Kagami. Tanjiro.

How are your wounds healing? I'm ashamed to admit it, but I can no longer move. And though I'd like to speak with Giyu, it doesn't look like that will be possible. As this is a very important time for us, I'd like us all to strive as one as hard as we can. Would you mind talking to Giyu for me? So that Giyu, who tends to put himself into a negative frame of mind, can start to look ahead again.

Will you be persistent in your efforts to speak with him? I fear Angela's lone efforts won't nearly be enough to convince him. I'm counting on you.

Kagami stared down at the note a little while longer. She softly placed it down. The Master himself was requesting both her and Tanjiro to talk to Mr. Tomioka. She had known the Water Hashira to be reserved, to self-isolate himself from the rest of the Demon Slayer corps. Even when conversing with him she could sense he'd rather be somewhere else. Not in a disgruntled type of way, it was… more sorrow than anything else.

The only time she'd seen him linger a little while longer than he usually did was if the Angel Hashira was by his side. The rumors about his supposed crush on her had to be true then. Gossip spread like the plague throughout the entire corps, especially whenever those two were together.

Nonetheless, she will assist Miss Tenshi in her quest to bring Mr. Tomioka out of his stump. She owed a lot to both of them. They had signed a contract to commit seppuku if Nezuko was to ever devour human blood, but they were both confident, unwavering and unapologetic, in their stance the demon girl had enough control to never let human flesh pass her lips. To save Kagami and Tanjiro from being executed, charged with the act of heresy. It was only right for her to return the favor.

It was nice of the Master to worry about all of their well-beings while his continued to plummet. The Master truly was a wonderful person, his compassion knowing no bounds. If only she had been fortunate enough to have been in his presence just once.

Nearly fully healed, Kagami carefully fixed the bandages around her arms before carefully walking out of the hospital. Lady Kocho's medicine did wonders for Kagami's skin. Most of the burns didn't sting anymore but a thick layer of scar tissue still ran along the majority of her arms and parts of her legs. Rough patches slowly smoothing over wrapped around her neck and one side of her face. She was considered lucky her hair and eyeball stayed intact. Nevertheless, she couldn't look at herself for long in the mirror without getting a pang in her heart.

She exited into the hallway and found Karasuma conversing with Kanao. He plopped a hand on her head and gave it a slight ruffle. His sister grinned and shoved his hand off. Then she walked away. Karasuma smiled after her and turned to leave as well.

Kagami hurried forward, gasping, "Hey, Karasuma!"

He turned at the sound of his call. His smile sweetened at Kagami's approach. "Good morning, Kagami. I'm glad you're able to move so well in just a few short days. Off to training already? You really are becoming on par with the Hashira." She smiled wide at that. "Was there something the matter? Do you need another stronger dosage of morphine for your wounds? Your burns seem to be healing quite well."

"No, nothing like that," She said, dismissing his concerns with the wave of her hand. "I actually wanted to talk to you about Mr. Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira."

Karasuma didn't seem surprised at the subject. "What can I do for you?"

"I remembered you were paired together the night you saved my friends and I from Mount Natagumo. I wonder, was he always so aloof?"

"Lord Tomioka is…" Karasuma dropped his gaze slightly. "Despite being a Tsuguko to Lady Kocho, I've never been around Lord Tomioka enough to gauge his thoughts. However, I do believe it's because I've been held at a substantiate amount of distance from him, as do the others I've come to know. He's not very forthcoming and refuses to wear his heart on his sleeve. He places himself on a need-to-know basis, but even that fluctuates at times."

Kagami sighed heavily. "Oh, Mr. Tomioka. What exactly have you gone through to be like this?"

Karasuma tilted his head. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"The Master has requested Tanjiro and I talk to Mr. Tomioka to get him out his slump before we start training. He fears Miss Tenshi's efforts will be in vain if we do not try."

