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Shinobu sat on her knees along with several other people in a fairly large room. She had entered the mansion for the Eternal Paradise Cult where people went to free themselves of their pain. The Insect Hashira's hairs were standing tall, she was maintaining her guard as she held her sword close to her as it was hidden by her older sister's Haori she donned at all times. She thought it was fitting that she was wearing it on this special occasion. To her, it would feel like her sister was getting revenge for her death.

She looked around the well-decorated room which contrasted with the people that sat next to her. Shinobu had to travel quite a distance to get to this mansion so she could see how it was easy for people to get lost or never come back. The people she was with wore dreary expressions on their faces. Some with baggy eyes, others with pale skin (not like a demon), and some people wore tattered clothes while others looked surprisingly healthy and rich. Some of the men in the room occasionally lifted their heads to look at Shinobu for a brief moment before lowering their heads in shame and neglecting her existence. She had seen several people that entered before her get summoned by the owner of the Cult but she never saw them come back. Best case scenario: they exited through a different path in the mansion. Worst case scenario: this was exactly what Shinobu feared it was and she needed to be ready for a fight.

The front door to the room slid open as one of the assistants bowed and informed the Hashira that their master was waiting for her. Shinobu didn't know why but her heart skipped a beat at that moment. She was ready but this caught her off guard. Why was she panicking? She quickly nodded, trying to brush aside her emotions as she sat up and followed behind the assistant. The man she followed slid open the door to his master's room and gestured for the Hashira to step inside. Shinobu took a deep breath, keeping her breathing under control just in-case. She thanked the man before stepping aside and adjusting to the dim and deceptively gentle lighting of the room she was in.

On the other side of the room sat a pale, pale-golden haired man with a red turtle-neck outfit and a large crown-like hat on his head. He sat on his comfortable couch in front of Shinobu, very relaxed as he sat with his legs crossed and his face resting on the palm of one of his hands. He raised his eyebrows in shock as he exclaimed, "Oh! Would you look at this, she's a cutie!"

Shinobu stopped in her tracks once she saw the man in front of her. He perfectly matched the description given to her by Kanae before her death. From the appearance to his way of speaking, this had to be the one! The demon could see the fury plastered on Shinobu's face as he called out, "Oh, you seem rather upset! Come, take a seat and tell me what's wrong. I'd love to hear what's ruining that cute little face of yours."

One of the veins in Shinobu's forehead popped out and pressed against her forehead due to the anger she was feeling. She had to resist lashing out at the man immediately as she spoke with a suppressed tone, "Wrong…? What's wrong…?! YOU TOOK MY SISTER FROM ME! DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE THIS HAORI?!" Shinobu grabbed the haori and extended it for the man to catch a better glimpse of it.

Doma blinked several times before a lightbulb turned on in his head as he sat up and pointed out, "Oh! You mean that one butterfly girl, right? I remember her, she was a sweet and delicate girl. I never got the chance to eat her, did I? Oooooh, that must've sucked for you, then, because you had to watch her die in your arms, right? My bad, I should've just finished her off to spare you both the pain. That is, after all, what I do."

"What you do…?! You think you spare people of their pain…?!"

"Yeah! When I kill them, their suffering is over. Usually, people come to me mourning the death of a loved one, so I just reunite them. Plain and simple. I don't think I'm doing anything bad, I'm just relieving my followers of their pain."

Shinobu drew her blade before pointing it at the Upper Moon and exclaiming, "I've heard ENOUGH from you, you psychotic son of a bitch! I'll make you pay for killing my sister!" The Hashira leapt towards the demon, aiming for a piercing attack with her blade.

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"Haha! I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" Tanjiro had his arms extended to help balance himself as he took several steps forward. He had a huge smile on his face as he stepped forward with Nezuko cheering on the side. The Slayer stood in front of Tanjiro with his arms crossed, the boy's current challenge was to walk from one side of the room to the other and back. Tanjiro was only a couple more steps away from the Hellwalker as he cheered to himself, "I'm almost there…! I'm almost there!" Unfortunately, Tanjiro got too excited with his success as he lost balance and fell on the floor. Nezuko rushed over to help her brother get up but the Slayer cleared his throat loudly to signal for the girl to stay away. Tanjiro optimistically stated as he picked himself up, "At this rate, I'll be able to move around in no time!"

