When Shinobu brought Tanjiro and Nezuko into the recovery ward, Tanjiro couldn't help but be relieved to see Zenitsu and Inosuke there as well. He was worried Inosuke might have been killed by that giant spider demon after they had been separated and he was surprised to hear Zenitsu had ended up climbing up the mountain after them. He was sad they had both received pretty bad injuries but he was too glad that they were alive to let that bother him. After their grettings, Tanjiro was placed in a bed next to Inosuke and Nezuko was allowed to roam the room as she pleased. Seeing her brought a huge smile to Zenitsu's face. He had been worried about her the most, so seeing her in perfect shape was a huge boost to his own morale. Inosuke was pleased his friends were alive as well but he had a hard time expressing it with how injured his throat was. Additionally, he felt very ashamed that he had been defeated by a demon and couldn't save anyone.

"I'm sorry… for being so… weak," Inosuke managed to croak out.

Tanjiro and Zenitsu were both shocked by Inosuke's attitude. He was usually the most lively of the group and seeing him so depressed was disheartening to both of them.

"Don't say that Inosuke! You're not weak!" Tanjiro yelled.

"Yeah! Don't be so downtrodden!" Zenitsu added.

"I… couldn't beat… any demons… or… save… any humans," Inosuke replied.

Tanjiro cast his gaze down as his heart broke. He realized he didn't manage to save anyone either. "Well… then we're in the same boat then Inosuke. I didn't save anyone last night either. I may have killed a demon but… I didn't save any of her victims and I need your and Susamaru's help to do it. I also had to be rescued from an even stronger demon that defeated me after we got separated."

"Really? A demon was too strong for you Tanjiro?" Zenitsu asked.

"Yeah, way too strong. I only survived because Susamaru came to my rescue. She killed him."

Zenitsu was amazed that Tanjiro and Inosuke had even more trouble than he did on the mountain. He thought he was the weakest of their group so to hear that they were defeated by the demons they fought was a surprise. For his part, Zenitsu managed to defeat the spider demon he encountered and helped save a whole bunch of people; however, he didn't feel it was right to say such things in front of his friends. Instead he decided to redirect the conversation with a question.

"Speaking of Susamaru, where is she Tanjiro?" Zenitsu asked.

"Oh right. She's… being taken somewhere else for now. The woman who owns this mansion is going to be… punishing her," Tanjiro said sadly.

"Punishing her? What did she do?" Inosuke asked. He wanted to jump out of bed and beat the crap out of whoever was going to hurt his new friend. Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to do so.

"She ate people before joining us Inosuke… a deed that can't go unpunished as much as we don't like it."

"Damn it…" Inosuke said as he slumped in his bed.

Suddenly the door to the recover ward opened and another slayer stepped inside. It was Murata. His presence put a smile on Tanjiro's face as he had been worried about his new friend as well.

"Murata! You're okay!"

"Hey Tanjiro! Yeah! I was told you guys were in here so I wanted to check up on you," Murata said as he walked over to sit down next to Tanjiro and Inosuke.

"Who is this guy?" Zenitsu asked.

"He fought with us on the mountain. He's a friend," Tanjiro replied. "So how are you?"

"I was a hair away from being melted by some spider demon but I managed to get out with just a couple broken fingers thanks to that demon friend of yours."

Tanjiro was completely amazed by what he said, "Susamaru saved you too?!"

"Yeah, I got wrapped up in a cocoon of webs and was about to be turned into soup when she showed up and ripped it apart. Then we fought the other demon together although… she did most of the work. That fight made me realize I need to train a lot more," Murata said with a bit of sadness in his voice. He felt like he almost completely useless. He probably just could have handed Susamaru his sword and she could have done everything herself since that was really all he contributed.

"Don't sell yourself short Murata. You survived after all. That in and of itself was no easy task on that mountain," Tanjiro said. "I mean look at us! We are all laying in a hospital ward ourselves!"

"Yeah I suppose that's true… by the way where is Susamaru? I wanted to thank her again now that the fighting is all over."

"She's… not here right now. She'll be along later," Tanjiro said as he didn't want to inform Murata that she was likely being tortured at the moment.