"I see. Then I suggest speaking with Lady Tenshi herself. She would know more about him than I. Rumor has it they partook the same Final Selection exam and were promoted to Hashira concurrently."

Kagami's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. I didn't realize they knew each other since that long ago."

"It's safe to assume she's witnessed the exact same horrors he has, even if the situation or circumstance are not completely mirrored," added Karasuma.

She paused for a moment. Silently, she mulled over the boy's words. Then, she said, "Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course."

"If you were all alone, and stubborn about being accompanied by no one, but also really sad all the time, how would you want someone to go about their way to tell you they're there for you? How would it get through your head people genuinely care about you?"

Kagami hoped he wouldn't take too much offense at the question. He had told her some of his childhood back when she first arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, but didn't know how else to word her question. Karasuma had been aloof himself with her until their rehabilitation training slowly brought them closer.

Karasuma's eyes drifted toward the bright blue sky. His hand reached up to softly cradle a stream of sunlight in his grip. "In my experience, words have never held meaning during the earliest parts of my childhood. I was told I was not needed, unworthy, that no one would love me unconditionally, only transactionally. I never believed it, not even as I was starved, beaten, and thrown away. I had someone I needed to survive for, even if a piece of her soul had severed from the harm I couldn't protect her from."

Kagami's breath got hitched at the back of her throat. "Oh, Karasuma…"

His grin lifted slightly. "Please do not give me such a pitiful look, Kagami. I have no need for it. While my sister's and I's childhood may not have had a happy beginning, the importance of actions took root inside me with Kanae and Lady Kocho all those years ago. That was the day I confirmed words held no meaning. Words are transactional, but actions are dearly unconditional."

She understood where he was coming from and what he was trying to get at. She'll have a word with Miss Tenshi first and then approach Mr. Tomioka.

Tanjiro met up with her with a bundle of rice balls Aoi had prepared for all four of them; she, he, Mr. Tomioka, and Miss Tenshi. Hopefully a nice meal with friends would cheer the man up somewhat. Though she had a feeling this task was a difficult one the Master had asked of them. They followed their Kasugai crows to Mr. Tomioka's residence, taking their time to accommodate Tanjiro's broken foot and homemade crutch.

The doors were closed; an all too clear sign for others to keep out. Not on her watch.

"Miss Tenshi! Mr. Tomioka! Are either of you there?" Kagami called above the wind rustling their hair and clothes.

"Sorry to bother you! Mr. Giyu! It's us, Tanjiro Kamado and Kagami Yamato! Hello?" Tanjiro started to call along. There had been no answer. The two shrugged casually at one another, minds made up. "All right, we're coming in!"

They pushed the doors open and took in the very plain and simple lawn of Mr. Tomioka's residence. There was a pond with a wide lip of pebbles surrounding it, but nothing more. Yet a lone figure shining blindingly in the sun sat atop a large boulder beside it. A gentle breeze swirled around her.

"Hello there, children," The melodic voice greeted them. "Please, come in. Don't mind Giyu's cold reception. He doesn't receive visitors well."

Kagami advanced toward the figure. "Hello, Miss Tenshi. It's nice to see you again."

Miss Tenshi turned her gaze onto her and Tanjiro. She grinned delicately. "Yes, it's good to see you both in good health. After everything that occurred at the Swordsmith Village, it is relieving to hear none of my companions had fallen in battle. Same goes for you two."

Rosy cheeks. Beautiful smile. The light shining in her eyes. Kagami almost burst out into tears at the angelic glow that outlined the Hashira's body. But she kept her composure and merely returned the woman's smile.

"I'm surprised you're not at the Hashira Training right now. I thought you were conducting your own regime," Tanjiro commented.

"I am, but I couldn't, in good conscience, train the Demon Slayer Corps while distracted. They deserve my utmost attention. Unfortunately, I cannot give it to them right now. I must ease my mind and the mind of another until I am qualified enough to be a formidable teacher for your fellow members."