The Slayer nodded in agreement before turning around and explaining, "Keep it up, kid. I'll be working on my beacon if you need me." The Slayer exited the room and began moving down the hallways of the Butterfly Mansion until he came across Kanao who was constantly calling out Shinobu's name as she looked into every room. Her eyebrows were curled upwards and her body language was closed up and nervous. She took notice of the Hellwalker and asked:

"Excuse me, sir, have you seen my sister anywhere?" The Slayer shook his head as he walked past her, uninterested in her problems as he went to his room to focus on his device.

Kanao was about to enter the infirmary room and ask Tanjiro but remembered the conversation she had with Nezuko yesterday and stopped herself from opening the door. She shook her head as she turned around and went to meet up with the other residents of the mansion. Kanao found them all preparing the next meal as they all greeted her upon entering the kitchen. Aoi noticed Kanao's expression and called out, "What's with the long face, Kanao?"

"Have you seen Shinobu around here, recently?" Aoi shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, seemingly not as concerned as Kanao was as she explained:

"No, she's probably on a mission or maybe some emergency meeting for the Hashira, I don't know. I'm sure she's fine though." Kanao couldn't accept that answer, none of this seemed right to her. Her sister wouldn't just leave out of nowhere without informing someone of her whereabouts.

They heard the rapid flapping of a Kasugai Crow approaching the mansion which prompted the girls to exit the kitchen briefly to intercept the crow. On queue, the bird swooped down low and perched itself on Kanao's arm as it announced to the girls of the Butterfly Mansion, "The Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, has been killed! I repeat, Shinobu Kocho has been killed!" The other girls tried begging the bird for more information but it left without a second thought and proceeded to spread the news to the other members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

This sudden revelation made the younger residents of the mansion break down crying while Aoi tried her best to maintain her composure as she was trying to get to the bottom of this but having the younger kids break down, crying, nearly compelled her to do the same. Kanao, however, stared off blankly as she felt her eyes get warm from the buildup of tears. The girl turned around and mumbled to Aoi, "I… I need a minute…" Kanao stepped back into the building without saying a word, leaving Aoi in distress as she had to manage the other girls who were crying their eyes out.

Kanao silently cried, barely able to stand as she felt her legs nearly give out. She shook immensely as she trudged down the hallway and slowly approached Shinobu's room. She eased her way into the Hashira's room to see it was nice and tidy as if no one had ever touched the room before. She took a seat at Shinobu's desk and buried her face in her arms as she cried into them. She couldn't believe it, her sister was gone without an explanation. She couldn't fathom a world without Shinobu, without her, she had nothing. The more she thought about it, the more she hurt as she stained her demon slayer outfit with her tears.

It didn't take long until her face was wet from pressing it against her stained clothing for so long as she lifted her head up to adjust it. However, as she did so, she noticed something underneath the old romance novel Kanae used to read to them both when they were younger. It was unfamiliar to her as she reached for it, praying it was a goodbye letter of sorts or any tangible connection to her late sister. She pulled out the paper to reveal it was a flyer which made her remember the conversation Shinobu and Aoi had days prior regarding a group of individuals that pestered the girl. Kanao opened up the flyer for the Eternal Paradise Cult and began deciphering its contents. Certain sections were highlighted and marked to emphasize parts of the text but a big circle was marked around the address of the Cult. Her eyes widened with joy once she saw this. This had to be it, this had to be where Shinobu went last night, there was no doubt about it. She quickly dried up her tears and grabbed her Nichirin Blade, she was going to kill the person that took her sister from her.

Aoi was walking down the hallway until she noticed Kanao sprinting out of Shinobu's room and dashing past Aoi. The blue-haired girl called out to Kanao, shouting her name as she chased after her but the adrenaline boost that Kanao was feeling on top of her being more skilled and agile than Aoi allowed her to easily outpace the girl that chased after her. Tanjiro raced out of the infirmary room so quickly he slammed against the opposite wall and trudged down the hallway, using the walls as a support as Nezuko followed alongside him. Tanjiro cried out to Aoi, "What's wrong?!"

