Kagami happily ate the Sakura rice cakes personally dropped off by the Love Hashira a day prior to the girl's awakening. The wooden tray was lined with the beautiful bright-pink seaweed-clipped sticky rice the woman claimed to have made herself. She was slightly surprised they hadn't been eaten on the way to their destination.
It balanced delicately on her lap as she sat up from her usual bed in the hospital of the Butterfly Mansion. Her name should be carved into the wood at that point, considering she was always ending up in the same place after every Upper Rank battle. Tanjiro sat in his own designated bed beside her, wide awake as the sun shining outside their windows. He had his own rice balls to contend with, but they both managed to end up with an assortment of white and pink. They merely laughed at each other's special food arrangement for that morning.
Goto, the Kakushi they managed to see every time they're admitted, delivered news of the swordsmiths and their village.
"Really? So, they're moving it already," Tanjiro hummed thoughtfully, a rice ball in hand. "Is everyone in the village okay?"
"How are Kotetsu and Saena? Doing okay, I hope?" Kagami asked next.
Goto half-shrugged. "I don't know the details, but since they're worried more demons might come during the night, they've been working nonstop to get the place restored and moved. Kotetsu and Saena have been helping with the move. They're still shaken up but have taken up their duties nonetheless."
"Glad to hear," Kagami sighed.
Tanjiro gazed down, crestfallen though. "I see."
Kagami gave Tanjiro a half-hearted smile. "Don't look so sad, Tanjiro. If it hadn't been for us and the Hashira there surely would have been more deaths."
"Or the entire decimation of the village. It's a miracle that it wasn't worse after two Upper Ranks showed up," Goto added.
Goto was right. Kagami could still see the battle against Upper Four in her tumultuous slumber. Enmu and Rui had already proven the Twelve Kizuki's were formidable foes. Akaza, Gyutaro, and Daki were confirmation the Upper Ranks were on par with Hashira power, but a good chunk of their fight against Upper Four they were left alone. Even with all their extra training they barely held their own but were still no match against any of its faces. If it hadn't been for Mitsuri or Kurai, they would surely be dead ten times over.
If it hadn't been for Genya, Kagami would've died long before the Hashira had shown up to save them. How pathetic of her.
"The Demon Slayer Corps have a few so-called empty villages built for such occasions. So that they can move right away if anything happens," Goto had continued, snapping Kagami back to reality. "It just goes to show that the Master and the others were that farsighted. But listen." He eyed their mouthful of colorful rice balls and cakes with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you should be gorging yourself like that after being unconscious for seven days?"
Tanjiro smiled brightly and said in between bites, "Yes! Because Ms. Kanroji said she always eats plenty!"
"If you ask me, that one is actually something of an outlier," Goto mumbled.
Kagami couldn't argue with him there. She's had enough meals with the woman to witness her gargantuan appetite and her hearty, "Tasty!" with every munch. Like master, like pupil.
Goto's eyes suddenly brightened. "Is it true that Ms. Kanroji, Ms. Sato, and Mr. Tokito were asleep for two days, and recovered by the third?" He asked them.
"Oh, yeah. It's hard not to respect them immediately getting back on their feet after such hard won battles," said Kagami. She took another bite of her rice cake with an affirmative nod to the kakushi.
Goto didn't share the same sentiment. His disbelieved expression was still visible even from under his face mask. He didn't bother to hide his scoff, "So, you two are inching closer to their level. Little by little. I suppose." Then he sighed with a shrug. "Well, if you're gonna get well faster, it's all good. Thank goodness everyone survived, huh?"
Then his eyes suddenly widened even further. More disbelief, or wild astonishment, flashed across his pupils when they shoved into Tanjiro's face. "Hey, this is what I've been dying to ask you! I hear that something mind-blowing happened to your little sister. Is she okay?"
A thoughtful expression washed over Tanjiro. He smiled gently toward the window. "Yes. She's been strolling around under the sun, hasn't she?"
"That's a big deal, right? Isn't that, like, a really big deal?"
"It is, but someone is looking into it. It's not exactly clear why Nezuko could walk under the sun. We don't know whether she's starting to turn back into a human or evolving as a demon," Kagami said, feeling rather worried about Nezuko's condition and her nonchalant flaunting of her new sun-resistant ability.
Goto quirked an eyebrow. "Is it Lady Kocho who is looking into it?"
It was actually Lady Tamayo and Yushiro, their demon compatriots, who were looking into it. The Demon Slayer Corps and they were working together to solve the mystery. Kagami wondered if anyone else but them and the Master knew. She can't very well say anything to anyone, though. It would put their friends' lives in danger.
