3/25/24: I appreciate your patience with me. I'm sorry for the long, long delay and the removal of some chapters. I had severe writer's block due to my personal family issues and medical issues, I had to put this story on the backseat for a time. Furthermore I was in editing hell because I was trying to make the story more detailed and emotional and to develop the characters better. I also aimed to find the right length for my writing, not too long or too short, and to avoid being too simple or dull. I think I found a good balance at this point, so hopefully this is good. I'm still editing other chapters, mainly planning to keep the original storyline I had.

"Nezuko, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

It was with these soft-spoken words that Ume exploded with emotions that she couldn't even balance. Fear, shock, horror, rage, relief, and just utter confusion flashed through her eyes at the same time. Ume only blinked slowly. She wasn't sure if she was seeing and hearing things, but she was certain that Tanjiro, the Demon Slayer who successfully beheaded her brother, was now perched on her back with his arms around her.

Nezuko? What's the matter, Nezuko? Why is he asking me… if she's okay...?

"I know you must be tired from all of this...but the sun will rise soon and we can't fall behind the rest. The others are hurrying for the main camp. Just a bit further and we'll be out of the city.."

Out of the city…?

Ume blinked and blinked.

It took her a moment to fully recollect all that had happened. The vivid images crept into her mind, almost harmonious imagery of blood, agony, tears… Ume remembered the gruesome battle with the Demon Slayers, the decimated district of Yoshiwara, burning to ashes. Agony. Swords. Fighting. Crimson blood. Fire. The resounding crunching of the neck bone. Crimson blood raining from her and her brother's severed neck bone. Her mind wanted to sink back into the darkness. And then sheer silence.… The pitch-black abyss that bordered Heaven and Hell. Gyutaro entering Hell without her….her hysterical pleas, those strange memories…

A dozen needles danced their way across her forehead. I'm back….. I'm alive…

Ume's jumbling thoughts fell short when she felt a stare burning into the back of her skull. A piercing stare that only one person she knew could bestow. She hesitantly looked up to see a pair of burgundy eyes peeking through the curtains of auburn hair soaked with blood and sweat. For a fleeting moment, Ume caught a glimpse of Tanjiro regarding her with a smile, a beautiful smile. Ume felt her chest tighten—that smile looked so genuine, so sincere. Tanjiro looked utterly happy. His eyes looked at her with a pleasant softness. The feel of his warm arms around her was comforting, tender. They held her close and it reminded her hauntingly of Gyutaro.

And Ume was utterly terrified.

"Get off me!" Ume swung her right arm back, the back of her fist colliding with Tanjiro's cheek, in an infinitesimal moment, she caught the glimpse of his red eyes widened—a momentary shock and confusion—before it narrowed down to palpable pain again. This small reaction was enough for Ume to tell that Tanjiro didn't expect her to react this way in the slightest. Before Ume knew it, she leaped away a good twenty feet into the air, creating a miniature shockwave in her wake, the ground and debris and Tanjiro propelled from where she was.

The second Ume's feet touched the ground, the sashes of her belt sprang alive with frightening velocity, eight obi sashes stretching out from around her waist like tentacles. She tore off the muzzle and braced herself, her fingers flexed instinctively for an impending fight. Her heartbeat elevated in adrenaline as her senses intensified tenfold as she turned to face her opponent just in time to see Tanjiro skip across the ground with all the grace of a pebble flung full force across a river before skidding to a stop.

"What is wrong with you, you bastard?" Ume growled menacingly with utmost hatred. "How dare you ever touch me, you damn scumbag, I will rip your throat out, you—"

Ume cut herself off when her peripheral vision snagged the vast, decimated landscape encompassing her.

What is this cruelty?

