Horrified; that was the only word that could have described how Tanjiro was feeling at this very moment. His face was sweating, his jaw was slack and the rest of his body was tense as he watched, unable to rip his eyes from the scene before him. In front of him was a demon, the strongest he had ever faced… and yet, all that strength had done nothing to save her from what was transpiring. Three enormous arms had erupted from her body after she had merely uttered her master's name and they were slowly and meticulously crushing every inch of her flesh.

Despite seeing many human corpses mutilated by demons, including those of his own beloved family, Tanjiro had never witnessed brutality like this. He could scarcely believe it was even happening and yet it was over in a few fleeting moments. All that remained of the once lively demon was a hand and one of her unnaturally yellow eyes. Tanjiro unconsciously exhaled and took a deep breath. He hadn't realized he had been holding it for the duration of the temari demon's merciless execution. Now that he was breathing again, he was able to raise himself onto his knees using his sword to stabilize himself. The pain from his broken leg and ribs were barely noticeable for the moment, likely due to the shock of what had played out before him. He managed to look towards Tamayo, who was staring at the demon's remains with a look of sympathy.

Tanjiro composed himself enough to ask if the demon was deceased and Tamayo informed him that she would be soon. After that, Yushiro gave Tanjiro a handkerchief to place over his mouth so that he wouldn't breath in Tamayo's blood demon art. Tamayo proceeded to explain Kibutsuji's curse as well as the fact that their foe was not a member of the Twelve Kizuki like they had theorized. Tanjiro was surprised a demon that strong could be considered "too weak" but didn't further question Tamayo's statement after being yelled at by Yushiro. His two new demon allies then decided to take Nezuko inside to escape the sun and treat his groggy sister's condition. Tanjiro himself decided to wait a moment to gain some strength back before joining them.

"Mari," a soft voice pleaded in Tanjiro's ears, halting the young demon slayer's thoughts.

Tanjiro turned towards the direction of the sound and spotted the temari demon's severed hand still twitching a few yards away.

"Mari…," the voice repeated.

Tanjiro didn't think he had heard a sadder voice than this demon's in his entire life. It compelled him to stand so that he could bring a temari back to what remained of his former adversary.

"Here's your temari," Tanjiro said as he sat near the hand.

"Play with me… play with me," the demon begged.

Tanjiro's heart tightened in his chest. It was as if a little girl from his home village were asking him to play in the snow with her. He knew this demon had likely murdered many people… and yet he couldn't feel anything except sympathy towards this poor girl. She was forced to attack him, lied to about her rank and then horrifically murdered by a man she revered. It was almost enough to make the kind young man shed tears. The sun was beginning to rise and soon there would be nothing left of the demon. No bones to bury and no one to mourn the tragedy that had befallen her. The same fate that every other demon before her had suffered.

'No! Not this time,' Tanjiro told himself as he scooped up the temari demon's hand with his arms before the sun had a chance to touch her skin. With what was left of the demon shielded from disintegration, Tanjiro limped inside Tamayo's ruined compound. His resolve to destroy Kibutsuji had never been stronger. He despised that man, a true demon even amongst demons and he hoped that he could save at least this one girl from the monster's grasp. Once he was fully inside the house, he called out to Tamayo and Yushiro who informed him that they had taken refuge downstairs.

The instant that Tanjiro's feet had touched the basement floor, Nezuko began to sprint towards her big brother to envelope him in a hug. He was incredibly happy that she was okay but almost as quickly as she had hugged him, she turned away and ran back towards Tamayo to embrace the older demon as well, much to Yushiro's shock and dismay. Yushiro was quickly calmed by Tamayo's reassurance that it was alright and afterwards Nezuko began to ruffle Yushiro's hair. Tamayo was confused by Nezuko's display of affection and informed Tanjiro of her concern; however, Tanjiro informed her that it was likely because Nezuko considered them to be family and thus human. Tamayo began to tear up at Tanjiro and Nezuko's unintended compliment and returned Nezuko's hug. The implication of Tanjiro's words began to set in for Yushiro as well and he started to stare off into a nearby holding cell as he remembered the day Tamayo turned him into a demon.

