Muichiro freed himself from the prison, water splashing everywhere as he immediately fell to the ground, coughing loudly and gasping for air.

“Aaah- Muichiro!” Y/N quickly sat on the floor beside him, gently rubbing his back in an attempt to help him ease his erratic respiration.

He finally sat up, still coughing a bit as he started to pull out the needles that were still attached to his body, Y/N winced a bit with the sight.

'Ungh… the numbness is horrible! These needles… I got out of the water vase, but….'

“You mustn't be inflexible in your thinking, Muichiro. When you recover your confidence, you will get stronger.” He remembered Ubuyashiki's words. 'The master's face! His illness is advancing… And it hurts!'

“Kotetsu, hey! Don't you dare die on me-!” Muichiro stop spacing out when Y/N's distressed voice reached his ears, she was holding the kid in her arms.

“Ko…tet…su…” He weakly said, crawling to the two to see the boy more closely, though he had another cough attack as soon as he got close enough.

'My lungs hurt… from all the water in them…

…mother got pneumonia from a bad cold and died. It was a stormy day. Father went to pick herbs to help her and fell off a cliff. He, too, died.'

“Tokito…. Y/N..... forget about me…. Help Haganekuza….protect…the swords….” Kotetsu weakly said.

“Ugh- Hold on-!!” Y/N bit the sleeve of her haori, ripping off a big piece from it and wrapping it around his small body in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. “I-I'm sorry that I can't do more for you…”

Muichiro was still in a shocked state, trying to sort out the incredible amount of painful memories that came to him all at once. '… Both of my parents died when I was ten. I was alone....... No. That's wrong. I wasn't alone until I was 11.

I had a twin.

My older brother's name was Yuichiro. My brother had a harsh tongue, I feel like lately I may have been kinda like him.

It was stifling living alone with Yuichiro. I thought he hated me, and I thought he was cold.

In the spring, someone came to visit. It was the master's wife. Yuichiro spoke as roughly as he always did and turned Lady Amane away.

We no longer spoke to Lady Amane, who continued visiting the house… And we only fought once, when Yuichiro shot down my idea to become a demon slayer.

Summer came, the weather was hot that year. We were irritable all the time, the nights were humid and the cicadas buzzed.

We left the door open and were asleep when a demon came in.

“Be quiet! Stop your fussing! Poor woodcutters like you have no value anyway! Whether you live or die, nothing will change! Your lives are worthless!”

I saw red. I had never felt that way in my life. Fierce anger was boiling up from the pit of my stomach.

I really can't remember anything after that…. It's hard to believe that tremendous roar came from my own throat.

The next thing I knew, the demon lay dying. But it was suffering, since even with a crushed head, it couldn't die.

It wasn't long before the sun rose, and the demon turned to mist and disappeared, but, from the bottom of my heart, I didn't care…

I wanted to…. hurry to Yuichiro…. But my body was suddenly heavy as lead….it took quite a long time… until I saw the house up ahead….

“Gods…. and… Buddha…please….  at least spare my little brother….he's not like me….his heart….is kind. He wants to…. help people….but I stopped him…. I'm the one….who's bad. If you must punish someone….punish me…, please.

…the truth is…

…that I knew….

The 'mu' in 'muichiro'…. is the 'mu' in 'mugen'…. Infinity…”

Muichiro suddenly started to get up, Y/N confusedly stared at him as he tightened his grip on his sword.

A mark appeared in his forehead and cheek.

“For the good of others….you… can tap into infinite strength. You are one of the chosen ones."

Muichiro immediately ran to the wood cabin where Kanamori and Haganezuko were inside.

Gyokko gritted his…. eye…? In anger, he has been attacking Haganezuka all this time, trying to make him lose concentration and stop polishing the sword.

'I can't stand it! This man! This HUMAN! No matter what I do, he doesn't stop sharpening that sword! Even when I crushed one of his eyes, he didn't cry out! Just kept working instead!'

“Unngh….unghh…” Kanamori, who was laying on the floor while hurt, groaned in my pain, Gyokko turned to the man. 'But what if I kill HIM?'

A sword appeared from behind him, swiftly coming in the direction of his neck as he quickly got back inside his pot.

'He got out of the vase!' Gyokko backed away from Muichiro. 'How? I have no idea! I thought he was dying, so I wasn't paying attention!'

“Hello!” Y/N popped out from behind Muichiro, but winced when she saw the demon. “Eeew, you are even uglier than I expected-!”