From the smoking night sky, the cold, ashy breeze brushing on her warm, soft kimono, the wafting aroma of iron-filled blood, the sounds of humans conversing and crying amongst each other in the distance, the dark devastated landscape stretching as far as she could see. In the far distance, familiar, bloodied faces blurred together and their battered forms huddled, filling up her field of vision. Three weeping women supporting the heavyset frame of the bloodied Hashira as they slowly descended around the corner. A tall man with mismatched eyes and a small snake coiling around his neck vanishing from a rooftop. The yellow-haired brat with two bows tied in his hair…the pretty-faced brat with the boar mask, both boys barely clinging onto consciousness as they're carried off by a pair of masked figures in black…

I am back…I'm back here…

She and Tanjiro were all alone in the heart of a decimated street, sequestered in a clustered ring of stacked rows of debris amongst the endless heaps of smoking rubbles of what once was the vibrant, beautiful city of Yoshiwara. There was no other soul to be seen. But still, her gut instinct was telling her that things were about to go terribly awry. She couldn't stop her racing mind from thinking about who else could be out there, lurking in the dark, just beyond the corner of this seemingly safe little spot. That Accidental Demon was the first on her mind. Then that creepy-looking snake man, even the yellow-haired boy or the boar-headed boy could resurface for all she knew. Anyone could jump out at any moment. She had to be quick, judging by the altered position of the silvery moon within the paling veil of indigo, she had exactly two hours left before the sun rose…

Then Ume heard a wet cough and stiffened.

Tanjiro was crouched on one knee, bloodied and twisted. One broken Nicchirn blade stabbed into the ground for support. She could see the obsidian blade glint as it was struck by the faint moonlight. Ume couldn't help but recall the moment that he was seconds away from beheading her with that very blade, only to just collapse into such a sickening coughing fit that she genuinely believed that he would just drop dead.

He was in a far worse state now. His jaw had already swollen to the size of a grapefruit and his broken lips were no more than but a flap of bloody flesh and skin. Both of his hands shone with fresh bright cuts. The two broken fingers on his right hand were swollen purple and distorted, his deep shoulder gash had broadened, bleeding profusely with every small move he made, and judging by the way his breathing was laboured, there were more injuries internally.

It was beyond her, but Ume felt a twinge of phantom guilt slither up her chest as she watched Tanjiro wince in pain. He struggled to prop himself to his feet, choking out a fearsome coughing fit that made him double over. Ume quickly swatted away that foreign feeling. She reminded herself that Tanjiro was still her dangerous opponent, her enemy. Why should she care whether he lives or dies?

Ume knew she had to kill him right here and now. She couldn't risk him alerting his allies to her location. She wouldn't take the chance. She had to fight. She had to.

A low growl hummed from her throat as she glared at her target. Shoulders squared, stance taut and stiff, Ume kept her foot firmly planted on the ground, her hard glare gleamed with deadly bloodlust. Brandishing eight obi sashes poised to strike her approaching target to ribbons at any given moment.

Ume knew it was foolish.

It was foolish of her to even think that she could take this odd specimen all on by herself. Any other random slayers she knew she could dispose of, but this boy in question was none other than Tanjiro and it was exactly why she found it so disconcerting that this young boy who was capable of going beyond his human limits and was now seemingly helpless on his knees. He had some sort of trick up his sleeves, Ume knew. Another second wind, another poisoned kunai, one of his allies lying in wait for an ambush, anything is possible.

But it didn't matter.

If she loses her head again, then so be it. At least she went down trying to accomplish something—to avenge her dear big brother, to appease Master Muzan, to do something useful for once in her life. Showing this brat, his friends, and that Hashira that she lured in, that her big brother entrusted her the Upper Moon status for a reason.

It would be a single swipe across the throat in such a quick fluid motion that there would be no time to react.

By the time anyone finds his bleeding corpse, she would be long gone, far away from the sun's rays within the sheltering darkness within the intricate network of underground tunnels that led to her main shelters scattered beneath the city. There, she'll be able to nurse her emotions and thoughts to comprehend all that happened, to figure out what came of her brother, what came of herself…perhaps Master Muzan will hear of the devastation in Yoshiwara and she will encounter him again. He would surely be devastated that Gyutaro is gone, but perhaps he would help her in her time of need…

"You…?"

