The Moon Hashira

Against Corps Rules

~In the past~

A group of children plays in the snow. 

Children: "Ngh... There! Woah! Hehehe... Mm... Ngh! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! There!" 

Rui, who is still a human child, stands on the side, watching the other children play. He walks forward but trips and falls. He coughs and looks toward the sky. 

Rui: "Ahh..." 

Rui's mother rushes to his side. 

Mother: "Rui! Rui! Rui! What are you doing? You know you're not supposed to be outside!" 

Rui, still a human child, sits in bed.

Rui: (Narration) I've always been very frail, ever since I was a child. I was never able to run. Even walking was a struggle.

Rui: "Ah..." 

Kibutsuji appears in Rui's room.

Rui:(Narration) That was until Lord Muzan appeared.

Kibutsuji: "You pitiful thing. Let me save you."

Rui: (Narration) My parents weren't happy about it. Because at the cost of a strong body, I could never see the sun again. I also had to start devouring humans.

Rui has killed a human. His father finds the body on the floor. 

Father: "What have you done? What on earth have you done? Rui!"

Rui's mother cries.

Rui: (Narration) Long ago, I heard a wonderful story. It was about a father who died saving his drowning child. I was deeply moved. Such astounding parental love, and such a wonderful bond, too. The father who drowned in the river had fulfilled his role as a parent. And yet, for some reason, my parents...

Rui's father holds a knife, ready to kill Rui in his sleep.

Rui: (Narration) My own parents tried to kill me. All my mother did was sob, not even lifting a finger to protect me.

Rui kills his father and mother.

Rui: (Narration) They must've been imposters. The bond between us wasn't real.

Mother: "I'm sorry..." 

Rui: She's saying something. She's still alive? 

Mother: "I'm so sorry... for not giving you a strong, healthy body." 

Rui: "Ah..."

Rui: (Narration) Those were my mother's last words as she passed away.

Rui: She's dead. 

Father: "It's all right, Rui. We'll be following you soon."

Rui: (Narration) I was so enraged that my father had tried to kill me that his words went over my head. But at that moment, I realized that he meant to die with me to atone for my sin of having murdered another. It was a genuine bond. And that night, I severed it with my own two hands. Even so, Lord Muzan gave me words of encouragement.

Kibutsuji: This was your parents' fault for refusing to accept you. Take pride in your strength.

Rui: (Narration) I had no choice but to look at it that way. I couldn't bear the weight of what I'd done.

Rui: "Ahh...!"

~In the present~

Rui looks up to see Y/n giving him a closed eye smile.