare you act like that when you were in Heaven! All you did was frolic with girls all day, so why did you come back looking wrecked?! Get down on your hands and knees and apologize! Commit seppuku!"
"How can you say such a thing?!" Tanjiro exclaimed in his face but Zenitsu screamed louder and harsher, forcing Tanjiro to recoil, "Shut up, you goody-goody talking forehead! Just shut up and listen, got that?!"
Zenitsu grabbed Tanjiro's hair and began to pull and pull! "You're allowed to touch beautiful girls! You get to have your bodies massaged! When you play that cup game, you get to touch their hands! When you play tag, you get to touch their bodies! All girls have nice chests, great butts, and strong thighs! They smell so nice when they pass by, and it's a joy just to look at them! It all makes my heart beat quicker! AAHHH! HEAVEN! ABSOLUTE SHEER HEAVEN!"
To say Kagami felt extremely uncomfortable was an understatement. She knew that baby was a pervert but didn't know how much! She self-consciously looked down at her small chest and thighs but kept herself from looking at the size of her rear. She then lifted her arm and sniffed herself, and shrugged slightly. She does smell pretty good.
She then exchanged disgusted looks with Tanjiro at Zenitsu's behavior as Inosuke growled, "Knock it off! You're not making any sense! When you lose to someone smaller than you, it destroys your soul!"
"Oh, that's right! Poor Inosuke!" Zenitsu immediately smirked and screamed, pointing and laughing at him, "You've never been close with a girl before, huh? Right, you were raised in the mountains! No wonder you're a late bloomer! I feel so sorry for you!"
Crossing her arms, Kagami huffed under her breath, "I'm sitting right here, you know."
"THAT'S IT!" Inosuke screamed standing on his feet and facing Zenitsu who was just as furious. "I've been close to girls before! And none of them were a match for me! I even stepped on a female kid once! How's that?!"
Zenitsu screamed back, horrified, "I'm not talking about fighting! And that's an awful thing to do!" He shook his head viciously, shrieking, "Not good, no good! That's not going to get you any girls!"
"I can get as many girls as I want! I already have one more than you, which already makes me better!"
"Really?! Well... so do I!"
"Nezuko doesn't count, moron. She's not here to speak for herself, so I will do it for her," Kagami immediately spoke up in the girl's defense. "Her running away and avoiding you doesn't mean she's interested. Besides, she's more focused on turning herself back into a human than... pursuing someone who doesn't have any basic respect for women," She scoffed turning her head away from him.
Zenitsu looked flustered and spat out, "Well, if my precious Nezuko doesn't count, then neither do you!"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Like hell I don't," She growled and stood on her feet. She marched towards the pair of boys and stood in front of Zenitsu, pointing a finger in his face as she towered over him. "I've never seen you interact with a girl before that didn't contain screaming or blushing or invading their personal space. Unlike Nezuko with you, I actually like Inosuke so to say I don't count really makes me upset." With a devilish smile, she continued, "Also, I don't appreciate you talking about young girls like that. If I see you disrespect any of them in there, touch them without their permission or make them feel uncomfortable, I'll make sure you pay."
Kagami pulled back and grinned sweetly, even if there was no friendliness in it. "Now then, let's get back inside," She spoke but kept an evil look on Zenitsu.
Then, they traveled back inside quietly.
Kagami crossed her arms seeing Zenitsu back to normal in just a matter of minutes. He had a blush on his face, a dopey smile, and spoke dreamily to the girls, twirling and twisting with joy, "I look forward to training with you! Hehehe!"
He volunteered to go through body-stretching exercise first. Throughout the entire ordeal, he laughed and giggled with joy. As they pulled his arms and stretched his back out, forced his legs into a split, and pulled every single limb out until they were nearly popped from their sockets, he had the most stupidest smile on his face. She could tell Kiyo, Fuji, Sumi, and Naho were trying to make him cry or at least feel a bit of pain, but nothing worked. Kagami, Tanjiro, and Inosuke watched on with nervous and dismay looks.
She will give him some credit. Whereas she held back tears from the pain, he was laughing with pure delight.
Next was reflex training. Zenitsu's opponent: Aoi.
They sat across from each other at the chabudai with Naho looking on as the referee. The cups were filled with the medicinal tea that must've gotten cold while waiting for their fight outside to finish. The moment the match began, with Aoi grabbing her first cup, Zenitsu instinctively moved. He placed his hand over hers, gripping it tightly, before grabbing another cup. Except splashing it over Aoi, he winked and spoke, deepening his voice, "I would never splash tea on a girl's face."
All the girls, including Kagami, groaned to themselves.
Then, it was full-body training.
Zenitsu and Aoi stood in defensive stances across from each other. When Naho commenced the match, it was over in a few seconds. He moved so fast around Aoi he wrapped his arms around her body without her even noticing, screaming, "I win!"
They didn't intervene when Aoi punched him twice in the face.
"I may have won the battle but I lost the war!" He exclaimed through a bruised cheek looking at them with his bruised eye.
Inosuke suddenly pumped his arms in the air, screaming, "I wanna win, too!"
Kagami and Tanjiro watched as Inosuke didn't hold back. Unlike Zenitsu, he was remorseless and merciless against Aoi. He splashed the cup of medicinal tea in her face before she even had time to pick up her cup. Then, during full-body training, whereas they just needed to touch their opponent, he grabbed Aoi's ankles and hoisted her off her feet. He hung her upside down and lifted her up high like she was a trophy animal he had killed during a hunt. Kagami slapped a hand over her face and sighed.
They all had passed and won against Aoi. Their next opponents... were far more difficult than they anticipated. The Tsuyuri siblings: Karasuma and Kanao. He let his little sister handle the reflex training while he handled full-body training. It was brutal, completely hellish.