"Ah, well. I'll come back to check on you guys later then. I'm being summoned to the Hashira meeting soon so wish me luck," Murata said. He had no idea how terrifying such a meeting would be for someone of his rank but he would soon find out. With that, the young slayer decided to leave the group so they could rest. Inosuke fell asleep shortly after Murata left the room and Tanjiro layed down so he could rest. Unfortunately, sleep would not come easily for Zenitsu whose hearing was too sensitive for his own good.

"Hey Tanjiro?" Zenitsu said.

"Yeah, Zenitsu?"

"What kind of punishment is Susamaru supposed to be going through?"

"I don't know exactly. All I remember about it was that she needed to endure equal suffering to what she has caused. Why do you ask?"

"Because…" Zenitsu said as he teared up a bit. "I can hear her… screaming."

Tanjiro sat up straight in his bed with sweat beginning to accumulate on his forehead. "What?! Can you tell me what's happening to her?!"

"Not exactly but… I can hear something like… flesh being torn… and… and… I'd rather not think about what the rest sounds like Tanjiro," Zenitsu said horrified.

This did nothing to ease Tanjiro's mind and for the next several hours he waited anxiously for Zenitsu to give him an update as to what was happening. Suddenly, Zenitsu sighed in relief and allowed himself to fall onto his bed.

"Zenitsu?! What happened?"

"The noises… they stopped… finally," Zenitsu said. He was exhausted from last night's battle and from listening to those awful sounds for the last several hours. He really wanted to get some sleep now.

"Does that mean?" Tanjiro asked hopefully.

"I have no idea what it means," Zenitsu asked. He didn't know if that meant her punishment was over or if Shinobu was just taking a break or if something else was happening; however, he was just glad for some peace and quite. He cared about Susamaru but there was only so much concern he could express before needing a rest. Still, he didn't allow himself to rest as soon he began hearing strange footsteps. They sounded as if someone was climbing up a staircase while dragging one leg. He had no idea how right he was until the door to their ward opened once again. This time, the figure that walked in looked as if it had arrived from the tombs of Egypt with how bandaged they were. The only parts of them not bandaged were one golden eye and their black and orange hair. The person then limped into the room as their left leg appeared to be unusable at the moment.

"Morning everyone!" The mummy declared.

"S-susa?!" Tanjiro said. "What happened to you?!"

"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" Susamaru said. She really didn't want to go over all the gory details of what had transpired over the last three hours and just wanted to hop into a bed as soon as she could. "I'm just really sore but I'll be okay in a while."

Tanjiro was relieved to see his friend was not too severely injured but he was still worried about her given that she was a demon and should be regenerating fast enough to not need bandages. "Are you sure? Why are you all bandaged up?"

"Oh, these?" She said as she tugged on one of the pieces of cloth covering her. "I just need them for a little while. You see while I was being… 'punished', Shinobu used a bunch of wisteria on me so I wouldn't regenerate immediately. She said something about it, 'helping me understand what humans had to deal with,' when they got injured."

"Yes, I didn't want her to recover too quickly or else she wouldn't have learned her lesson very well would she?" Shinobu said as she entered the room as well.

"I guess that makes sense," Tanjiro said. He still wasn't happy with what had happened but he was glad it was over and they could all move on.

"Anyway, Susamaru please take a bed for yourself. You'll need to rest just like your human friends now," Shinobu said as she had gone from "punishment" to "healer" mode.

"You got it!" Susamaru said as she limped over to the bed on Tanjiro's left.

"Good, now how are the rest of you feeling?" Shinobu asked. She then proceeded to do a brief check on each of them to ensure they were all healing properly. After that she politely scolded Zenitsu for not taking his medicine before leaving the room. As she closed the door to the ward she released a breath and wanted to sink down to her knees. The entire time she was torturing Susamaru and listening to her scream, she wanted to just stop and forget the whole thing! She thought dismembering a demon and causing them pain would be cathartic and maybe even enjoyable; however, it was quite the opposite. All it did was make her feel sick with herself and that's why the procedure only lasted three hours instead of the one hundred and twenty seven she had planned. She just couldn't bare continuing and while she explained to Susamaru that she had been punished fully, it was really just a way for Shinobu herself to get out of it. She was sure the other Hashira would be upset with her for not going through with the full length of punishment; however, she would rather deal with them than stay another minute in the operating room. With that thought in mind, she steeled herself and left to go prepare for the meeting that would take place that night.

