Priceless Smile 2

Chapter 16: Mother

     The next day, Inosuke and Zenitsu came to visit Tanjiro together with Yuichiro and Obanai who came to visit Muichiro and Mitsuri. As they enter the room where the four are staying in, they saw Tanjiro who has woken up already while Muichiro, Genya, and Mitsuri are still asleep.

"How are you?" Zenitsu asked as he walk towards Tanjiro's bed.

"I'm fine, I just woke up." Tanjiro answered.

"Monjirooooo!!!" Inosuke called.

"Shut up." Obanai glared at him.

Inosuke tensed up as he immediately shut his mouth. Yuichiro walked towards his brother while Obanai walked towards Mitsuri as he take a sit on an empty chair beside her bed.

"So.... was the demon you encountered an upper moon?" Obanai asked with his back turned as he face Mitsuri.

"Actually.... all I could say is yes but at the same time no." Tanjiro answered.

"How so?" Yuichiro asked facing him.

"You see, he's a very strong demon like an upper moon but.... There aren't any characters embedded in his eyes to show his rank." Tanjiro answered as he remember Tatsu's eyes not having any characters embedded in it.

"I see." Yuichiro sighed.

After that very short chat, Tanjiro drifted back to sleep as his friends remained there silent.

Muichiro's currently dreaming. He's dreaming about his memories when him and his brother were attacked by a demon.

"Nii-san...." He muttered out as he held his brother's dying body who already lost consciousness.

His eyes are getting blurry as he saw figures coming near them.

"Who...." he muttered out almost unheard as he look at the blurry figure of the person.

'This was the time when I was saved back then.... but who is this? I thought Amane-sama was the one who came.'
Muichiro thought.

He could hear nothing but mumbles from those two blurry figures. He felt a warm gentle hand hold his body and gently caress his head. The touch he never forgot despite his amnesia. Everything's starting to blur a lot more indicating that he's waking up.

'No.... not yet.... I wanna know.... I wanna know who was this person. This person.... who saved me and nii-san.'
Muichiro thought.

And just as that, he really tried. He tried to remember despite the figure being a blur. And just as that, it slowly became clear to him. The figure has become clearer as he heard her talk.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you two will live." She muttered out.

She has a long ash-gray hair with heterochromatic eyes not having any light or life in them but her smile, her smile is so warm it made Muichiro feel at ease. Both her smile and her touch are so warm, even her voice is so calm it makes him feel light headed. He felt like his mother's the one touching him.

As this happens, his body suddenly jolted up awake surprising the rest.

"Muichiro, are you alright?!" Yuichiro exclaimed with a worried look.

"Back then.... nii-san...." Muichiro muttered out as he look at his brother panting and sweating.

Tanjiro's still asleep but Mitsuri has woken up a minute before Muichiro woke up.

"What is it?" Yuchiro asked leaning closer to his brother.

"Back then, it was her.... I remember now. It was Kazumi-sama back then who came at our house to save us.... I remember it now." Muichiro sobbed.
"Where is she? Is she back? Did she come to visit us?" He suddenly asked as he look at his brother with eyes full of tears.

"Unfortunately, no. There's still no reports about her whereabouts." Yuichiro replied with a solemn look.

"How long is she going to be away?" Mitsuri muttered out as she look down.

Shortly after that, the doors opened showing Sanemi who came to visit Genya.

"Nemi.... I thought you're out." Genya said as he watch Sanemi walk towards him.

"I just stopped by for a short visit before I go to my mission." Sanemi replied.

"I see. As you can see, I'm alright!" Genya smiled at him.

"Since Kanroji-san and Tokito are awake, could you inform us about the demon you guys encountered?" Obanai asked.

"Tanjiro said a while ago that the demon has the same strength like an upper moon but has no characters embedded on his eyes for his rank." Yuichiro added.

"That's right. He's really strong and fast. He managed to take us all." Mitsuri said looking at her left hand wrapped in bandages.

"But what's more is that.... he asked us about Kazumi-sama.... whether she's alive or not." Genya informed them.

"What?! Just who is this demon?!" Sanemi exclaimed.

"He told us that his name is Tatsu. And he also mentioned the word 'mistress'. It seems like that's how he calls whoever's ordering him except for Muzan." Muichiro answered.
"How about you guys? How's the Red Light District mission?" He asked as he look at Obanai while drying his tears.

"No fight happened. Turns out that those two upper moon six has been under Kazumi." Obanai asked.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock except for Inosuke and Zenitsu. Sanemi then scoffed.

"How?" He asked crossing his arms.

"We didn't believe it at first too but when the other one threw a bunch of letters on my face, we read it and it was indeed all from Kazumi." Obanai answered.

"They also saved us from a sudden blood demon art back there. They told us to get out and after that, the floor of the room where everyone of us were staying at turned into doors." Zenitsu explained.

"After they fall inside, the doors disappeared and the floor went back to normal." Inosuke finished.

"Is that all?" Mitsuri asked as Obanai nodded in response.

"Now this is getting worst. Upper moon six has connection with Kazumi-sama yet until now she's nowhere to be found. What if...." Yuichiro looked down as he grip Muichiro's blanket tighter.
".... what if, Kazumi-sama has turned into a demon already."

Everyone went silent as if someone just gave them a hard slap on the face. They all sweated coldly as they remembered Aoki's words.

"Because Kazumi-sama is capable of surpassing Muzan."

They all gulped down. Their shaky breaths can be heard by everyone of them.

'What if she really did? Are we going to fight her? Is she going to fight us?'
Mitsuri thought as she bit her lower lip while looking down.

'No.... no.... I'm not ready.... I can't. I'm not ready to kill her.'
Muichiro thought as he sweat coldly, his shivering hands gripped his own blanket tighter.

'No.... if she did turn into a demon.... that'll be trouble. I.... Will I be able to face her?'
Sanemi thought as he look at the hilt of his sword while sweating coldly.

"We shouldn't think like that! I'm sure she'll come back!" Mitsuri exclaimed breaking the silence while her tears fall down.
"I'm sure.... she'll come back! She'll definitely come back! A mother would never abandon her children! She would never abandon us! Waaaaaah!!!" She continued as she cry.

Obanai comforted her along with Kaburamaru.

'That's right.... she'll definitely, come back.'
Genya thought as he sigh and relax his body.