"No, it's Ms. Tamayo!" Tanjiro suddenly blurted.
"Who's Ms. Tamayo?"
Tanjiro choked hard on his rice ball. Goto immediately rose from his seat and slapped the boy's back several times to ease the food trapped in his throat. Kagami inconspicuously sent Tanjiro an intense death glare for his momentary lack of regard for their demon friends' safety. He was lucky Goto was too busy worrying about his well-being he dropped the subject instantly. If other Demon Slayers caught wind, who knew what would've happened.
Goto sat back down with a sigh. Kagami dropped her glare at Tanjiro's sheepish smile. "Since that's happened to your little sister, a lot will be happening for sure. The Demon Slayer swordsmen have been ordered to go on alert, and I'm told that the Hashira are meeting right now. Seriously, what's going to happen?"
Kagami wished she knew. Too many rapid and intense changes were being made across the country. Much to the Demon Slayers gratitude for defeating 3 out of 6 Upper Ranks, she was becoming more fearful of Kibutsuji's wrath. Especially for his wild greed in finding and capturing Nezuko. She was being held in the Butterfly Mansion untilthen, basking in the sunlight as much as she could, but they were told she would relocate soon to a place no one but the Master would have knowledge of. Not even the Hashira. It had to be somewhere with someone the Master trusts implicitly. But who?
She couldn't linger on her thoughts for very much longer. Goto left and returned with another large batch of rice balls, green tea, rice dumplings, and mitarashi dangos. Tanjiro didn't hesitate to dig in once more and she couldn't help herself from grabbing some from his plate. Her appetite had increasingly grown since the last time she was hospitalized. She wondered if it's because she's growing as a swordsman, or she just missed Aoi's cooking that much.
Goto took a quick glance around the room, appearing to be a bit confused. "Hey, where are those four little ones and Tanjiro's little sister? I haven't seen Aoi either."
"Since there aren't any Demon Slayer swordsmen in critical condition right now, they've been playing with Nezuko outside," answered Kagami after aswallow. She smiled and took a look outside. "Because of them all, Nezuko's vocabulary is growing from just a simple "good morning" to all of our names!"
"Is that right? Sounds peaceful," He sighed.
"This rice dumpling is delicious!" Tanjiro dreamily gasped.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you, okay? But… if that yellow-haired kid comes around, there's going to be trouble, right?"
Kagami already earned a headache at the thought. Zenitsu's obsession with Nezuko would merely intensify and escalate if he were to catch even a glimpse of her dazzling under the sun. The peace and quiet would not last long, and she needed to enjoy it as much as she can before he returned from his mission.
Though, she would be lying if she said she didn't miss the weirdo. It had been months since they'd last seen each other. He had been away on a mission when Kagami and Tanjiro barely awoke from their injuries after the Entertainment District. He was still gone when they healed and set off to the Swordsmith Village in search of their missing swordsmiths. She wondered if he heard the news while he was away in the mountains. Surely, he had to. It was the only thing anyone talked about-!
"AAAAAAAHHH!"
Oh, never mind. There he was.
Kagami groaned at the high-pitched squeal released clearly through the air even with the closed windows. He must've found Nezuko. That poor girl.
Goto and Tanjiro didn't bother with the noise. She couldn't understand how they had grown used to it by then. But the sudden noise prompted the former to ask, "Come to think of it, where's that boar head boy?"
That instantly flared Kagami's temper. She grounded her jaws together and said through gritted teeth, "That boar-headed freak was around this morning but didn't pay any attention to me whatsoever! He kept mumbling about how he was the "King of the Mountains" and such a godly being didn't need nor want kisses at the sound of my voice!" Her eyes bored right through Goto's. He became unnerved at that. "What is wrong with a simple kiss, huh? It wasn't as if our lips touched! Why is he being such a freak about it?! Tell me why!"
Inosuke had visited shortly after he returned from his mission. He jumped wildly on Tanjiro's bed and practically screamed in his face about how much of a better swordsman that freak was than him. Kagami, despite what happened before their journey to the Swordsmith Village, tried to excitedly greet Inosuke with a smile. She thought he would've forgotten all about their stupid semi-kiss. Or, at least, accepted that it happened and perhaps, maybe, asked for another one because he missed her so much. Or was so worried about her health he wanted a kiss just in case either one of them met their untimely demise. But nope! He was being a freak about it!Again!
"I don't even know what you're talking about," groaned the man. "But Nezuko has been getting schooled by him. He was intent on making her learn his name."