Aoi quickly explained the situation to Tanjiro, "Kanao ran off after we received news of Shinobu's death! I don't know where she's headed and I'm not fast enough to stop her!" Tanjiro was flabbergasted by the news as he was trying to rack his brain around the information he was just fed. As much as Shinobu's death devastated and shocked him, he needed to keep himself in check, Kanao might be in danger too if he doesn't move. Tanjiro cursed his new prosthetics as he still wasn't used to them and was in no condition to be chasing after Kanao as he complained:

"Damn it, I would help but I can't move too well as I am right now!" Nezuko heard Tanjiro's statement which made her furrow her brows to indicate she was getting serious. Without a warning, she sweeped the boy off of his feet and carried him within her arms with ease as she bolted out of the household. Tanjiro held onto his younger sister who pushed herself as much as she possibly could. She was not about to get her brother's potential-girlfriend killed, not if she had anything to say about it. Nezuko couldn't run as fast for too long as she progressively slowed down. Tanjiro noticed this and knew how much his sister was pushing herself on his behalf but he needed Nezuko to keep going as he begged her, "Nezuko, I know this might be too much to ask but could you keep going? I don't want Kanao to die." Nezuko looked into the eyes of her older brother and she could see the worry plastered on his face. He didn't need to say anything else, she understood his feelings perfectly as she summoned upon every ounce of demonic strength she could in her body to propel herself forward as much as possible.

The siblings raced along the open fields of Japan, passing by a tree every so often. Soon, they could see Kanao up ahead who was still maintaining her brisk pace. Once they were close enough, Tanjiro told Nezuko, "I want you to throw me at Kanao, I'll handle the rest!" Nezuko nodded in agreement, waiting until she had gotten close enough where she felt she could confidently complete the task. Once she was ready, she hurled Tanjiro as hard as she could. Tanjiro soared through the air towards Kanao as he shouted her name to catch her attention. She looked around, surprised to see Tanjiro falling towards her as he tackled her down. He immediately wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn't get hurt by the fall as his body slammed against the ground with his body cushioning Kanao.

They opened their eyes after wincing in pain as they looked into each other's eyes. Kanao pushed herself away from the boy as she got up and screamed, tears welling up in her eyes once more, "Why?! Why are you trying to stop me?!" Tanjiro picked himself up as he raised his voice towards Kanao:

"Because I know how you feel right now! I've been there and I need you to know that this isn't the way to handle the situation!"

Kanao's voice got even higher due to how emotional she was becoming, "THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! MY SISTER IS DEAD AND YOU WANT ME TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT?!"

Tanjiro was getting frustrated by this point as he barked, "OF COURSE NOT! But running off without a plan with no understanding of the situation is only going to get you killed!"

"MAYBE I'D RATHER BE DEAD THAN LIVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT MY SISTER! IF I DIE WHILE AVENGING HER, THEN THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!"

Tanjiro's pupils dilated to tiny dots as he took a step back, his heart stopped for a brief moment upon hearing the girl's statement. His face turned red from fury as he became more expressive with his body language and started losing his restraint as he exclaimed, "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DO THAT! I REFUSE TO SIT HERE AND WATCH AS THE GIRL I LOVE THROWS HER LIFE AWAY! SHINOBU PUT HER FAITH IN YOU! SHE PUT HER HEART AND SOUL INTO YOU! YOU ARE HER LEGACY AND YOU JUST WANT TO THROW IT ALL AWAY!" Tanjiro was left out of breath but he needed to keep talking as he continued between breaths, "Is that.. what you want…?! Waste your life for revenge? Look, I'm not telling you that you shouldn't, but you can't get consumed in your anger! It doesn't give you anything! All it does is make the pain worse…"

Beautiful days by Koala Mode

Kanao was silent after hearing Tanjiro's eulogy, processing most of what he said but there was one part that she couldn't believe. She refused to believe it as she muttered, "You- you're lying…! You told me you only loved Nezuko!" Kanao's tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked away, she didn't even want to look him in the eye right now. Tanjiro looked away as well for a brief period before keeping his gaze on her as she explained:

"I did, but I was too afraid to admit I loved you as well. I didn't think I deserved to with all that's going on. It felt wrong to me but I can't deny my feelings any longer. You, Kanao, are the one I love."