While Yushiro was distracted, Tamayo recomposed herself and Nezuko had returned to her brother's side. It was only then that Tamayo noticed Tanjiro cradling the temari demon's arm within his own.

"Tanjiro, why have you brought her inside?" Tamayo asked, both surprised and concerned by this development.

"Oh, right!" Tanjiro exclaimed. He had nearly forgotten about the demon he was carrying after he had seen his sister's touching moment with demonic doctor. "I was wondering… and this might be too much to ask but do you think you could give her the same medicine you did to Nezuko? What Kibutsuji did to her… I just can't stand by and do nothing about it."

"You would want to save the demon that just tried to murder you and your sister?"

"Yes, no one should have to die like this if there's a way to prevent it. I joined the Demon Slayer Corp so that I could prevent things like this from happening." Tanjiro explained as he looked down at the still twitching hand. He could tell she didn't have much time left as what was left of her forearm had started receding as Kibutsuji's curse continued to destroy her cells.

Tamayo looked at Tanjiro with a solemn expression. "I can administer medicine to help her regeneration… however, it is unlikely that she will survive as the curse is still taking hold of her."

Tanjiro's face did nothing to hide the disappointment he felt at hearing this. Still if there was even a chance, he wanted to try to save this demon. With resolve he replied, "then please try lady Tamayo!"

Seeing Tanjiro's conviction to save even those that have harmed others convinced Tamayo to try her best. She also felt a twinge of guilt for bringing this upon a demon that was clearly being used by Kibutsuji just as she had been many centuries ago and giving her best to saving this demon would help alleviate her guilt. With her and Tanjiro's decision made, Tamayo began to move towards her medical supplies. At that point Yushiro snapped out of his day dream and wondered what was currently happening. He saw Tamayo walking away from him and was about to follow her when he finally took notice of the demon hand within Tanjiro's arms.

"What do you think you are doing! How dare you bring that vile woman in here! She hurt lady Tamayo! That is unforgivable! Throw her outside into the sunlight right this instance!" Yushiro shouted as veins revealed themselves on his forehead in his outrage.

"Yushiro! It's alright, we are going to help her," Tamayo explained to her assistant.

"Right! Yes, my lady! I was only joking!" Yushiro exclaimed as he followed Tamayo so that he could aid with the preparations that needed to be made. "Tamayo is so kind and generous, even towards her enemies. Her beauty is truly remarkable!" Yushiro thought as he was instructed to get an IV full of some collected blood ready.

Tanjiro assisted in setting up a mat in a spare room for the temari demon's hand to rest on and placed it as gently as he could. Tamayo knelt down next to it and injected a large syringe full of regenerative medicine into what was left of the demon's forearm. Yushiro then promptly arrived with the IV and Tamayo hooked it up so that it would administer the human blood into the demon's system.

"I am hoping that the blood alongside the drug will increase her strength enough to overpower the curse but that is all we can do for her. Whether or not she survives is up to her now," Tamayo stated as hung the IV bag onto a rack and began to walk away to begin packing her things. She had explained to Tanjiro as she worked that she, Yushiro and the couple staying with them would have to move now that Kibutsuji's demons had found them.

Tanjiro understood her need to leave quickly but still had one more thing to ask of her, "Thank you for all your help Tamayo. I hate to ask any more of you but… could you stay a bit longer? If she does recover, I was hoping you could modify her body like yours and Yushiro's so that she won't have to eat whole humans anymore."

Tamayo turned to Tanjiro and said, "we can't leave until night time and I still need to give you a few things. I would be happy to do so if she manages to recover before we are ready to leave."

Tanjiro thanked Tamayo once more and the latter left the room with Yushiro following close behind. The latter was still quite miffed that Tamayo was helping a demon that hurt her but his devotion to her was too strong for him to voice his opinion on the matter. After the two demons left, only Tanjiro, Nezuko and the temari demon, whose name the young slayer didn't even know, were left inside. Tanjiro watched with great sadness as the demon's hand continued to twitch but showed no signs of regrowth. He couldn't even hear her voice anymore and wondered if he and Tamayo had been too late. No! He wouldn't allow himself to think like that! He couldn't just give up so soon. With that in mind, he reached out to hold the hand lying before him and started to encourage her.