Tanjiro was the first to break the silence that Ume expected to go on forever. His voice was soft and frayed, barely over a whisper, and Ume hardly caught it. He lifted his head, looking straight at her. Their eyes met. Ume froze. Nothing but overwhelming pain was apparent on his face. But it wasn't the pain from his numerous injuries, Ume was sure.

No. It was a pain that Ume had seen a thousand times back throughout her human life. It was the pain that Ume saw in the hollow, listless eyes of those broken women staring through the wooden bars of their public enclosures. It was the pain that had plagued Kaoruko's face as she slowly rotted away. The pain that had haunted Gyutaro's face after she passed. It was the purest form of agony, of horror…of grief.

But why…?

"You're…not Nezuko..."

Silence.

All noises of the world seemed to cease, every fibre in her body throbbing at that name. A flash of disgust crossed her face. The thoughts were bitter in her mind, leaving her mouth twisted in anger.

Nezuko…That one single name had cut deep, a succession of fleeting images ravaged her vision. Those blank dark pink eyes glared down at her. The leaf-patterned kimono stained with crimson. The vine-like pattern on her skin, that ugly horn protruded out the side of her head. The Accidental Demon's bloodsoaked foot spearing deep into her splintering spine. The bright pink blood flames engulfing her world and roasting her flesh….

Terror. Agony. Hatred. Mortification. Fire. Memories. Her mind wanted to sink back into the darkness, back to where her big brother was.

"You're not Nezuko…" Tanjiro croaked, his eyes bulging with a mixture of incredulous disbelief as they roved over Ume's frame. "You're not—"

"SHUT UP! Just shut up already! What is wrong with you?" Ume screeched in acrimony, but all eight of her obi were trembling uncontrollably. Her voice cracked severely as if she was not used to screaming. But right now, the anger radiating from her was too much.

Rage. It all came down like an avalanche on her, burying her deep within the layers. Ume could feel it boil like bile creeping up the back of her throat. It was so repulsive she almost felt like throwing up.

But, it was more than that. Something that oddly rose above all those intense emotions was this one single emotion she knew like the back of her hand; pain. A familiar heart-wrenching pain. It was hurt. It was disappointment. It was betrayal.

But why?

Ume had already accepted the rage and hatred over the fact that Tanjiro had slain her brother, but she did not fully understand why she felt disappointment and betrayal. Maybe it was because she had hoped that the merciful kindness that Tanjiro demonstrated to her and her brother still existed somewhere deep down. Perhaps it was because she never expected Tanjiro to be the one to play sick mind games such as this?

Nevertheless, this pain she was feeling was bundled up into one heavy package and it sat like a boulder in her stomach. It was all too much for her, too many things going on in her heart, too much emotion for the little demon to withstand. She had experienced all forms of betrayal before and she knew of the heart-wrenching consequences. Perhaps this was why she could feel the bile at the back of her throat as she heard the weak voice of the Demon Slayer again.

"...Nezuko…" The Demon Slayer on the ground murmured. "… You're not her…" his voice came out dry and hoarse, but the horror and disbelief came through all the same. "Y—You can't be her…you were slain…we—" Tanjiro's sentence fractured, replaced by a sharp hiss of pain. With his free hand, he clutched onto his head, groaning in pain.

Ume's frown was immediate when she observed the scarlet blood seeping through the crannies of his ashen fingers, streaming down the sides of his face till it blended in his auburn hair. She knew from experience that he had obtained more injuries than the physical human eye could discern.

How is he still standing with all those injuries? I must have struck him hard. He's disorientated…concussed…he's... Ume thought before she stopped herself and had to remind herself.

"You…you.." Tanjiro momentarily closed his eyes and tried to fight through the pain coursing through his body. His hand that clutched his sword squeezed the hilt hard, blood still dripping from the deep cuts in his palms. He pried open his dull gaze to meet hers and Ume found an accusing glare greeting her. "…you're not Nezuko…you are not her…you are not my sister…"

A nerve throbbed in her temple and a steel edge lined her jaw. "Of course, I'm not! Yes, you are right! I am not her! So stop uttering such tripe! Enough!" Ume regarded Tanjiro with a menacing glare and stalked up to him in a hostile confrontational manner. The unwavering look fueled her burning anger like a backup reserve. "You must be far stupider than I could have imagined. I'm the same Upper Moon Six who pushed you out that window, you moron! You can see that for yourself, can't you? Why would you even consider otherwise, you blind fool?"