'THERE'S ANOTHER ONE?! WHERE DID SHE COME FROM?! No- but, if you see the other way around… That's how deeply I was concentrating!! Good!'

Gyokko then concentrated more deeply in the hashira's face. 'Hmm? Wait, wait, wait! What's that mark? Based on what lord Muzan said, it's like the mark on the boy with the earrings… No, no… more importantly, why did you show up so casually? My attack should have paralyzed your body! How did you wound me faster than before….?'

Muichiro ran in his direction in a scary speed, Gyokko quickly took out another vase, pointing it directly at Muichiro as massive Octopus tentacles started to come out from it.

Octopus Vase Hell!

“Lord Tokito, Y/N!” Kanamori quickly tried to run up to them with Muichiro's new sword in hands, as the boy in question attempted to cut one of the tentacles, only for his chipped blade to break in half.

The big tentacles consumed the whole cabin, destroying it as tentacles grabbed Kanamori and the two demon slayers and lift them up in the air. “Hyo hyo! The octopus flesh is very resilient! How about that? You guys can't cut it!”

Haganezuka fell to the ground, he nonchalantly grabbed back the sharpening tool and went back to work in the sword.

'He's still sharpening…. Is he stupid? That's not normal.' Gyokko ignored him, his attention back to others still suspended in the air by the tentacles.

'This is octopus, right?' Y/N looked down at the tentacle with a firm grip around her body. 'I wonder if it's edible…'

“I went too easy on you before. This time I'll crush you up and absorb you and your little friend over there!” Gyokko said, but was surprised when the tentacles were suddenly cut in various pieces, the three falling to the ground as Muichiro did a perfect landing. (Y/N wobbled a bit, but it was already surprising enough that she managed to land on her feet in the first place.)

“You made… a sword for me.” Muichiro took out his brand new katana. “You have my thanks, Kanamori.”

“…! No… I… I just made it based on what your first swordsmith wrote down, so…”

“Oh? Tetsuido made my first sword…. but he died of heart disease.” He commented.

'Humph! It doesn't matter how many swords he gets!' Gyokko huffed.

'Now… it makes sense.' Muichiro prepared to attack.  'Tetsuido… I'm sorry… I made you worry. But now….' Various tentacles came in his direction. 'I am fine.'

Mist breathing, fifth form : sea of clouds and haze!

He cut them with ease, quickly getting closer to Gyokko as he once again escaped to inside his vase.

“That's some fast chopping! Yet, you can't match how quickly I move through vases!” The demon said, now in a vase on top of a tree branch.

“Oh?” Muichiro looked up at him. “It seems your senses are quite dull. It's because you've lived for hundreds of years.”

Just as he said that, a shallow cut around Gyokko's collarbone appeared, blood gushing out from it.

“Next time, I'll cut it off. I can't afford to keep playing around with you and these vases.”

“…. Don't mock me, boy.”

“I'm not mocking you. I'm just stating a fact.”

“Yeah, are you sure you are even an upper-moon? Your speed is overwhelmingly slow compared to the others, and your appearance is…uh…” Y/N suddenly commented.

“SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? AND WHO INVITED YOU INTO THE CONVERSATION, GIRL??!”

“Your mo-”

“In any case, I'm going to cut off your head and kill you.” Muichiro interrupted them. “I mean, I sort of feel like I'm in incredible shape right now, I wonder why.”

“Even your tone is an insult, brat! You've only been alive for about ten years!”

“Say what you like, but there isn't a single thing about you I can respect. The way you look, the way you talk…you're just disgusting.” Muichiro stated.

“He's right. What went through your head for you to choose to swap the place of your eyes and mouth? Why have two mouths? And by the way, which mouth do you use to eat? Do the two of them work? Is there a day when you feel more like using the left one and a day you feel more like using the right one? Which one are you more feeling like using right now? Not that you WILL use it anyway-”

“SHUT UP! HOW CAN SOMEONE TALK THAT MUCH?! And you two are just too poor and uncultured to understand my beauty, refinement, and elegance!” Another vase started to spring out from the ground behind them. “Even if you show a cockroach a book, it can't read it!”

“But you're the one who looks like he scurries around in filth.” Muichiro commented.

“Yeah, crawling out from the ground like a mole, do you even take baths to clean out that dirt after? Ew.” Y/N completed.

Kanamori watched the whole thing in complete shock. 'These two… They are just taking turns in insulting him! They aren't taking him seriously at all!! Isn't he an upper-moon???'

“Shut up, vermin! Your limbs are too short for you to ever reach my neck! You and your little friend with the small brain should know when to be quiet!” Gyokko angrily responded.