"You can do it. Don't let Kibutsuji win," he whispered to her.

After a few moments, Tanjiro felt the demon's hand slowly start to grip his own. His expression shifted from the stern look of determination to one of joy and he continued to whisper encouragements to the temari demon.

Cold; that was what best described how Susamaru was feeling at present. She wasn't sure where she was or why she would be feeling this way and her surroundings did nothing to shed light on this mystery… in fact everywhere around her appeared to be completely absent of light. No matter which way she turned, she couldn't see anything beyond the abyss that currently engulfed her. She also felt as if she were sinking in a lake with iron shackles weighing her legs down. How did she even get to such a place as this inky void of nothingness? She remembered fighting against other demons and the one with the bamboo muzzle was even giving her a challenge but she wasn't sure what had happened after that.

'Did I lose?' Susamaru pondered. She certainly didn't believe she had been victorious. If she had then she likely wouldn't have ended up in such a dreadful place. She wondered for a brief moment if this was some kind of blood demon art and that's when she finally managed to recall what had happened and gasped!

She had said HIS name!

All at once, she was filled with sadness and despair. She was dying; her own master had killed her for speaking his name. Tears flowed from her eyes like a torrent. She thought she had been special; had a greater purpose. No, she was just a tool… a broken, worn-out tool.

Susamaru held her head in her hands and began to weep at her misfortune. He said he would save her. He told her she would get to play with her friends all she wanted if she became a demon… all lies. She remembered what it was like to be human. She was a sickly child who loved to play games; however, she could never play as long as she wanted. She would constantly cough and had very little stamina. Very few people chose to befriend her but she cherished those who did. Her closest friends always managed to cheer her up… until her disease left her completely bedridden. That was when HE arrived. Muzan Kibutsuji, a pale skinned man whose eyes could pierce even the most hardened souls. He told her that his blood would not only cure her but that she would become strong. She would win every game and be able to play forever without tiring. She was naïve and had eagerly accepted his offer.

Her friends and family were overjoyed to hear of her miraculous recovery… until they visited her that night. When she saw the most beloved people in her life the night she turned, it wasn't at all how she had expected it to be. She didn't see her mother, her father or her friends. She only saw food and she did as anything would do in the presence of sustenance…

She devoured them on the spot.

Kibutsuji had told her this was normal. She was now a superior being to them and she shouldn't be upset by her actions. In fact, he encouraged her to revel in them. But oh, how wrong he was! She felt terrible now! She had murdered the only people that had ever loved her! Their screams echoed in her mind and they made her want to rip her own head off!

After she had wept for a time, she began to rub her eyes of the tears and, in doing so, inadvertently gazed upon her feet. She immediately wanted to howl in fear and anger at what she saw! An apparition in the likeness of Kibutsuji had its hands wrapped around her ankles and was dragging her down into the depths below. In the distance she could see a dim red glimmer behind Kibutsuji and she immediately recognized what it was.

'Fantastic! I am going to Hell and this bastard is the one who is taking me there all because I said his FUCKING NAME!' Susamaru screamed in her own head. She wanted to verbally scream as well but every time she opened her mouth it was as if water flowed into her respiratory system. Her sadness was rapidly being replaced with rage. Those demons and that demon slayer already knew his name!

'They get to say his name without a care in the world but as soon as I say it, I have to die! Not even just a quick and painless one! No! he fucking rips me apart cell by cell for saying his name! Those demons, Hell even that slayer already knew more about him than I ever did!" Susamaru continued to rant as her rage built up. She wanted to explode with how angry she was; however, she quickly realized it was pointless… she was dying. She couldn't do anything with all this new found hatred. She was going to die without even the slightest impact on the man, no the demon's, life.