The tsunami of emotions Kanao felt proved to be too much for her as she collapsed to her knees and covered her face as she cried. She felt so guilty for being happy at the moment while still mourning the death of her sister. She didn't know what to feel or what she should be feeling. Tanjiro knelt in front of the girl as he placed his hands on her shoulders and told her, "Kanao, I know how empty you feel right now and how much it hurts. But just know that I will always be there for you, no matter what. I promise."

Kanao still cried but she slowly uncovered her face as she barely uttered, "I've been in so much pain. I felt unwanted and that the only one who loved me was my big sister. I couldn't imagine a world without her. I even thought you didn't want me which made me feel so alone. I didn't know how to talk to you, I didn't have anyone to go to besides my older sister but now she's gone…"

Tanjiro took a deep breath as he boldly stated, "Then let me make things right." Tanjiro tightened his grip on the girl's shoulder as the two of them stared intensely into each other's eyes. Without a moment's notice, the boy pulled Kanao into a heartfelt kiss. Tanjiro closed his eyes as Kanao's widened, she had never experienced a kiss in her life but despite this, she felt all the tension in her body give way as she succumbed to her emotions and embraced the moment. She placed her soft hands on Tanjiro's face as their lips locked and she closed her eyes as well. The two of them felt warmth and satisfaction unlike anything they've experienced in their life up until that moment. All of their buried passion was released into their prolonged kiss.

After an extended period of time, the two of them gently parted their lips as their gazes were locked on one another. Kanao mustered a smile despite the tears still rolling down her cheeks. Tanjiro wiped away her tears with his hand as he told the girl, "It's okay to cry, but just know that you are never alone. I will always be with you, I promise." Tanjiro pulled the girl into an embrace as the two sat in the middle of the road with Nezuko watching from a distance, overjoyed by the situation.

It wasn't until the moon had risen and the sun descended where most of the people in the Butterfly Mansion had gone to sleep. Tanjiro had just explained the situation to the Doom Slayer who was still tinkering with the beacon on his workbench. The Slayer partially listened to the conversation but mostly concentrated on the beacon. However, once the boy was done, the Slayer said to Tanjiro, "You've matured a lot since we first met. So, all I can say is: good job. You've earned it."

Tanjiro chuckled as he informed the Doom Slayer, "Thank you, Mister Flint." The boy stood up and wished the man a good night before heading back to the infirmary room. The Slayer watched as the boy exited the room, he couldn't help but pridefully smirk as he made a "hmph" sound and returned to his work. As the boy instinctively turned towards the direction to the infirmary, he stopped when he remembered Kanao and turned the other way towards her room.

Tanjiro walked up to the door and quietly opened it to look inside. He shouldn't be surprised by what he saw but the sight still pained him nonetheless. There, he witnessed the girl curled up into a ball on her bed, quietly sobbing into her pillow as she mourned the death of her sister. Tanjiro and the Doom Slayer knew better than anyone how difficult it is to move on from the pain of loss. He was trying to think of the best possible way to comfort her which reminded him of his family. He felt like he was looking to his past as he could see his little siblings playing with their toys in the living room. They all turned to him as they called out to him, "Big brother Tanjiro, come play with us!" Their cheerful expressions faded away as Tanjiro was only left with the darkness of Kanao's room.

Kanao sat up from her bed as she quietly called out, "Tanjiro…?" The boy closed the door behind him as he took a seat next to her. By then, the girl had sat up completely and lit up her room lamp so she could still see Tanjiro.

The boy could see she had been crying for quite a bit based on her puffy red cheeks and slightly irritated eyes. He asked her, "You can't stop thinking about it, can you? That hole in your heart."

"Yeah…"

Tanjiro looked towards the ceiling as if looking back at the stars while explaining, "I used to have a family but all I have left is Nezuko. There's never a day where I'm not thinking about my old life and how much I would