Sobs. There were nothing but sobs pouring out Kagami and Tanjiro at the magnificent sight of Nezuko Kamado standing calmly, beautifully, under the glistening light of the sunrise. Her rose-quartz irises sparkled shards. Her lips stretched into a small grin toward their expressions. Her fangs poked teasingly from beneath her lips. The bamboo muzzle laid still at her feet, at peace. She lifted her arms just slightly at Tanjiro, who approached carefully with the help of the swordsmiths Kagami and he had just rescued. "G... Good morning," She repeated.

Tanjiro's hand desperately grasped Nezuko's shoulder. "Thank goodness!" He gasped. "Are you all right? You're not hurt?"

"Thank... Thank goodness. A... Are you all right?" Nezuko recited, with that same kept grin. Tanjiro smiled widely. "Thank goodness, right?"

"No... really. Thank goodness... you didn't turn to ash and disappear!" Tanjiro leaped forward and threw his arms around the unsuspecting girl. His tears, his sobs, that had been mourning for the loss of his loved one instantly into turned into those of relief. He cradled her head to his shoulder, face digging into hers, wailing without care. "Thank goodness! I really thought you were dead when you started to burn! Thank goodness, Nezuko! I'm so glad you're all right! Thank goodness!"

Nezuko smiled wider. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "Yes, thank goodness!"

A round of tears circulated the group; the swordsmiths, Tanjiro, and Kagami. She stayed kneeling on the grass, tears of joy cascading swiftly down her cheeks. She watched the display of her friends, her brother and sister, reunite under the warmth of the sun without fear any longer with a fulfilling heart. Her eyes met those of Genya coming up from behind the group. He smiled at the pair before turning to face Kagami. She released a deep, shuddering breath and gave him a wide smile of her own, one he quickly reciprocated. No words needed to be exchanged for what they saw; the happiness of seeing a siblings reunion and the hope for another in the near future.

Kagami's relief didn't last quite long. She suddenly, very instantly, became aware of the 2nd and 3rd degree burns covering majority of her body and the intense, burning pain it brought. Without warning, her vision went black and she face-planted in the dirt.

Next thing she knew, she had awoken, wrapped in a gentle yet strong grip in someone's arms. Her eyes fluttered against the sun beaming "good morning" in greeting. Yet it didn't stem the excruciating, sizzling pain eating her arms, legs, neck, and half her face. Her vision, hazy and blurry, landed on Genya cradling her carefully against his body. He had been injured, a streak of blood caressing the side of his mouth, but he didn't seem to mind carrying her across the valley of green. She didn't mind either. She allowed herself to relax, as much as she could in her painful situation, in his warm embrace.

Saena's bloody mask appeared from beneath Kagami's shoulder. "Miss Kagami, you're burned all over. How are you feeling?" She nervously asked.

"Tanjiro. Kagami. Are you all right?" Another voice, a familiar dreamy like tone echoing through the air, joined the girl's.

Kagami took a quick flitted gaze around her. Tanjiro was carried on Nezuko's back and they were flanked by the rescued swordsmiths. In front of them were Muichiro resting on the shoulder of Kotetsu, and Saena. Injured and bloodied, but none the worse for wear.

Tanjiro picked up his head. He smiled tiredly at their appearance. "H-Hey... Tokito..." He forced himself to speak through a hoarse throat. He lifted himself from his sister's back, just as the girl reached out and lovingly pet both Kotetsu and Saena's heads. "I'm so glad... you're safe! Thank you for that sword! And Kagami's claws!" Kagami agreed with a tired nod.

Muichiro offered them a rare, genuine smile. A sparkle glistened in his pupils. One that hadn't been there before. "I should be thanking you. Because of you, I recovered something precious that I lost. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

Kagami and Tanjiro shared confused looks, but shrugged. "If you say so," They murmured.

Muichiro then cocked his head at Nezuko. She reciprocated the move. "Anyway, what's going on with Nezuko?"

"Well, actually..." Tanjiro had started to speak...

"WHY YOU...!"An angry growl suddenly pierced through their conversation.

They immediately swiveled around and found Mr. Haganezuka at the edge of the forest nearby. A dangerous, demonic-like aura emitted from the visibly pissed off swordsmith. His hands were clenched into bloody fists. A look of pure rage contorted whatever handsome features he had toward Tanjiro. Mr. Kanamori tried to hold him back and Miss Watanabe looked just about ready to knock the man unconscious.

Mr. Haganezuka, despite the gash running over his left eye, stared poison-tipped daggers at Tanjiro. "What did you do with my sword?!" He exclaimed. At Tanjiro's baffled expression and lack of response, he pointed an accusing finger, screaming, "I asked you what happened to the sword I was honing, you ungrateful little brat!"

"Oh, right! I used it to fight an Upper Rank!" Tanjiro choked out.

"Yeah, to fight?!"

"To fight, and... Huh? What happened then?" Tanjiro faltered a moment. "I blacked out, and..."

