I'm not Muzan Kibutsuji!

Chapter 13: Rengoku Kyojuro

When Masaru opened his eyes again, it was to a blurry view of frantic movement around him. He recognized the room after a moment-he was in the butterfly estate. His eyes felt like sludge and refused to keep open for more than a second.

The second time he awoke, time had clearly passed-There were flowers next to him, and he noticed the man lying next to him a second later-Yurei. His Sensei had come all the way from the plains he lived in to visit Masaru? He tried to sit up and get a closer look at his teacher, but to no avail-he was wrapped head to toe in bandages. His movement seemed to stir the old man, who opened his eyes to Masaru trying to reach out to him.

Yurei had pulled him into a tight hug.

He'd done everything he could to distract the demon, Uppermoon 3, was it? He couldn't remember. Masaru had a million questions running through his head. Was Rengoku alive? Had they saved all the people? And... What was that dream he had? The red-haired man who was so warm and kind yet.. unfamiliar. Had he said his name? Masaru couldn't remember.

By the time his sensei was leaving, Masaru had learned from the man where all of his teammates were. All we're awake, albeit in different states. Masaru was certainly the last to wake up..Zenitsu and Inosuke hadn't gone comatose, both being treated but neither going out on missions.. and Tanjiro.. was badly injured. He has only recently been freed from bedrest, but was not allowed to leave the mansion.

"I was.. terrified. I have had many students die...but Sanemi was my last.. I wasn't expecting to feel that again." Yurei had whispered into his ear as he had hugged him.

Masaru wasn't sure how to feel. When he'd asked about Rengoku, Yurei had given him a remorseful expression. Rengoku was Alive, but comatose.. and His stomach injury was horrible.. and he had lost a lung, and would likely be unable to fully run for the rest of his life. Rengoku Kyojuro would never be a swordsman again.

Masaru was crudely informed by a rather upset Aoi that he was lucky to be alive and healing properly. His lungs were untouched, surviving just barely. His stomach was bandaged as well as his arm, which he had sliced in his attempts to separate the Hashira and the Uppermoon. Worst of all, his hair had been slightly cut; a necessity for wrapping up one of the wounds. That, and Aoi told him it'd be a few days before he could reliably walk again.

By the time dinner was being served in the butterfly estate, Masaru had found himself among friends again. Zenitsu had found him reading in his room and waited approximately 3 seconds before starting to bawl, and Inosuke had to be held back from tackling him and probably ruining all of his stitches. Eventually Tanjiro had come in, albeit with a little struggle, and the four had soup on Masaru's bed.

Unfortunately for him, this meant that halfway through his dinner, Inosuke decided to snatch everyone's food, but he was happy enough to be in their companies again.

...

It was a little tense. It was obvious none of the four of them wanted to talk about Rengoku. Him and Tanjiro chatted about a matter of topics as Zenitsu bickered with Inosuke, who had somehow managed to stack the now empty bowls ontop of eachother.. by the sides? It was a very odd thing.

No matter how many things He and Tanjiro managed to chat about, they would always end up back at the Mugen train. Masaru's mind plagued with guilt just at the mention of it. Rengoku would never be a demon slayer again, even if he woke up. Masaru could have done more...they all could have, right?

Logically, Masaru knew that none of them had the skill or ability to beat an Uppermoon. It was impossibly lucky no one on the train had died, and as newly trained demon slayers, they weren't exactly strong... but it didn't help. The guilt still followed him like a shadow. Everywhere he looked, he saw his own mistakes. He could have been there sooner, faster, stopped the fight earlier..but Masaru knew drowning in guilt could only do so much, and he knew it was the same for Tanjiro.

Tanjiro was almost surely dealing with the same kind of guilt. If Masaru could distract the both of them, just for one night, it'd be good. (He didn't need to worry about Zenitsu and Inosuke.. they were all to good at pretending everything was fine. But not Tanjiro. Tanjiro would never look past it.)

Another few days passed, and Masaru finally got back to his feet-Just as soon as Rengoku had finally woken up. He had picked up his remarkably surviving hat and finally changed back into his new uniform and Haori-ones that had been made from the shreds of his old outfit, that Yurei Sensei had been more than willing to give him.

He exited the room he had been staying in, finding the whole house in utter disarray. "Where's Tanjiro?" "Did Rengoku wake up?" "Zenitsu just passed out!"

A flurry of figures rushed around him, and Masaru remembered what Tanjiro had told him a few nights prior. Tanjiro had mentioned visiting the Rengoku family's estate.

Masaru rushed out of the mansion, pushing through the halls and bursting out the door. He ran through the gardens of the Butterfly estate... before realizing he didn't know where The Rengoku family estate was.

He asked a nearby Kakushi, who pointed him the right way. Soon enough, he was at the estate. And in front of him was a horrific sight-An older man with firey hair, mirroring Rengoku, Pinning Tanjiro down as he approached.. along with a little boy, seemingly injured.

Masaru pulled his hat down, walking towards them slowly. He gripped his sword, and prepared for a fight.

A/N: Procrastination won the battle, but not the war. I've got plans, PLANS! Also, people wanted Rengoku Alive, so he is! Just... a little comatose. Oh well!