Kagami's head tilted. "Whose mind are you trying to ease?"

Miss Tenshi's eyes lifted to the sun. Her golden irises blazed like the fires that line Kagami's blade. "I have been conversing with an old friend of ours from time to time. He, too, is concerned about Giyu's well-being." A small, uncharacteristic giggle fell lightly from her lips. Her eyes shined with sorrowful reminiscent wisps. "I don't believe that man knows exactly how much he is cared for, no matter how hard someone tries to prove it so."

The wind playfully picked at Kagami and Tanjiro, swirling and lifting their hairs slightly as it went. She couldn't help but giggle at how unusual it acted.

Miss Tenshi's gaze was sweet as sugar at the sight. Then she finally met Kagami's eyes. "He says hello, by the way. Kyojuro, I mean."

Kagami swore she felt her heart skip a beat. Even Tanjiro faltered slightly at that. "Mr. Rengoku?" She choked out.

"Yes. He says you're doing a wonderful job, and he's so very proud of his Tsugukos." Miss Tenshi lifted her face and her hair followed with the courageous wind swaying around her body.

It was then Kagami finally got a good look at the woman. Her golden spun hair, once long and near the ground, was cut just above her shoulders. The white haori that usually wrapped her shoulders was replaced by Mr. Rengoku's signature flames that delicately licked the boulder beneath. Yet it did nothing to hide the absence lingering on her back, at the horns sticking out of her flesh.

Tanjiro gasped at the sight. "Miss Tenshi—your wings!" exclaimed he.

Miss Tenshi did not grimace as Kagami thought she would. She continued to bask in the glory of Mr. Rengoku still lovingly embracing her. "For a couple of swordsmen who managed to survive and defeat 3 Upper Ranks, you sure are not as observant as you should be. I'll be sure to add that in my training regime."

Kagami and Tanjiro nervously chuckled at that.

Miss Tenshi then dropped her gaze to the grass. The wind followed suit. "I've burdened Giyu with the act of severing my angelic wings. He's in pain every time he sees me."

"But why would you have them removed?" Kagami softly said.

"It was punishment for my insubordination. Not ordered by the Master, but by me. Master Ubuyashiki had forgiven me. He understood my grief over Kyojuro's death had taken hold of me, but I would not allow myself to go without punishment. I had defied his will and made a mockery of him by going against both he and Giyu. It was only right to take away the very thing that made my flight easier." Miss Tenshi slowly rolled up her uniform and revealed the marks. "A promise to never go down the wrong path again."

An angel without its wings is still an angel. It's the acts that define one, not the uniform or the make. That was something that ran even more true at the sight of Miss Tenshi.

Miss Tenshi brought herself to them again. "Is Giyu the reason for your visit? I'm sorry, but he's not accepting any visitors at the moment."

"We're on an important mission from the Master. He would like us to talk to Mr. Tomioka," Tanjiro explained.

"The Master? Even he caught wind?" Miss Tenshi was genuinely surprised.

"Please, Miss Tenshi, we have to see him," Kagami pleaded.

Miss Tenshi's grin returned. Except it slowly delve into a smirk. A mischievous glint appeared in her eye. "It is not my residence. I have no right to accept nor turn away guests. Do as you please. I will join you in your endeavor in a moment. I… must ask Kyojuro permission for something, if you will."

Kagami and Tanjiro nodded, replied, "Sure. Goodbye, Mr. Rengoku," and left toward where Mr. Tomioka's scent lingered the most.

The door to the building was wide open. They stuck their heads in and widely smiled at the sight of the befuddled Water Hashira. They entered without invitation and sat right across from Mr. Tomioka. There was barely any space between their knees and his. He held an unpleasant expression at that.

There was an uncomfortable and long stretch of silence between them. Kagami almost felt the need to run and grab Miss Tenshi from outside.

"So, long story short, everyone's been training!" Tanjiro decidedly spoke up, breaking the uneasy atmosphere.