Back inside the room, Zenitsu had finally allowed himself to fall asleep now that Susamaru had been returned to them and all was well. Inosuke had managed to sleep the entire time, as had Nezuko, and thus it was only Susamaru and Tanjiro who were left awake.

"So… how have the rest of you guys been holding up?" Susamaru asked Tanjiro so that he he would stop focusing on her injuries for the time being.

"Well… we all got hurt pretty bad but it seems like we'll be okay. Inosuke's throat is really messed up so he won't be his loud self for a while. Zenitsu was poisoned by a demon and had to take medicine to help his arms grow back to their normal length. I'm just really sore all over. My lungs especially. I tried to do a new breathing technique and it really hurt," Tanjiro explained.

"Wait, two questions: one, Zenitsu was poisoned by a demon… and that poison just shrank his arms? Why? Also, what is a 'breathing technique'?" Susamaru asked as made an air quotes gesture with her hands.

"Actually, the poison was supposed to turn Zenitsu into a spider it just hadn't fully taken effect yet," Tanjiro answered.

"It was supposed to do what?! Why the Hell are all the demons we fight so weird now? I mean I just make temari to throw! Why do other demons make yarn, spin houses around and turn people into spiders?" Susamaru ranted a bit. Her whole world had been continuously flipped upside down since she joined Tanjiro and she was just having a difficult time making sense of it all.

"Yeah demon powers can be really strange. The first one I ever fought was able to grow arms out of his head after he was decapitated!" Tanjiro declared.

"Actually that one sounds pretty normal," Susamaru said.

"It does?" Tanjiro said. He thought it had been pretty weird when he saw it the first time.

"Yeah, I can do that too. I didn't against Rui cause I couldn't really generate any new flesh cause of the poison flowing through me but I normally can," Susamaru said plainly.

"Seriously?!" Tanjiro said slightly disturbed.

Susamaru just chuckled at her friend and this made him chuckle in turn. The two needed a good laugh after all they had been through. They were both lucky to be alive and they were going to celebrate that with some well deserved mirth for at least a few minutes until Susamaru remembered her other question.

"Oh! You didn't answer my question about the breathing stuff!"

"Right! I forgot. Sorry about that. Breathing techniques are what us swordsman use to keep up with demons. We learn to draw air into our lungs in certain ways so that our bodies have maximum access to oxygen. This allows us to push past our normal limits and keep up with demons; however, switching between styles can cause a great deal of pain as I found out last night," Tanjiro stated as he finished his explanation. As he did, he looked towards Susamaru who was blankly staring at him with her one good eye.

"That… was all gibberish to me."

"Really," Tanjiro said as he became a bit embarrassed that he couldn't properly explain Total Concentration Breathing. "I guess it's just something you have to be shown instead of told. I'll try to demonstrate later. Anyway, I have a question for you now. Did you ever find out why you survived the poison and Rui didn't?"

"Oh yeah! Shinobu and I talked about that before… you know. She apologized for not explaining it last night. She said there were a few reasons. Firstly, I got a smaller dose of it than Rui. She merely cut me quickly, so only a little poison entered my bloodstream, while I stabbed Rui and the entire tip of the sword was able to release poison constantly into his system. Plus, she thinks my regeneration abilities were actually much greater than his. She explained that demon bodies usually adjust in two ways; a greater focus on defense or healing. Mine is the latter so I heal rapidly but am more easily damaged as a result. Rui was the opposite. He could sustain much greater damage without injury but healed those injuries much slower than someone like myself. Lastly, I told her about what happened to me with Kibutsuji's curse and she thinks that I am able to regenerate much better than most other demons because I was able to overcome that," Susamaru finished her explanation with a yawn.

"Wow, that sounds really impressive but it seems like you're tired so I think we should both get some rest," Tanjiro said.