Tanjiro only responded with a persistent silent stare that urged her to look at herself.

And in an instant, everything stopped.

It was such a strange feeling—to feel her blood rushing through her veins only to freeze solid; to hear her thunderous heartbeat pumped with adrenaline come to a screeching halt.

Don't fucking tell me…

Another fleeting glance at Tanjiro's horrified expression confirmed her suspicion.

Ume swallowed dryly, the foreboding fear stole all the warmth from her trembling body. She stared down at her hands, at her red-pinkish stiletto nails, her fair complexion contrasting against the thick layers of ash and dust. She was not the willowy Daki with her long white and green hair held back in a ponytail full of kanzashi hairpins with her uniquely stylized pink-yellow sashes. She was no longer tiny, scrawny Ume in her dirty, tattered kimono and messy white hair. Instead, she was now adorned in a soft light pink kimono with a red and white chequered hanhaba obi that contrasted with a tattered dark haori, her long black and orange mane flowing through the passing breezes.

"I…don't…" Her words abruptly dissolved into the back of her throat when she finally registered the foreign sound that was coming from her own throat. It was a high-pitched female voice, but it was not hers. It was mild, gentle and murmurous, a stark contrast to her usual sharp, clear, and forthright timbre.

Ume felt her entire world collapsing around her at that moment. Comprehension flooded her faster than she could have blinked. That was when it all made terrible sense. The reason why she saw those strange memories that did not belong to her. The reason why she was engulfed in that inferno of pink flames. The reason that she had returned to the world of the living. The reason why she awoke in this boy's arms.

Her prayers were heard. The impassioned prayer she had made in the void, the promises that she could vaguely remember speaking of the exchanges she was willing to sacrifice in order to be with her dear big brother, had led to her soul being placed into the body of the Accidental Demon.

"…why…?" Was all Ume could choke out in a hushed tone that hardly conveyed the true horror she felt at this moment.

Why? Why was she brought back to life like this? And why this girl specifically? And for what purpose? What purpose does she have in this brat's body? What debt did she have in the scorched ruins of her home? What debt did she have in the world of the living? What is this debt that the divine had granted her that she was supposed to pay here? What does any of this have to do with her reuniting with Gyutaro? What does this have to do with Gyutaro at all? Her mind was a whirlwind, desperately sifting through the chaos for a shred of logic to explain this.

What is this cruelty?

"Nezuko…?"

A small voice intruded Ume's mind, her train of frustrating thoughts halting upon the intrusion. She stiffened when she recognized the hoarse voice belonged to the Demon Slayer struggling to prop himself up. "Nezuko.." Tanjiro had made it up to his legs, supported by his flimsy blade by his right hand, and limped forward towards her; his left leg seemingly fractured. "Where…?"

"What…?" Ume breathed out incredulously, not believing what she was seeing. She was utterly confused about how this brat approaching her was still living and breathing. He winced, whatever movements clearly aggravating the injuries he had sustained from their battle and now.

"Where is she….?" Tanjiro slurred. When Ume said nothing, he took another step toward her. It was a faltering step, more like an awkward lurch with his flimsy blade scarcely maintaining his balance. The blade in his hand gleamed threateningly under the moonlight.

Internally, Ume managed to will her shock and horror to subside and glared on. "How should I know? You tell me. The last time I checked, I was dead and now I'm back here like this. You said it yourself; you and your gang of misfits killed us moments ago, you watched us die with your own eyes, remember? You and that girl were there, watching us both fade away." She managed to hiss out, thankful that she still retained her brusque words at least. "I don't know what happened to that girl. Wherever she is beyond me."