"I know," huffed the Water Hashira.

Tanjiro only smiled at that. "What? So you knew? I'm so glad to hear it! I'll be cleared for active duty in seven days' time, so do you think you can train me?"

"And me! I'll be active around that same time," Kagami said, quickly volunteering.

Mr. Tomioka merely said, "It's a no," without even the slightest twitch in his expression.

"But why not?" Tanjiro didn't seem at all dampened by the man's stoic seriousness. "I'm catching a faint whiff of anger, but what are you mad about?"

"I'm angry that you didn't master Water Breathing to perfection." Mr. Tomioka's eyes darkened. They narrowed on the boy. "After all, you were supposed to become the next Water Hashira."

Kagami gulped against that sudden hostility. Did he really care that much about Tanjiro abandoning Water Breathing for Sun Breathing?

"That's a little unfair, Mr. Tomioka. Tanjiro is simply incompatible with Water Breathing. That's all," Kagami said, adding a nervous chuckle at the end. The last thing she wanted to do was make the man angry and unresponsive to future attempts. "Besides, he combined both together and developed new techniques. Quite a feat, right?"

"That's not what I'm talking about."

A strike of fear sparked Kagami. The sudden slight growl in his voice, the absence of light in his pupils… why was he acting like that?

Mr. Tomioka's face didn't reveal anything, not even as he scowled, "Right now, in the absence of a Water Hashira, someone has to assume the mantle of Water Hashira sooner rather than later."

"In the absence of a Water Hashira? But we have you, Mr. Giyu," reminded Tanjiro.

Shadows creased every angle of his face, especially when Mr. Tomioka corrected him, "I am not the Water Hashira."

Kagami's stomach twisted at the deadpan expression that took hold of the man's face, at the sorrow and full resolution in his tone of that statement's falsity.

Mr. Tomioka stood. "Get out," He commanded and strode away.

Miss Tenshi appeared at the door. She must've heard the end of their conversation. Her eyes held solemnity for her friend. He didn't forcibly brush past her, but waited in silence. Even with her hand upon his cheek, her body blocking the doorway, he couldn't look her in the eye. He didn't even seem to acknowledge the Angel Hashira's touch. At last, she made room for his exit, and he left without another word.

Kagami's vision lingered on the letter the Master addressed to them. If it hadn't been by her side, she would've given up and gone back to the Butterfly Mansion. But the Master was counting on them! They mustn't stop, no matter how annoyingly stubborn the Water Hashira might be!

"Mr. Tomioka! Open uuuup! It's us again!" Kagami called through the closed doors of Mr. Tomioka's living quarters.

"Mr. Giyu! We brought some delicious rice balls with us! Would you like to eat them together? They say you can't be in a bad mood on a full stomach!" Tanjiro called next.

No response.

Miss Tenshi merely sighed. "Giyu's being temperamental at the moment. Go get some rest for now. It's late. I will make sure he gets them." She grabbed the bundle of rice balls and bowed. They hastily bowed back and decided to try again until the morning.

Kagami and Tanjiro slept where they interrupted Mr. Tomioka's meditation. It was still dark out when the door slid open and revealed the Water Hashira. Alongside the folded cloth that had carried the rice balls no less!

"Good morning! You must've enjoyed those rice balls! That's great!" Tanjiro said, quite happily.

Mr. Tomioka tried to stealthily hide the folded cloth behind his back, but to no avail. They had already seen it. Yet, he just turned and walked away without even saying a word. Not even a backward glance at their pleads for him to wait. Yet they didn't give up! The eaten rice balls were a sign they must keep pushing!

"Mr. Giyu! Where are going?" Tanjiro called as they trailed the man across his lawn.

"Are you going on patrol? Take us with you!" Kagami pleaded when they exited the property and through the town. "There have been less demon sightings lately, but you can't be too careful, right? Look, no demons here! Come on, let's train now!"