"Yeah… I could use a good nap," Susamaru replied as she allowed herself to lay down and sink into her bed covers. Tanjiro followed suit shortly after and before anyone realized it, the day passed into night as the group of friends slept. At first they were all so tired from their injuries that they entered into a dreamless slumber; however, as the group snoozed, dreams eventually began to take form and very few were having pleasant ones. Nezuko was having a nice dream about her friends playing with her in the snow back home so she slept soundly. Inosuke was also have a good dream about conquering that massive spider demon and all of his friends showering him with praise. The rest; however, were not having such pleasant night fantasies.

Zenitsu's was so horrible it actually woke him up and he quickly shot up in his bed. He panted for a few moments as he took in his surroundings. He wasn't fully awake and he was still terrified from his dream so he was on edge. It didn't help matters that he was hearing the same strange noises demons make from their joins coming from the very room he was in. He began to panic and he looked towards Tanjiro and Inosuke who were still asleep. He couldn't believe it! There were demons in the room and they were sleeping?! What kind of Demon Slayers were they if they didn't wake up at the first sign of danger! Now he was really panicking! He didn't have his sword and neither did they so what was he to do! He was going to die right then and there. Shortly after thinking that, Zenitsu heard sheets rustling towards his left and thought the worst… the demons must be attacking his friends! He didn't dare look at first but eventually he felt compelled to and then he discovered… it was merely Susamaru tossing and turning in her sheets.

"Oh… I forgot she was here," Zenitsu said as he fully woke up. He then realized all the noises he was hearing were just her and Nezuko. That's why no one else was waking up from the presence of demons because those demons were their friends! He was extremely relieved by this revelation and was about to go back to bed when he noticed Tanjiro was grunting and sweating in his sleep. "He must be having a nightmare too… I better go wake him up," Zenitsu thought as he crawled out of bed and walked over to Tanjiro. The blond-haired boy then proceeded to gently shake his friend awake.

"Gah! What?! Zenitsu?! Where? Oh… it was just a dream," Tanjiro said as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Yeah, sorry for waking you up Tanjiro but you seemed like you were having a nightmare so I thought it best to get you out of it," Zenitsu said.

"I was having a nightmare. Thanks Zenitsu," Tanjiro told him with a gentle smile. He was actually really glad to be done with that horrible dream. "So why are you awake Zenitsu?"

"Oh, I also had a nightmare and then I forgot that Nezuko and Susamaru were in the room so I was scared when I heard demons here."

"I see, sorry you were having a bad night too."

"I don't think we're the only ones actually. Susamaru looks like she might be having one as well," Zenitsu said as he pointed to their sleeping demonic friend. She was tossing and turning rapidly and her eyes were closed tightly. Her teeth even began to grind to make that horrible noise only agitated demons could make. It was a piercing sound that Tanjiro had only heard the swamp demon and Rui, after Susamaru bit him, make. For Zenitsu it was several magnitudes worse. He was worried his ears were going to start bleeding from how high pitched the sound was. It was at that moment Tanjiro decided to shake Susamaru awake for her, and the rest of the room's, own benefit.

"Susa! You have to wake up!" Tanjiro yelled softly. He then tried shaking her awake although he soon regretted that decision as her arm shot out and grabbed his like a vice. He thought she was going to break his arm in her sleep until finally her eyes shot open and she realized where she was.

"W-where? T-Tanjiro?! What?" Susamaru said as she struggled to wake up.

"It's okay Susa! You're in the recovery ward remember? You're safe! It was only a dream," Tanjiro said.

"A dream? Right… wow. That was… bad," Susamaru said as she placed a hand to her face.

"Yeah, it looked like it. Sorry we didn't wake you up sooner… could you please let go of my arm if it isn't too much trouble?" Tanjiro asked as he grimaced in pain from the grip she still had on him.

"Oh sorry!" She said as she let go.

"It's alright."

"Wow, that must have been some nightmare you were having," Zenitsu said. He was rather curious about what a demon had to fear that badly to cause such a violent reaction.

"Yeah… I dreamed I was dying again," Susamaru admitted.

"You mean like?" Tanjiro asked.

"Yes… like when we first met."

"That's awful, I'm sorry you had to relive that," Tanjiro said. He barely wanted to remember that horrific scene himself and he wasn't even the one who had to live through it!

"It was worse than that though… the same thing was happening to you guys too. That's what made it so horrible."