"No! That's a lie! You're lying!" Tanjiro's frail voice exploded into a stern, adamant snarl so loud that it made Ume flinch inwardly. Ume noted the muscles tightening dangerously in his jaw, the forceful rise and fall of his chest, the muscles of his right hand squeezing the hilt of his blade and his left hand gripping the bottom, the crouched position of his crumpled body. If this wasn't a clear sign of a Demon Slayer readying themselves to break out into a lunge at any moment, then she didn't know what was.

Instinctively, Ume reaffirmed herself into a battle posture. Her sashes flexed in preparation for an impending fight. She held his fearsome glare without so much as a flinch. From Tanjiro's expression which was still twisting, it seemed that her demeanour was frustrating him even more. Maybe he had expected her to cave in.

"Look, get this through your thick skull because I will only say this once," Ume asserted sharply with steel hostility threading behind her words. "I have done nothing and I did not choose to be here. I have no clue of what came of her and I do not care to know. I hate that brat as much as I hate you! So why would I return like this just to see your ugly face again, huh? What part of all of that is so difficult to understand—"

A subtle shift within Tanjiro's unyielding stare stopped Ume from finishing her searing retort. He was approximately twenty feet away from her, yet the strange expression etched on his features pierced her deeper than his serrated Nicchirn sword ever could.

The look that he was giving her held none of the familiar emotions that Ume expected to see. There was no malice, no hostility, not even anger.

His eyes were just haunting, hollow. Frozen hollow burgundy glass with nothing in them.

Then, in a half a second, she began to see something else. Tears. Shimmering tears dotted the hollow corners of his eyes.

Weakly brandishing the halved blade, Tanjiro pointed the jagged edge threateningly towards Ume and he staggered forward, "You will not get away with…this…"

His fractured legs crackled with each limp he took, his shoulder gash split with each stir. The blood shone with a deep sickening red so profound in the moonlight that it was enough for the acidic taste to bubble up in her throat.

"I…I…won't let you…take her life…I won't let you take her future…I won't let you do this…I cannot let this happen…" Tanjiro slurred. From the way his eyes were hazy, Ume knew that he had physically exerted himself and wouldn't be able to stand up much longer. His hands were trembling as if to hold back his anger, his bloodstained eyes were bulging and even his hoarse voice sounded strained—as if anchored and sore from the surge of agony he was feeling, "I…I promised her...that I would save her…I would cure her…I promised her…"

Tanjiro continued to ramble on weakly, his words barely audible.

"But in the end, I didn't...I couldn't...even now I wasn't able to save her…she couldn't depend on me…everyone…"

Suddenly, Tanjiro stumbled forward, losing his footing.

Two sashes caught him just in time before he hit the ground, snaking under his armpits.

Ume found herself standing over from him, though she didn't even remember moving a foot. Tanjiro coughed, sweet-smelling crimson blood splattered out from his mouth and onto her pink kimono. She felt her disbelieving frown deepen. She knew she should've thrown him to the ground and plunged one of her obi sashes into his neck just as he did to her brother with his blade. She knew she should've killed him by now, but she simply couldn't do anything in response.

"…where is my little sister…?"

Tanjiro could barely choke the last few words out. Then, he reeled forward, shoulders slumped.

"Dammit!" Ume cursed when she felt an unconscious Tanjiro beginning to slip away from her fabric. Her fingers clasped his shoulders, her knees buckling under the weight of his unconscious form as she steadied him. Her eyes darkened when she saw the scarlet streams of blood trickling off his fresh cuts and the deep shoulder wound, painting the dusty ground with the vivid colour of roses, crimson and thick.

Overwhelmed, Ume tried to compose herself, but she remained paralyzed in shock. The smell of iron was wafting in the air, so pungent and strong that Ume felt as if all the oxygen in her trembling body had been sucked away only to be replaced only by the toxic aroma of blood.

From the angle she was holding him, the full depth of the deep laceration of his left shoulder she had inflicted on him filled her vision. Fresh blood spilled from the gaping wound and into the frayed edges of his haori. His flesh was torn and ragged, baring his nerves and blood vessels like worn cables. A splinter of alabaster bone jutted through his shoulder blade, reminiscent of a snapped stiletto.