Kagami was still fuming with a frown, chewing angrily, but Tanjiro smiled brightly nonetheless. "Really? I had no idea that was going on! By the way, do you have any more of these rice dumplings?" He asked with the same enthusiasm. That was when they noticed he completely emptied his plate into his stomach. She also held up her empty plate and gestured for more as well, not too upset to stop eating. Instead, it fueled her to eat more and get even stronger!
Goto could only gasp, exasperated, "You're not done eating?!"
It took a while before their appetites were quelled the slightest bit. Goto had to abruptly stop them before they accidentally emptied the Butterfly Mansion's pantries. They were already short as it was because of Mitsuri's brief yet gorging-filled days. Kagami wished Mitsuri dropped off more Sakura rice cakes but was satisfied the Love Hashira thought of her at all. Ahhh, what a lovely woman...
"Mr. Haganezuka! Miss Watanabe! Have your wounds healed yet?" Tanjiro suddenly greeted.
Kagami turned to the door. Her nose scrunched up at the sight of Mr. Haganezuka shaking and whimpering as he limped slowly and painfully through the doorway. Miss Watanabe trailed him, not looking as awful as he did but her fight against Upper Five seemed to have made her a little weak. Her back wasn't as erect as she had come to known of the woman but she still held herself as high and as tall as she could nonetheless.
Mr. Haganezuka was billowing out and sucking in heavy gasps and breaths. Kagami and Tanjiro quickly became horrified. "Are you not feeling all right?" They fearfully asked.
Miss Watanabe swallowed a sigh. "Please do not mind him. He had been working day and night to finish your sword, Mr. Kamado." On cue, Mr. Haganezuka wordlessly and carefully handed Tanjiro the sword he used to decapitate Upper Four. "As for you, Miss Yamato, I refined and polished the claws just as you requested before your leave." She laid a wooden box in Kagami's hands. Inside laid Ayane's fearsome dragon claws.
"Thank you," Kagami said with a gasp at the black beauty.
Tanjiro gasped as well. He gazed down at his newly reformed sword at the flames of red highlighting and brightening the black scabbard of his new blade. "Mr. Rengoku's sword guard!" Tears brimmed his eyelids at the sight of the familiar and comforting flame. "Thank you for protecting Kotetsu..."
Kagami smiled at the reminder of her former master. She knew he was still overlooking and protecting them from his seat in heaven. She'd only hope she was making him proud.
"How are you, Miss Watanabe?" She soon asked her lady swordsmith.
Miss Watanabe took a seat as Mr. Haganezuka did the same. She released a heavy sigh. "The move of the Swordsmith Village has taken quite a toll, especially since we still have to fulfill orders all the while for the Demon Slayer swordsmen. The Master has allowed us a brief time of peace at the news of the demons sudden absences, but we're still moving with haste all the same."
Kagami gave her a sheepish look. "I'm sorry about that."
The womanoffered a half-hearted shrug. "Don't be. We owe you our lives. Without you or the Hashira, we would not be sitting here to personally hand you your weapons." She visibly glanced toward Mr. Haganezuka. "An attack like that really puts a different perspective of your life and what comes next. I had loathed the arranged marriage between Hotaru and I. It felt more like babysitting than playing house. I had become quite unhappy. Though, after what occurred, I've come to appreciate his brash stubbornness and his unwavering dedication to his work, even in the face of death. For that, I've given him the honor of I bearing his children."
Kagami choked on her spit. "W-What?"
"Yes. Although we've been married for quite some time, we've just recently consummated our marriage. We have no way of knowing if our multiple efforts have produced a child as of yet. We expect news of our success soon, nonetheless."
It... It wasn't just the sword or the healing that made Mr. Haganezuka tired?Kagami flashed Miss Watanabe, who remained nonchalant and stoic throughout the entire exchanged, an uncomfortable grin. She couldn't care less about what her swordsmiths were up to anymore. Not if they were going to go that personal.
Tanjiro unsheathed his blade. It was an even deeper shade of black than Kagami remembered. Ominous. They added the steel of the blade was high quality and the swordsman who wielded must've been exceptionally strong. The character ofDESTOYERwas engraved on the blade. It was quite fascinating to learn there was a hierarchy of blades within that spectrum. It was even more shocking to find out only Hashira have characters engraved on their blades. Even more so when different characters of the same meaning were on each finger of Ayane's claws. Kagami was starting to feel like she didn't earn her place among the elite with such symbolic emblems.