"I'm sorry. I'm a bit lost. What are you guys talking about?" Zenitsu asked.

"When I met Susamaru, we were obviously on opposing sides and were fighting. She then said Kibutsuji's name and he tried to kill her for it… I don't think you want the details as to how," Tanjiro explained.

"I think I'm good yeah," Zenitsu said so that he could be spared from said details.

"That's why I joined up with Tanjiro. He helped save me from Kibutsuji," Susamaru said.

"That makes a lot of sense. Your dream sounds way worse than mine then. I just dreamed that I was turned into a spider… and then I was going to be stepped on by someone I trained with. He called me a failure and that I deserved to be crushed like a bug… which I think he would do if that really happened," Zenitsu said as he curled his legs towards his chest from where he sat on Tanjiro's bed.

"That does still sound like a scary dream Zenitsu," Tanjiro said. "Since we're sharing, mine was about my family… being eaten by Kibutsuji… with me having to watch."

"That's awful! I had no idea your family was killed!" Zenitsu said terrified.

"Yeah, that's why I became a Demon Slayer… so I could avenge them," Tanjiro said. It was shortly after he said that when Shinobu burst into the room.

"Is everything alright in here! I was at a meeting when Aoi burst in and said she heard terrible noises coming from this room. What happened?" Shinobu asked very concerned.

"Sorry Shinobu… we were having nightmares and I think I was grinding my teeth," Susamaru said sheepishly.

"Oh is that all? No wonder Aoi was so scared. The noise demons make when they grind their teeth is unnerving to the inexperienced," Shinobu said as she understood the situation. "Well if that's all it is, why don't I get you all some tea to help you sleep better?" Apparently the question was rhetorical as Shinobu left before any of them had a chance to answer.

"But wait! I can't even… ugh she's already gone," Susamaru said with a sigh.

"I'm worried about what she means by 'tea'… Oh god! What if it tastes as bad as my medicine?! Then I'll never get to sleep!" Zenitsu yelled in fear.

"Zenitsu… Really?" Susamaru asked.

"What do you mean 'really'? It is the worst taste imaginable! Be thankful you don't have to take any of it!"

"I meant why do you have to be afraid of everything?"

"What do you mean? I get why you wouldn't be scared of much since you're a demon but why wouldn't us humans be scared of things? Life is just terrifying!"

Susamaru just stared at her friend in confusion for a moment before asking another question that had been plaguing her, "If you are that scared of everything… what made you become a Demon Slayer? I get that you are strong now since Shinobu told me you killed a demon but… if it scares you so much then why do it? Why put yourself through it?" For once, Susamaru asked this question from a place of genuine concern. She didn't actually like seeing him so frightened all the time and she was worried that living in a constant state of fear would have negative effects on the poor boy.

"Why? Well… I guess it's because Gramps believed I could… even when no one else would. I guess I just… really want to make him proud," Zenitsu admitted.

"Gramps? Your grandfather?"

"No, no. He's the man who trained me. I just call him 'Gramps' because that's how I think of him. He really is like a grandfather to me and I love him dearly because of everything he's done for me."

"Aww, that's really nice Zenitsu. He reminds me of Urokodaki sensei. He is like a father to me now after he took Nezuko and I in after our family was murdered," Tanjiro chimed in.

"You have someone like Gramps too, huh? Well, I'll admit my reason for being a Slayer isn't as strong as yours but I still hope I can make him proud someday."

"I'm sure you will Zenitsu. Heck, if he is like Urokodaki then I bet you already have!"

"You think? Thanks Tanjiro," Zenitsu said with a smile.

Susamaru was happy her friends were sharing a nice moment; however, she also felt a bit isolated once more. She didn't have anyone in her life like that since… she killed her own family so she couldn't really relate to them or contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way. She hoped that as time went on she would be able to understand more and more of what it was like to be human again so that she could stand on equal footing with her friends. Her thoughts were interrupted by Tanjiro who wanted to ask her a question.

"Hey Susamaru, since we are talking about why we became Slayers, I was wondering if you could tell us why you became a demon if it was your choice that is?" Tanjiro asked.