"I struck him deep."

Her chest constricted significantly.

Is he even alive?

She gave him a quick once-over of his profile, checking to make sure he was still breathing. He was, but hardly. Tanjiro was so incredibly immobile that one might mistake him for a dead person if it wasn't for his faint pulse. "He's barely hanging on. He has far too many wounds. An infection will kill him faster than the blood loss…he won't last much longer with a wound like this…" Ume murmured, her foreign voice getting lower and softer. The obi sashes that tucked underneath his armpits slowly began to regain their strength.

A single strike and it's over, Ume told herself as she stared down at him. I need to put an end to this. I can't do nothing.

Yet even with this determination so profoundly embedded in her mind, Ume found herself unable to move.

His body felt so small and fragile within her grasp. She looked down at the hand still clutched in his fractured sword. Up so close, it looked like a claw. This was not the brat she fought earlier. The flesh had all gone from him. His skin stretched tight over bones like sticks. Underneath him, his legs bent in ways that made Ume sick. His injuries had shrunken him somehow. He looked half a leaf, as if the first strong wind would carry him off to his grave.

He's just as weak and miserable as he was on that rooftop, almost how I was once.

When the bloodied brat began to slip from her grasp again, almost on natural instinct, her hands clenched his shoulders and she straightened him, not even reacting to hot, sticky blood spilling onto her hands.

It was strange; on one hand, there was still this burning desire to slaughter, consuming her chest like a raging, loathing wildfire at the mere sight of this boy. He is a natural mortal enemy of her kind and a mortal enemy to her. The very catalyst to how quickly her grand plan went up in smoke. The nosy brat that cost her everything in the end. She despised him for ruining the timeless aspiration that she and Gyutaro had toiled so tirelessly to accomplish. She detested him for denying Gyutaro's well-meaning offer of immorality by plunging his sword into his neck. The Demon Slayer who took away her one and only family in this cruel world. She hated him with every fibre of her being.

But on the other hand, dousing that burning loathing was that small, nagging semblance of her that still remembered the moment where Tanjiro covered her brother's mouth, how he encouraged them to stick together even in the end. It was all a small gesture, but important. Even after all the past cruelties and agony she and Gyutaro inflicted upon him, Tanjiro still showed them a rare kindness that she never encountered before. An genuine act of compassion that Ume could never bring herself to forget and one that left Ume indebted with unwavering debt that she needed to repay somehow…

Ume released a long, shuddering breath that she didn't even know she was holding in.

Fuck it.

So, the next thing she knew, carefully and slowly, Ume hoisted Tanjiro's broken form off the ground and overhead, seamlessly cocooning him into a tight bundle of fabric.

Ume turned on her heel, the scraping sound of her boots crunching on the glass and wood and broken asphalt littering the decaying tapestry of black and grey laid out before her. Her foreign eyes traced back into the horizon, lingering on the departing silhouettes of Tanjiro's companions still carving a path through the trails of rubble as a small flock of masked figures in black began to fill their stead.

All I have to do is drop the brat off before he dies. I'll be quick. That's my debt, Big Brother. Ume plunged the sole of her boots into the splintered pavement before hurrying over to them.

"Oi, get the damn medic! It's an emergency!" Ume's commanding voice thundered through the vicinity. As soon as the words left her mouth, the quiet group took one look at her and then erupted with controlled chaos at her command.

"Nezuko? Why are you not with the others?" A tall, male Kakushi with feline almond eyes bulging out the mask slit demanded as he charged towards her. Ume watched as his eyes widened when he registered the sight of the lifeless figure supported overhead. Tanjiro's head hung lifelessly, and if it wasn't for Ume's sash support, he would've fallen off.

"Here," In one smooth motion, Ume steered Tanjiro towards the wide-eyed Kakushi. "Take him. He's barely breathing, but my belt stopped the bleeding."