She descended into sadness once more as this realization continued to solidify itself in her mind. The worst part was that she felt like she deserved this. Not for angering her master. Not for saying one freaking taboo word… but for all the lives she took. This was her punishment and that made her begin to softly shed tears once more. She was starting to accept the reality of her situation but that didn't make it any easier. This was it; an eternity of punishment and she had a feeling this apparition of Kibutsuji was going to haunting her the entire time. Forced to see the face of the man that killed her and forced her to kill as she suffered for the rest of existence.

"Don't give up!"

Susamaru gasped as she heard a familiar voice! Someone was shouting into the void and she could actually hear them! She hadn't heard anything aside from her own thoughts since she entered this purgatory. She turned her head all around to try to see where the voice was coming from but alas, she found nothing. She started to suspect she had imagined it. Perhaps her subconscious was trying to give her a bit of hope? Regardless, it was gone and she was left alone once again as she sank closer towards the fiery pit she knew was at the bottom of the darkness. Her shoulders slouched and her gaze shifted downwards once more as her sorrow began to consume her again.

"Keep fighting! You can do this!"

She heard the voice once again! It sounded like a boy. She somehow knew this voice but couldn't quite place it. She looked around once more to try to find where it was coming from and finally saw a ray of light in the upper periphery of her vision. Naturally she jerked her head up to stare at the faint light above her and from there she heard the voice once more.

"Don't let him win! Fight him so we can play together!"

She finally recognized the voice! It was that demon slayer! She wasn't sure why he was speaking to her but she could hear the sincerity in his voice. He wanted her to live! These weren't the fake words of some demon. His encouragements were genuine and they gave her something to latch onto. The last time she had heard something so kind was from her family and friends when they were telling her to keep fighting off her disease. They knew her as an innocent human child, that's why there were so quick to show her sympathy. This boy only knew her as a monster that devoured people and yet he still thought of her as someone who was worthy of living! It was almost as if he offered true salvation instead of the fakery that Kibutsuji gave her. He was the complete opposite of that creature; a kind young soul who showed sympathy to his allies and his adversaries. He was someone worth fighting for, Muzan was not.

Susamaru suddenly felt a burst of determination fill the entirety of her being. She was not going to die here at the hands of a fellow monster. She was going to live so that she could help this boy bring Muzan Kibutsuji down! With that resolve she looked back upon the apparition and began to kick at it with all of her might. At first it showed no emotions at all but it rapidly became irritated and began struggling to keep hold of her.

Susamaru was undeterred; however, she kicked and kicked until finally the facsimile's grip loosened enough for her to pull herself free. She then began to swim towards the light. The slayer's voice grew louder as she approached it but the inky darkness was thick and the temari demon was struggling to make even an inch of progress. Her arms and legs simply didn't have the strength to get her to the surface on their own. She began to lose hope once more… she just wasn't strong enough to reach her only chance at survival.

When all seemed lost, Susamaru realized one more thing. She was still a demon! She wasn't some human limited by meek anatomy! Not having enough strength in two arms had never stopped her before and it wasn't going to stop her now. She only needed to get serious! Almost on instinct, two additional sets of arms erupted from the demon's torso and with that she greatly increased the amount of strength she had at her disposal. She began to swim once more and this time she managed to get much closer to the light.

The magnificent rays shining from the realm of the living were almost blinding but Susamaru could still make out the face of the young slayer who was calling to her. His eyes shone with nothing but kindness and he held out a calloused hand for her to grab. Before she could; however, she felt the weight on her ankles return and looked bellow her to see the face of Kibutsuji once more. This time though, only his face was recognizable. The rest of the apparition's body was a mass of green and black flesh that was constantly warping and shifting. It had taken hold of her once more and was ready to drag her down to the bottom of Hell.

Susamaru began to panic. She was so close! If she could just make it a little further, she was sure she would be freed from this fate… but death's grip was incredible and even at her strongest she wasn't going to be able to break free. She teared up once more and looked back towards the boy's face. He still stared at her with his kind eyes. She reached out to him even though she knew her arms wouldn't reach. She just had to keep trying! She couldn't let it end this way!