"Oh? Well it was my choice or at least… it was presented that way. I don't really know what would have happened if I refused but at the time I believed it was genuinely up to me. Kibutsuji appeared when I was dying of some unknown disease. I can't even remember enough about it to see if humans ever figured out what it was but I was going to die right after turning seventeen. Obviously I didn't want to die and leave my family and friend behind so I accepted his offer to be cured in exchange for becoming a demon… I had no idea that would also force me away from them… you can guess how so I won't spell it out," Susamaru finished as she curled up into a ball like Zenitsu had earlier.

"Yeah, I think we can guess what happened. I'm really sorry that happened to you Susa," Tanjiro said as he patted her head to comfort her. Unfortunately, his words had no such effect.

"Happened to me?! I did it Tanjiro! I am the one who killed them! There is nothing for you to feel sorry for me about! It was all my fault!" Susamaru declared as she began to sob. Tanjiro wouldn't stand for his friend blaming herself like this so he went over to her bed and made her look him in the eyes.

"Susa, look at me. You did do that, yes. There is no changing that but you were just a scared little girl who was offered salvation by a man who was lying to you. You thought he was going to cure you. You thought you'd get to stay with your family and friends if you accepted his offer. He withheld the truth from you. He turned you into a monster. You even said it yourself that he has the power to suppress demon instincts and he didn't do that for you. He wanted you to kill your family. Don't blame yourself for this or at least not all of it. If you are going to cry about it then cry because you miss them and not because of guilt! Because at the end of the day… I doubt they blame you at all," Tanjiro said.

Susamaru still couldn't believe how kind Tanjiro was. Here she was, a monster who admitted to killing her own family and yet he didn't see her like that at all. He saw her like when she was a human seventy three years ago. For him, she wasn't different from Zenitsu or Inosuke. She was his friend and that was all that mattered. For that, she reached out and gave him a hug while thanking him. Zenitsu was deeply moved by the display and teared up a little. As they had their little moment, none of them noticed the door to their ward had been opened and Shinobu was standing their. She had heard the last of their conversation and she was also moved by it; however, she knew she had to break up their moment to give them the tea she had prepared and so she announced her presence.

"Ahem, I'm sorry everyone but your tea is ready!" Shinobu declared as she walked in with a tray that contained three glasses.

"Oh! Thank you Ms. Kocho!" Tanjiro said as he and Susamaru let go of each other so they could accept their glasses.

"You're welcome! Now drink up and go back to sleep. All of you need your rest!" Shinobu said as she exited the room once more. Tanjiro immediately took a sip of his tea and found it very soothing. Zenitsu; however, was skeptical since Tanjiro's medicine had also been much easier to drink than his and he still had suspicions that Shinobu was playing favorites. Susamaru was also hesitant to drink her tea since she couldn't digest anything that wasn't flesh. She couldn't even drink water without it making her choke so she really didn't want to try tea. Still she decided to sniff her cup and after doing so immediately took a sip much to Zenitsu's surprise.

"Wait, you can drink that?" Zenitsu asked.

"Yeah… it's made with blood," Susamaru said with her own fair amount of confusion.

"Blood?!" Zenitsu shouted as he jumped back towards his bed to get as far away from the tea as possible. "There's no way I'm drinking blood tea!"

"Zenitsu… she just did that for Susamaru's tea, not ours. Mine didn't have any blood in it at all. Just try it," Tanjiro asked as he grew a little frustrated from Zenitsu's antics.

"Yours didn't have any? Well…" Zenitsu said as he hesitantly tried his own cup. It was just as soothing as Tanjiro's had been for him and soon Zenitsu found himself much more relaxed.

It didn't take long after that for the three of them to fall asleep. This time, Zenitsu dreamed of being embraced by his darling Nezuko as she rubbed the top of his head, while Tanjiro envisioned himself and all his friends playing games and hanging around during the daytime. In his dream, Susamaru and Nezuko were human again and they all were living happily in a demon free world. For Susamaru, she found herself standing in a clearing surrounded by blue butterflies that glistened in the moonlight. Suddenly, fireworks began to illuminate the night sky in a dazzling display and she was soon called by Tanjiro and the rest of her friends to come with them for a closer look. Needless to say, the group slept much better and when Shinobu came to check on them in the middle of the night, she was pleased to see all of them had peaceful smiles adorning their faces.