"What….what happened to him?! His body…" His frantic voice held such disbelief and horror that Ume had to fight back a cringe. "Is he aliv—"

"Were my orders not clear enough? Shut up and take him to the medic," Ume cut through his sentence admonishingly. "Do it!"

The commanding nature of her tone was enough for the Kakushi to comply, albeit nervously. "Yes…forgive me.." The stupid male mumbled, shooting another baffled look at her. In a mad haste, he drew through his pouches and materialised a folded white sheet that he promptly laid on the ground. "Lay him down."

Without hesitation, Ume approached the side of the sheet and lowered Tanjiro carefully on the sheet before unfastening her straps of obi around him. Immediately, a medic came rushing to provide first aid on the spot.

The male Kakushi approached the medic, voice taut with concern. "How is he?"

"It's terrible," the medic said regrettably, expression dark when he saw the severity of Tanjiro's injuries. "All of his injuries are just grievous. Significantly more severe than the others. This shoulder gash, broken ribs, fractures in his legs, and suspected internal bleeding. It's a miracle that he's still alive after all this blood loss. The main camp is too far away for his condition, and the Wisteria home is no longer there," The medic withdrew his hands, blood dripping off of his fingers. "Forgive me, but I'm afraid that he won't make it back to the main camp…"

"Just treat him, by all means before he dies of an infection." Ume hissed; her voice was full of suppressed frustration. A singular sash fell off of her belt and to the medic. "Use my belt as a bandage if you need to and do it."

The medic looked taken aback, but promptly nodded in agreement and began to tend Tanjiro's wounds.

I did it, Big Brother. My shelter can't be far.

I have to disappear into the obscurity of her tunnels. I have to live. I have to survive.

Just as Big Brother would have wanted…

Though Ume promised herself to leave, she stood there, watching the medic's tending to the Demon Slayer.

I paid my debt, Big Brother…

That was all that Ume thought as she stood and watched Tanjiro's chest rise and fall as the medic tended to his gash, extracting bloodied pieces of glass and wood with tweezers. That was all that Ume thought as she watched Tanjiro grit his teeth as the medic began to clean the long cavernous maw of his shoulder gash with a cloth of iodine. That was all that Ume thought as she watched Tanjiro wince and twitch as the medic began to suture the wound, each stitch closing the gash.

He's still…breathing. His heart is…still beating…

He's still in so much pain…That was all she thought as she observed the throngs of pain dancing over him. Ume could see it all, almost to the point where she could almost feel his physical pain transferring over into her skin. But she hastily pushed that thought out of her mind before she could allow the concern over this brat's health to creep up on her.

He's still alive. I paid my debt in full just as you taught me, did I not?

Gyutaro's voice…

It was all that she wanted to hear as she finally tore her eyes away from the writhing Demon Slayer on the ground and turned on her heel. Instantly, Ume felt her breathing hitched to an abrupt stop. The sky was already beginning to bleed stripes of paling cobalt. The sun will rise soon, stripping away her protection under the sheltering moonlight.

"Dammit!" Ume exclaimed sharply. Damn it! How long was I standing here? I wasted all my time. Even if I make a run for it, I might burn in the first light…She clenched her jaw so hard that she thought that they could shatter under the rigid pressure. Her hands trembled as strands of stray black hair covered her wide eyes. She shook her head to steel her faltering nerves. She clenched her fists to stop their shuddering…

"Miss. Kamado!" That name drilled through her head like a bullet."Over here!"

Almost as if on instinct, Ume spun around to the Accidental Demon's name to an approaching masked female with shining teal eyes clutching a large wooden box. Ume scowled at the sight. The same box that Tanjiro carried the Accidental Demon in to protect her from the sun.

Ume grimaced bitterly. My only source of shelter left…

"Get inside!" With a hurried motion, the female Kakushi wrenched the door ajar, revealing a confining void that seemed to swallow the light. The space inside was not just empty but oppressively narrow, as if the walls could close in at any moment. "Hurry, Miss. Kamado, get inside," the female Kakushi urged, her voice full of urgency. "The sun is coming."