Kagami's head pinged with a headache. Her fingertips touched her scarred fore-head. She noticed the lack of black gauntlets wrapped around her burned flesh. "Same here... I don't know what happened with Ayane's claws..."

One of the rescued swordsmiths held up both Kagami and Tanjiro's ancient weapons. "Oh, these? I've got it-"

"You broke it, right?!" Mr. Haganezuka accused.

"Uh, no," The swordsmith shuddered.

Mr. Haganezuka, with no hesitation, forced his face within inches of Tanjiro's. "You broke it, didn't you?! Tell me the truth!" He jabbed his finger hard into the boy's cheek, demanding harsher, "Tell! Me! The! Truth!"

"I didn't...! I didn't...!" Tanjiro tried to speak against the meat of his cheek pushing on to his tongue.

"No, it's right here!" The first swordsmith exclaimed, holding up the weapons.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Nezuko, run for it!" Tanjiro begged.

Nezuko immediately took off with a giggle. "Run!" She cheered across the hill.

Kagami, Genya, Muichiro, Kotetsu, and Saena all watched as Mr. Haganezuka chased the Kamado siblings around and around. All to the shouts of Mr. Kanamori begging his friend to leave them alone. Miss Watanabe just stayed standing there, rolling her eyes and heaving a heavy huff.

"You guys! You guys!"

Off in the distance, screaming for their attention, was Mitsuri running over a hill, waving her arm through the air with a bright smile on her face. Blood trailed from her fore-head down her face but she didn't seem to mind nor care. Kagami was about to worry of only one female Hashira approaching them, but a head sticking out from the shadow of the Love Hashira glaring at the sun with a deathly gaze stemmed all of her concerns.

Tanjiro, temporarily free from the wrath of Mr. Haganezuka, waved in return. "Miss Kanroji! Miss Sato!"

With both arms wrapped around the shoulders of Genya and Muichiro, the former instantly turning a bright cherry red, Mitsuri gathered them all in a tight group hug. Her tears cascaded down her cheeks and splashed those in close proximity of her. Her relieved wails were the only thing heard in their close-knit hug. "We won! We won! We all won together! So amazing! It's a miracle we're all still alive! Thank goodness!"

"Honestly, I am surprised nobody of consequence died," Kurai commented bluntly, draping her arms over Mitsuri's shoulders. Her red eyes softened momentarily, just as she mumbled, "But yes, thank goodness."

Nezuko smiled. "Thank goodness!"

Mitsuri's sobs came to an abrupt halt. Kurai's body immediately morphed from the Love Hashira's shadow. Their expressions turned from immense confusion to extreme disbelief.

"Thank goodness!" Nezuko repeated.

"Whaaaaaaaaat?!" Mitsuri screeched, backing away many steps. Kurai's face was stretched in many directions at the demon girl's lack of burning under the sun. Their disbelief was only momentary. The Love Hashira's smile returned in full bloom and she encapsulated Nezuko in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

Kagami smiled at the cries that racked throughout the entire group. "Thank goodness!" They each screamed one by one, save for Muichiro and Genya.

She reached up and laid a tender hand on Genya's cheek. His blushened color never extinguished and even intensified under her sweet smile. She released a small giggle. "Thank goodness..." She whispered, staring into his eyes.

Genya's lips quirked upward. He returned her gaze. His hand hovered over hers. "Thank goodness..."

Kagami, Tanjiro, and everyone else were quickly seen to with healers when they arrived at the decimated village. She was concerned it would've been flattened to the ground just like the Yoshiwara Entertainment District, but she was glad to see majority of the buildings still held together, despite the caved in roofs and random holes blasted throughout their structures. The swordsmiths who stayed behind and lived started to pick up the pieces of their home. Though, she was greatly fussed over by the healers.

Apparently, it was a bad sign she couldn't feel the burns on her legs anymore. Nor could she feel the pain. They snatched her from Genya's arms and quickly took her to a different room from everyone else. They had snipped away her clothing from her body and left her stark naked. She was then coated in some sort of liquid yet creamy substance that made her raw pink skin cool to the touch. It felt like ice was breathing along her skin. Afterwards, it took a huge bundle of bandages to wrap where burns marked her body, which was most of it. She was glad most of her face and neck had been spared. Otherwise, she'd had to be on a liquid diet. She felt like a mummy when she glanced toward herself. And stupid.

Kagami laid in the same red wagon as Nezuko, who was back in her box, and Tanjiro, who only need bandages around his head and chest with a foot cast. She envied him for a short while. He didn't look as stupid as her. Oh, well. Mr. Kanamori, Miss Watanabe, Kotetsu, and Saena escorted them to the edge of the village where she and Tanjiro would say their goodbyes to the village chief. They had stayed for a few days to recuperate. Muichiro, Mitsuri, and Kurai had already left, their bodies as monstrous as Mr. Uzui's where they barely needed any first aid. Genya was nowhere to be seen, but Kagami hoped he was all right.

The two sat up at the village chief's approach. He was carried on the back by one of his guard's. "Are you feeling all right?" He asked.