Zenitsu was overconfident and believed he could beat Karasuma just as fast as he beat Aoi. The fact that Karasuma was always surrounded by girls day-in and day-out made Zenitsu even more determined to beat him. The older boy just stood there with a blank and curious expression, not bothering to get into a stance like Zenitsu. When the match commenced, Zenitsu raced around him and threw his fist forward to punch Karasuma in the face! They all flinched, waiting for the fist to connect, but watched wide eyed as Karasuma simply bent backwards to avoid the hit! Zenitsu's fist passed harmlessly over the older boy's head!
That's when they knew even Zenitsu's lightning reflexes weren't going to win against him.
Inosuke growled, screamed, and yelled when Karasuma ducked, jumped, twirled, and side-stepped away from all of his advancing movements. The older boy made it seem like a dance, a graceful move that he's rehearsed many times for so many years, and didn't even break a sweat. He made it look so easy and didn't give Inosuke a chance to figure out what was happening when he tagged him.
When it was Kagami's turn, she did just as horrid as them. She tried to bend backwards, feign attacks from the side and actually move for the front, and implemented everything she knew to even at least touch a strand of Karasuma's hair. Except, he perfectly dodged it every single time, even going as far as leaping over her and sliding in between her legs to the other side to avoid her relentless attacks. She would've been terrified if it had been any other guy, like Zenitsu, but Karasuma wasn't a pervert like him. She could feel it. When it was his turn to be the tagger, every time he won he made sure not to touch her in any inappropriate areas and kept his distance.
Tanjiro did just as well as them. Which is not good at all seeing as they couldn't even beat Karasuma. They were horrified when they needed to go up against Kanao next in reflex training.
All of them got soaked with tea. They didn't even have time to move their hands to the cups they wanted to grab. Kanao was the first to grab hers and by the time they reached their hand out their entire heads were soaked. If they did manage to grab their cup, Kanao's hand was immediately over theirs to stop them and tea already splashed in their faces. It was a humiliating experience.
Then, it was time for the siblings' turn to switch places. They were to start training over again.
In the end, the siblings were basically one and the same. They were agile, fast, and moved with such speed it was hard to comprehend it. Neither of them were not able to tag Kanao or spray tea in Karasuma's face. The siblings were unbeatable. Kagami was able to take note that Kanao was more ruthless and competitive than Karasuma. The girl looked like she loved winning against them and the older boy just seemed to be training them because he was told to. That it was a job needed to get done.
For the next five days, none of them couldn't beat either sibling in either training. Then, one day, Inosuke and Zenitsu stopped showing up. It was only Kagami and Tanjiro.
They both agreed if they could defeat one, they would be able to defeat the other. They both decided it'd be best if Kagami trained with Karasuma and Tanjiro trained with Kanao. Training with the opposite sex would prove to be more fruitful than training with one of the same, seeing as Kagami had been fighting against male demons thus far. Tanjiro wanted to be ready when they finally face a powerful female demon.
Though, they both wondered how those siblings could be so fast, so agile, and act so much like the Hashira. Their auras were unlike Kagami had felt before. They were eerily similar to the ones she felt of Lady Kocho and Lady Tenshi. It was powerful and radiated with energy. It was their eyes that made them so curious. They were a beautiful purple and black but there was something there that she and Tanjiro couldn't see. Perhaps it's one of the reasons why they could never win against them.
"Kagami, Tanjiro," Kiyo, Fuji, Sumi, and Naho called for them.
The two of them turned around and noticed the four tiny assistants behind them. "Oh, hello," Kagami greeted with a smile.
"What is it?" Tanjiro asked them.
Those four rubbed their hands nervously and brought out two towels. "This is for you," They answered gently holding out the bundles to them.
Tanjiro smiled and grabbed his as Kagami's grabbed her, smiling brightly and speaking, "Thank you! This helps! You're all so kind!"
The four smiled brightly and giggled as the two of them began to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, faces, and hair. They gently ran the towel through their heads and let it rest on their shoulders when Kiyo stepped up, asking, "Um, we wanted to ask if you maintain Total Concentration Breathing around the clock? Morning, noon and night. And all through the night while you're asleep. Are you using Total Concentration Breathing nonstop?"
Kagami and Tanjiro had a face of 'That's possible?!'
"Can't say that we have," Kagami chuckled nervously and sheepishly at them. "Can someone pull that off?"
Kiyo smiled and nodded her head. "Yes! We're told that being able to do such a thing makes all the difference in the whole wide world!"
Kagami believed them. Being able to master Total Concentration Breathing around the clock sure would make a difference in her endurance, stamina, and reflexes. Except she was dreading it. Absolutely terrified at the idea. Just doing it while performing a single or a couple forms really puts a toll on her body. Her lungs want to cry out, her limbs feel like falling off, and she would just want to relax until her body was back to normal. She could already feel her lungs withering in her chest.
Naho nodded her head, adding, "Some people have already mastered it."
"All the Hashira and Kanao," Fuji added as well with a large smile.
Then, all four spoke in unison cheerfully, "We know you can do it!"
Tanjiro ripped his towel from his shoulders and exclaimed determinedly in the air, "Is that so? We will do our very best!"
Kagami nodded her head and smiled at the four little girls. They were the sweetest, kindest, but also the most fiercest she's ever met. She wondered what happened that ended them working in the Butterfly Mansion and for the Demon Slayer Corps. They all had their stories for how they joined the Demon Slayer Corps. They were really helpful and Kagami hoped she could learn to master Total Concentration Breathing nonstop.
She will grow and defeat Karasuma and Kanao Tsuyuri.