The Hamon Breather

Demons of the Past

"Muzan Kibutsuji..." Keijo says with a furrowed brow while walking.

"What about him?" Tanjiro asks curiously, with a slightly worsened mood.

"I was wondering what I'd say to him if I encounter him again," Keijo explains. "I feel like I've got to yell at him or something when I meet him. Like it'd help me be happier about revenge, but then I think that I should just fight him without saying anything."

"..." Tanjiro doesn't reply.

"But he wouldn't care about what I have to say. He's been causing tragedies for so long that he's probably heard everything. Just the thought of it makes me furious. There are so many lives he has snuffed out. How does a guy like that even live with himself for that long?!" Keijo continues.

"I think trying to understand him won't be good for either of us. Let's focus on stopping him so that no one else has to find a reason." Tanjiro reasons.

"You're right... It's just hard to not try to find a reason. Our lives got derailed, and the heart of the matter is that there might not even be a reasonable reason."

"A reasonable reason..." Tanjiro thinks for a while at those words.

'There's not a single one out there for anything Muzan's done.'

—

"Do you need a break Keijo? You've gotten slower." Tanjiro asks worriedly on the trip back to Mount Sakonji.

"I'm a bit tired is all, but look! Urokodaki's house is just off in the distance!" The pair feels a bit re-energized at the sight.

"I hope Nezuko wakes up soon," Tanjiro notes worriedly.

"It would be quite the sticky situation if she didn't wake up before we have to leave," Keijo says. The duo feels a bit of nostalgic reluctance at the thought of having to leave Urokodaki's house.

"Let's cheer up, though. We don't want to be all glum when we say high to our sensei, right?" Keijo continues.

"I hope he'll be happy when I tell him about the hand demon."

"I think he'll just be happy we both made it back."

—

"You two..! You made it!" The old trainer cries aloud with heartfelt joy. The trio shares a pleasant silence before a little surprise sneaks up on Tanjiro and pounces on him.

"Nezuko! You... you had me worried! You slept for a long time, you know!" Tanjiro yells in happiness as he shares a deep hug with his sister. She mumbles something under her muzzle cutely as Urokodaki joins the hug too. The trio looks at Keijo in anticipation before he sighs and joins in as well.

For once, it was a truly lovely day.

—

"It's been fifteen days since the selection ended. You think our swords are going to show up today?" Keijo asks during breakfast.

"The corps is quite concise. So unless something unexpected occurs, I would think they'd show up." Urokodaki answers.

"Then I guess today is going to be the start of our demon slaying responsibilities," Keijo concludes.

"Don't get complacent, you two. There's still much for you to learn. The Final Selection was just the beginning, after all." Urokodaki lectures.

"No kidding. I've still got almost this entire book to learn about." Keijo says a bit glumly as he thinks about the fact that he has even more work to do.