Unsurprising, Tanjiro comment on not having seen the character during his battle with Upper Four riled Mr. Haganezuka into another freakout. It wasn't like the ones he had before though; those contained wickedly sharp knives and a chase from dusk til dawn. Right then, he only harshly pinched and pulled Tanjiro's hair, with the promises of death and torture and rice dumplings until his wounds were all better. Mr. Haganezuka's wounds, of course. He didn't seem to regard any concern for Tanjiro's. Miss Watanabe wouldn't move so Goto had to step in and pry the swordsmith off. Kagami still felt bad for the woman for being married tothat,and Tanjiro for havingthatas his swordsmith. She will never stop thanking God for giving her a sane swordsmith.
Finally, the two swordsmith left the Butterfly Mansion, returning what little peace they were afforded.
Goto grumbled, "I've heard the rumors about him, but he sure is a piece of work."
"You've seen nothing yet," retorted Kagami.
"Yeah, he was awfully mild today. It looks like he's in a lot of pain," Tanjiro sheepishly said.
Goto scoffed. "Seriously?"
"Can you be any noisier?"
Both Kagami and Tanjiro turned to the bed beside her. The entire hospital had been vacant all except for three beds; hers, Tanjiro's, and Genya's. Genya still laid under the covers up to chin. His annoyance was written perfectly across his face at the loud noise that had awaken him from his slumber, no doubt caused by Mr. Haganezuka's temper tantrum.
"Good morning, Genya," Kagami greeted him with a smile.
Tanjiro gave him one of his infamous apologetic smiles. "Sorry, Genya. We're done now. Sorry to make such a-"
"RAAAAAAH!"
A window exploded from in between Kagami and Tanjiro with a war cry. A dozen splinters and daggers of glass shards flung through the air in all directions. A curled ball of muscle and fur sprung into view and landed on their feet, fists victoriously raised in the air. "YEAH! HAHAHAHA! COMIN' THROUGH!" That boar-headed freak roared without shame!
"Inosuke! What are you doing, breaking the window?!" Tanjiro screamed.
Kagami seethed at his appearance. "You think you can just show up here after everything you've done and said to me?! Humph!"
"Are you a moron or what? Lady Kocho's going to kill you!" Goto screamed after.
Poor Genya put his hands over his ears but still couldn't block out the rampant rampage Inosuke was causing.
"Genya is trying to sleep! Have some class, Inosuke! Better yet,shut up!"Kagami screamed as shrill as she could at the freak who wouldn't stop screaming.
Inosuke paid no heed to her screams. Instead, he powerfully crossed his arms and continued to shout at the top of his lungs,"Training, training, training!The group strength training program is about to start! The strongest will gather and give training... blah, blah, blah, something, something, or other, they said! I have no idea what it is about! HAHA!"
"That's all the information you've paid attention to? Seriously?" scoffed Kagami.
"Just be glad I decided to come at all, Korawamani! HAHA!"
Kagami grew flustered at that. That was the first coherent sentence he had spoken to her in a long time. Even with the familiar tragic butcher of her name, she couldn't help but blush under his attention. Pathetic. "Yeah, w-well, don't come back until you've given me a proper apology! That's not all! Because of how you've reacted you won't get another k-!"
She immediately stopped herself before she could finish. Her eyes swiveled back and forth between Inosuke and Genya. The boar-headed freak she gave a peck to and the boy she fully kissed on the mouth with. Albeit each one had been under different circumstances and emotions; she swore Inosuke was going to die and she wanted Genya to live with her marechi blood to give him strength. Even then... how would each one react if they found out she had kissed someone else? Not that was any of their business! She just doesn't want to havethatconversation yet!
Unfortunately for Kagami's ears and Genya's sleep, Zenitsu had arrived to deliver the real and actual news. All Demon Slayer swordsmen were to train under each Hashira one by one. Only until they've passed their training could they move on to the next one. She said unfortunately because he grew upset at Tanjiro's excitement at training directly under their superiors. To grow stronger by absorbing their methods. By upset, he called Tanjiro a goody-two shoes, how Tanjiro was lucky he was stuck in the hospital and not out there, and bit his forehead for several minutes. Kagami and Genya watched with tired eyes at the display. Poor Tanjiro's head.
It only took some flatterer by Tanjiro's confession of using Thunder Breathing to behead Upper Four to save Zenitsu's mood. Because apparently Nezuko had called Zenitsu by Inosuke's name. It was only confirmation Kagami was no longer going to get the peace and quiet she deserved.
Especially when later that night they've received word from the Master via Kasugai crow Mr. Tomioka had opted out of the Hashira Training.