All day, all night, for only a couple days, they hounded the man nonstop about the Hashira Training. When he slept, when he ate, when he meditated, and even when he bathed, except Kagami left that up to Tanjiro. The last time she was in the vicinity of someone bathing she got a little more than she bargained for. Though, she was surprised the man hadn't gone insane yet. Even the Angel Hashira had to leave for a few hours for the simplicity of peace. It was only a matter of time before he finally cracked!

Then, the next day on a patrol through the nearby fields, a cloudy sky shielded the sun. Mr. Tomioka had suddenly stopped in his track. Kagami and Tanjiro stayed behind, watching anticipatingly, as Miss Tenshi laid a tender hand on his shoulder.

Finally, he breathed out, "I… never passed the Final Selection."

Kagami was instantly confused. "What makes you say that, Mr. Tomioka?"

"That year, along with a boy whose family had also been killed by demons, a boy with peach-colored hair named Sabito, I took part in the Selection."

Kagami remembered Sabito. He died during his year of Final Selection at the hands of the Hand Demon, whose soul couldn't move on until it was dead, and helped train her and Tanjiro at Mr. Urokodaki's. Mr. Tomioka knew him?

"I was 13," He started to recite, "We were the same age and all alone in the world. We became fast friends. Sabito had a strong sense of justice and he had a kind and gentle heart. The only one who died during that year's Selection… was Sabito. He'd killed every demon on that mountain almost single-handedly. Everyone but Sabito passed that Final Selection. As for me… I was wounded by the first demon that attacked me and was in a daze. In that moment, it was Sabito who saved me."

Miss Tenshi's hand skimmed from his shoulder to his chest. It laid softly there and he didn't move to remove it. "That was the first time Giyu and I had met. I admired Sabito's will and devotion to saving everyone on that mountain and traveled alongside him to help others from meeting a terrible end. Sabito left Giyu in my care and rushed toward the voice pleading for help. Toward that… awful demon."

Kagami was breathless, enraptured by the story that left her heart cracking in her chest.

Mr. Tomioka's voice, once deprived of emotion, was splitting in half with powerful venom as he continued, "I lost consciousness soon after. When I came to, the Final Selection was over. It's true that I'd survived for seven days and passed the Selection… but as I'd failed to defeat a single demon and had only been saved by another… could you really say that I'd passed?"

"Giyu and I had lost contact after that." Miss Tenshi's hand bundled a portion of Mr. Tomioka's clothes. Her fist shook slightly. "For years I wondered what happened to the boy I had taken care of for seven days. I regretted not finding him and mourning the loss of his friend beside him. While I had not known Sabito as the same length of time or as intimately as Giyu, he still saved my life that night and showed me what true courage and justice was in the face of perilous death. If only I had been there in his time of need."

The Angel Hashira faltered slightly. "Then we reunited, four years later with the promotion of becoming Hashira bestowed upon by the Master himself."

Giyu harshly breathed through his nose at that. "Someone like me isn't worthy of being the Water Hashira. And for that matter, I'm not even worthy of standing as an equal with the other Hashira. Most of all Angela."

Miss Tenshi bristled slightly.

"I'm not like them. Normally, there'd be no place for me in the Demon Slayer Corps. Have the real Hashira train you. That would be for the best. I'll never manifest a mark. Though it might've happened for Sabito. Just forget about me from now on. You're wasting your time." Mr. Tomioka gently grasped Miss Tenshi's wrist, careful not to touch her hand, and removed her from his chest. "Go with them, Ang-… Tenshi. Stay away from me. I refuse to burden you any longer."

A lost gaze fixed itself over Miss Tenshi's face when Mr. Tomioka walked away without another glance toward either one of them. She watched him go, hand still hovering slightly in the air after him.

