Chapter 25: Hikaru's anguish

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After Yushiro's question they were all looking at Hikaru waiting for him to answer, since they all wanted to know the answer.

"I have said over and over again, no matter what happens I will remember the demons that I put to rest, they deserve that much" Hikaru sighed, he didn't understand why they weren't understanding what he was saying.

"We know that, we just don't understand why you are going so far? They are murderers, they kill innocent people!" Sanemi yelled. No one, not even the demons tried to refute his words since they were truthful (even if Nezuko and Yushiro had never killed a human before).

"They are still living beings!" Hikaru yelled back just as loud. "Demons are still living beings in this world and I refuse to turn away from that. We have already been shown that some of them didn't want to be turned into demons, some of them have been stripped of their memories making them completely forget what they used to be like and some of them even showed remorse for what they have done."

"That doesn't get rid of what they have done" Obanai sneered.

"I am well aware that it won't be enough to make up for the lives that they have taken but aren't we just as bad?" Hikaru questioned. Tanjiro and winced looking at the ground, he understood what Hikaru was getting at and it made him feel horrible.

"They are trying to survive just as we are. They have emotions just like we do. They have spiritual cores just like we do. So if they are murderers then aren't we the same for all the demons that we have killed?"

The question that Hikaru had asked made all of them flinch back. They had never thought like that and if they were honest, they didn't ever want to think that way because the damage it would do to themselves would be severe.

"Perhaps we should calm down," Ubuyashiki interrupted before the argument could get any worse. "Everyone has their own beliefs and we should respect each other enough not to judge each other for them."

Sanemi stood up and stormed off while Obanai leaving in the opposite direction. Kanroji looked a little unsure before she followed after him, hoping that she would be able to offer him a listen ear.

"Sorry" Hikaru apologized.

"You don't need to apologize, you were simply stating your own thoughts out loud and there is nothing wrong with that" Himejima assured him.

"Is that the way that you really see it?" Giyuu questioned, a frown on his face. Hikaru didn't want to start another argument, especially one with Giyuu so he stayed silent and that was enough of an answer.

"I can understand why you see things this way," Uzui surprisingly spoke up. "We may be doing it to protect the innocent people around us but the moment we pick up our swords to kill a demon, we are still killing a living being, you are taking away their life and they won't be coming back. To turn your back on that and ignore it is something that none of us can do, we just have to accept that it is something that has to be done. No matter how much we regret it, it's the only choice we have."

When Uzui explained it that way they could understand why Hikaru decided that he should remember the demons the way that he does. It was partly as repentance for having to kill the demon and partly so that he wouldn't ever forget the path that he was walking. He knew that those with a greater hatred for demons would never see it the way that he did but that didn't mean that he was going to accept them attacking his views. No one else said anything as they all decided to let the conversation drop and move on to something else. All except for one person who got to their feet and followed after Sanemi.

-

Sanemi was pacing back and forth, wishing that he had his sword so that he would be able to practice and get this anger out. He didn't understand how Hikaru could think that demons deserved anything but death after what they had done!

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