"Yes! Thank you for all that you've done for us," Tanjiro said, with the bow of his and Kagami's head. "And thank you. You even provided us with this cart."

The village chief shook his head. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. You did a good job protecting this village. I'm grateful to you both!"

"Thank you, but we didn't do that much. Not on our own. It was a team effort," Kagami said, thinking back to the Hashira. "Our combined strength and those ancient weapons at our disposal connected us to centuries of hope. We were able to defeat the Upper Ranks because of them."

"Yes, yes. You're right." The chief nodded. "Where's your sister?" He asked Tanjiro.

Tanjiro laid a tender hand on Nezuko's box. "She's asleep. Since I really exhausted her." He smiled at the silent snores penetrating through the small cracks in the wood. She was exhausted, but safe. It was the best thing any of them could ask for.

"I'm truly glad that she's all right!"

Disgruntled noises could be heard not far from where they talked. Hiding behind burly rocks from a fallen hill was Mr. Haganezuka. He watched their wagon intensely but kept his distance. At the sudden pairs of many eyes on him, he hid behind an even bigger rock.

"Hey, Watanabe! Is that Hotaru lurking around over there?" The village chief asked of the woman.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Yes."

"What is he doing?"

"He's hiding because he can't forgive Tanjiro for using a sword before it was fully honed. Considering the circumstances we were all in, it's an idiotic thing to hold a grudge for," Miss Watanabe huffed ungratefully. Tanjiro made an apprehensive noise at that.

It took a lot of coercion from the village chief to get Mr. Haganezuka out from hiding and actually approach the wagon. For an adult, he acted very similarly to a child being forced to attend events he very much had a distaste for. He swayed lazily side to side while muttering unpleasantries under his breath. Even with a hyottoko mask back on his face his emotions and attitude were very much telling. Especially the finger jabbing harshly into Tanjiro's cheek. "I'm telling you, it's all his fault!"

Saena and Kotetsu had to pull the man back, begging, "If Mr. Tanjiro and the others hadn't come, the village would've been destroyed!"

Mr. Haganezuka pulled away and crossed his arms with a defiant "humph!"

Miss Watanabe snatched Mr. Haganezuka's ear. Ignoring his whimpers, she forced him to face the boy, chastising the man, "Silly, ridiculous husband of mine. Remember what you are here for? You came to speak with Tanjiro. The boy came all the way here to speak to you. Have some manners and listen to him."

Tanjiro smiled at his cue. "Mr. Haganezuka, thank you for always taking care of my sword! I came to this village because I wanted to thank you for that."

Kagami smiled at Miss Watanabe. "Thank you for everything you've done. I truly appreciate you and your family for taking care of the Dragon Breather's swords. More importantly, thank you for being such a great swordsmith."

She couldn't see the smile under Miss Watanabe's hyottoko mask, but she could hear the appreciative tone in the woman's voice. "The pleasure is all mine. It's always been an honor working on the sword of a Dragon Breather, just like my father. You're an amazing swordsman, so never give up. Never hold back."

Mr. Haganezuka still kept his arms crossed. Yet he finally spoke, seemingly through gritted teeth, "I-I'll reforge your sword for you, so wait for it at the Butterfly Mansion."

Tanjiro smiled widely. "You'll repair it for me?"

"Don't you want me to fix it?"

"Thank you very much!"

Mr. Haganezuka bashfully turned his head away. "S-Sure..."

Kotetsu raised his arms behind his head, and snorted, "Mr. Haganezuka, don't tell me you're embarrassed? Pretty funny, huh? Hahaha!"

Mr. Haganezuka released his fury of embarrassment on the young Kotetsu, spinning him around and around by his feet. No one intervened, for the boy was reaping what he sowed. The wagon was soon handed over to a female and male kakushi, the same ones who shoved nose plugs in Tanjiro's nose and wrapped Kagami head to toe in bandages back at the Butterfly Mansion. At least for Kagami it wouldn't be too much considering she was already bandaged for her wounds.

They waved and said their goodbyes through the blindfolds and limitations, and allowed themselves to relax for the long haul home.

Except the wagon stopped barely a few feet from the gate.

"Is something wrong?" Kagami asked through the darkness.

Their blindfolds were undone and dropped to their laps. Kagami blinked against the sudden light, taking a few seconds to readjust, and found herself gasping in delight. The entire village of swordsmiths lined up on either side of the road, cheering and spraying confetti all across the air and carried with the wind. They were surrounded by pure joy, gratefulness, and thankfulness. The vibrant colors of the confetti refracted rainbows across the baby blue sky.

Kagami's heart soared with happiness. She couldn't help but wave just as cheerfully back to the residents.

"Shall we do without the blindfolds and nose plugs until we've left this village?" The female kakushi asked.

Kagami and Tanjiro didn't hesitate to agree. "Yes!"

The wagon was off once more. Kagami reveled in the kindness and gratitude. It solidified why she became a Demon Slayer in the first place; to see citizens and swordsmiths alike cherish their lives and those who take it upon themselves to protect them. She will find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human and defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, so people could continue to smile under the sun without fear of his wrath.