Just as Susamaru was about to give up again, she felt a grip on one of right hands. She looked up and saw the boy had reached further into the abyss to meet her outstretched hand. It felt so strong and yet so gently. She held it as tightly as she could and he began to pull her out of the darkness. The monstrous apparition felt miles away now as its hold on her quickly vanished. She barely even registered what was happening as the light enveloped her.

Susamaru's eyes opened faster than a lightning strike. Her eyelids were quicker than her actual sight as it took her a moment to actually see her surroundings. She saw a wooden ceiling and was confused for a moment before everything became clear when she noticed the demon slayer boy's happy face to the side of her.

"You did it! You beat the curse!" Tanjiro exclaimed. He had spent half the day encouraging her to regenerate and finally the demon had managed to recover a good portion of her chest and her head. There was still a lot more of her left to heal but Tanjiro was sure that her head being restored meant that she was going to survive.

"It's you…" Susamaru weakly managed to say as her head turned so that she could fully view the slayer before her.

"Yes, I'm here. My name is Tanjiro Kamado. I never got to hear yours."

"You… you saved… me."

"Oh no! That was all Tamayo's doing. She gave you medicine and blood to help you regen-"

"No… you… it was you… there," Susamaru tried to explain but was still far too weak to verbalize all that she had experienced. She was already starting to slip into unconsciousness once more. Regenerating from only a hand would have taken a considerable amount of stamina from any demon and Susamaru also had to overcome the curse that had been destroying ever cell in her body. To say she was exhausted would have been an understatement. After she fell asleep once more, Tamayo entered the room to refill the blood IV once more.

"I am still extremely surprised at her recovery. Her regenerative abilities exceeded those of most other demons… but to regenerate faster than Kibutsuji could destroy her. That is truly remarkable," Tamayo said to Tanjiro as she finished the IV change.

"I am just glad she's okay… what happened to her was unforgivable. I still can't believe Kibutsuji treats even people who serve him like this," Tanjiro said with a look of disgust gracing his face.

"As I told her, he is a coward and cowards are always the quickest to behave cruelly if there is some benefit to it. That's why he's a demon. He was so afraid to die that he was and is willing to sacrifice everyone to ensure his own survival."

"He is the worst kind of monster; I swear that I'll destroy him one day!" Tanjiro exclaimed as he shot up only to immediately be overcome by immense pain from his ribs and leg, forcing him to sit back down. This caused Tamayo to chuckle softly.

"Well first you'll have to heal. I treated your wounds but you still have a long way to go before you're better," Tamayo explained before looking back towards the temari demon, "and perhaps you'll have some more help in your endeavor. I can't imagine her wanting anything except revenge right now so I'm sure she'll jump at the chance to join you."

"Any help is appreciated. It gets me one step closer to destroying him!"

"Indeed, now I think it's best if we let her rest for a couple more hours. After that, I will begin operating on her so that she will only need small amounts of human blood to survive. I doubt I'll be able to modify her to the same degree as Yushiro but hopefully I can get her to the same point where I am at so that she will only need a pint or two a week. I am not sure where she will be getting this blood from if she doesn't stay with Yushiro and I though…"

"Oh, don't worry about that, I already figured it out. I'll just give her some of my own when she needs it. That way she won't have to take it from anyone else."

"Tanjiro! Are you sure about that? That is an awful burden to place upon yourself."

"I am sure; it would be difficult making sure she had consistent access otherwise and I want to make sure she's never tempted to take it forcibly from anyone else."

"Very well. You seem to have thought this through. In that case, let's leave for now so that she can continue resting. In the meantime, I would like to discuss the methods for taking Kizuki blood with you; if you don't mind."

"Not at all! Nezuko, will you watch over this demon while we are in the other room?"

"Mmmmmhmmmm!" Nezuko voiced enthusiastically.

"Great! See you in a bit!"

With that, Tanjiro and Tamayo left to plan out both Kibutsuji's demise as well as a cure for all the demons he created; leaving the sleeping Susamaru to continue regenerating under the watchful eyes of Nezuko.