Kagami slowly blinked away the tears that brimmed her eyelids. She understood the pain Mr. Tomioka had been wracked with; he believed he should've been the one to die that day. A feeling Kagami knew all too well. The pain of someone you valued more than your own life dying protecting you, it dulled over time but never truly disappeared. She never expected it to, but in Mr. Tomioka's case, it had never been dulled. Not in the years that had passed since Sabito's death.

Sabito was truly amazing. Not only did he help Kagami survive but he saved everyone during his Final Selection. That was something she couldn't do; she was barely able to protect herself. But if Sabito were still alive, he'd be an incredible swordsman. That… must be a reason why Mr. Tomioka felt he should've been the one to die.

If Mr. Rengoku were alive instead of she, perhaps all those people in the Entertainment District would be alive. All those swordsmiths in the village too. His determination, courage, and unwavering strength that rivaled his kindness… right up until the end… Someone like him should be alive instead of her. Miss Tenshi wouldn't have been forced to sever her own wings. Kagami still wished she would be the one in a grave finally reunited with her mother and father, and Mr. Rengoku alive and well for all those close with him and all those who would've survived in his presence. He could've been the one to finally kill Muzan Kibutsuji one day.

She should no longer think like that, though. Mr. Rengoku believed in her, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke they would become stronger. That they would become the Hashira to replace him. No, that they would be the ones to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji and usher in an era of peace once and for all. She can't taint his memory like that. That act in itself would be unforgivable.

Just because you feel pathetic and embarrassed of your own failures doesn't mean the efforts put into it were in vain. Mr. Tomioka no doubt must've driven himself hard to make himself a worthy candidate for Hashira. The amount of suffering he must've gone through, the isolation from those who cared about him…

Kagami shouldn't criticize how people deal with their pain, especially when she knew almost nothing about the man and his suffering, but how could he allow himself to taint Sabito's memory like that?

"Won't you pass on what Sabito entrusted to you?" It suddenly spilled out of Kagami.

Mr. Tomioka halted abruptly. A harsh wind rattled their bones. His eyes went completely wide. They were trembling violently mimicking a stormy sky shaking a tumultuous ocean.

Miss Tenshi held Mr. Tomioka's sleeve from behind. "Your older sister gave her life to save yours, despite the fact she was supposed to wed the next day. Sabito gave his life to save another knowing he could potentially lose his own but did so anyway. Don't you think acting this way is insulting their memory? You're being so selfish with your life right now." Her face hardened tremendously. "I know I am not one to speak, but don't you remember what you said the night you found me? This isn't the path Sabito and your sister would've wanted you to go down on. Pass on what they entrusted to you."

She slowly circled him until she faced him. She wrapped her arms around his torso. "I know you didn't want to remember because it would only make you cry. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, I truly am, but I'm here for you now, like you've always been for me. Please… don't push me away again."

Kagami quietly watched, heart pounding in her chest so loud it was in her ears, Mr. Tomioka return the Angel Hashira's embrace. Their foreheads connected and their eyes closed. They stood there in each other's arms as a comfortable silence wrapped around them. She couldn't help but smile at the beautiful exchange. She had been afraid she was too harsh with the man. All seemed to be well once more.

"Okay, I will take part in the Hashira Trai—" Mr. Tomioka had started, turning to face them.

"I challenge you to a soba noodle eating contest!"

Kagami, Miss Tenshi, and Mr. Tomioka all raised their eyebrows and gave perplexed expressions toward the determination of Tanjiro Kamado. Except the Water Hashira didn't reject the offer. He actually agreed to it!

There, Kagami and Miss Tenshi watched, disgusted and amazed, Mr. Tomioka down 20 boxes of soba noodles while Tanjiro barely managed to finish 7. The latter became very sick toward the end. He reaped what he sowed. Despite that, the atmosphere became very easygoing, even if Mr. Tomioka still held a soft yet commanding voice. Kagami was just glad she succeeded in her mission to get Mr. Tomioka to participate in the Hashira Training and unravel the emotional turmoil that had steeled his heart.