“No. I totally reached it a minute ago. Anyway, YOUR arms and legs are SHORTER. Or were you talking to yourself just now? Sorry for interrupting.” Muichiro said, but then frowned. “Also, who are you to tell her to shut up? Only I can talk to Y/N like this.”

“T-that's the nicest thing you ever said about me-!” Y/N teared-up from joy as Muichiro rolled his eyes.

“Hyo hyo! What a childish provocation! You seem desperate, it's embarrassing! Do you both think that I, Gyokko, would be undone with such prattle?”

“Hmmm….hmmm” Muichiro and Y/N both tilted their heads at the same time while staring blankly at him.

“Hyo hyo! What's wrong?”

“I just noticed… is that vase leaning to one side? It doesn't look symmetrical, what shoddy workmanship.” Muichiro bluntly said.

“Also, I'm seeing a crack right there, such sloppy craft.” Y/N completed.

“THAT'S BECAUSE YOUR EYEBALLS ARE BULGING!” He angrily exclaimed, taking out multiple vases in all of his hands. “WHAT ABOUT MY VASE IS WARPED?! WHAT ABOUT MY VASE IS SLOPPY?!”

Blood demon art : Ten thousand gliding slime fish!!

Thousands of fishes with pointy teeth came out from the vases, flying in their direction and ready to eat the two up in a second.

“Ten thousand assassins will eat you down to your bones! I'll make you two parts of one of my pieces of arts! And since you brat seems to like that girl so much, I will even sew you two together as a gift!”

Mist breathing, sixth form : Lunar Dispersing mist!

Muichiro easily cut them up, jumping above them and slashing them down.

Seraphic Breathing, third form : Infinite Imprisonment!

Y/N quickly spun the sword, the fishes who were unlucky enough to choose to target her instead of Muichiro being quite brutally minced.

'Wha… they cut them all! And that boy… such speed and reach! Where did the poison I used on him go?! This is unexpected, but it's no problem, when killed by a nichirin sword, my slime fish spray poison before turning to dust! Even better, the poison absorbs through the skin, if it touches them, that's the end!'

Mist Breathing, third form : scattering mist splash!

Muichiro quickly spun, the poison being reflected by the attack and dispersing in the air far away from the two.

'Whaaaat? He spun and deflected all of it!' Gyokko thought in shock as Muichiro rapidly run in direction, his sword cutting his neck, but only his skin was there. 'I'll shed my skin-'

“Ugh… what a pain, would you please stop jumping up into trees?” Muichiro said, looking up to see Gyokko slithering up on a tree in a big snake form.

“Now I will show you two my true form!”

“Oh….okay.” Muichiro said, uninterested.

“Cool.” Y/N commented while trying to rub off the fish blood on her haori.

“You two are only the third to one to see this!”

“That's quite a lot.”

“You think so? I think it would sound more intimidating if he said we were the first ones to see this form.” Y/N stated to him, who shrugged in response.

“SHUT UP, YOU TWO! Once I get this serious, no one ever survived!”

“Oh, wow.”

“Do you want me to clap or something?”

“SHUT YOUR INSOLENT MOUTHS! BRAINLESS BRATS! These transparent scales are stronger than diamond! I developed this form inside my vase!”

He finally slithered out from the shadow of the tree, revealing his new appearance. “Kneel before this beautiful, perfect form!”

After this, the three stood there in an awkward silence, Y/N and Muichiro staring blankly at the demon, their eyes looked so dead that Gyokko even took a second glance to see if he really successfully switched his form.

“SAY SOMETHING, YOU PAIR OF DUNCES! YOU TWO REALLY GET UNDER MY SKIN!”

“Oh, an ant-trail, cool.” Y/N crouched on the ground while staring at the ants, his transformation was so underwhelming to her that she quickly lost interest in him.

“STOP LOOKING AT ANTS, YOUR INSOLENT BRAT- HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME-”

Muichiro raised his hand, starting to talk : “No, it's just that… you told me to shut my mouth. Also, I'm not the least bit…” Gyokko swiftly appeared in front of him before he could even finish speaking, ready to punch his head off. “…surprised.”

He started to give various punches to the floor, each spot he punched flooding with fishes.

“Didn't you just tell me to not flee into the trees? What a pain!” Gyokko looked up at Muichiro sitting on a tree branch, holding Y/N by her haori collar, she was quite literally being suspended in the air now.

“No, it's just…. that stink.” Muichiro blankly said, slapping away the fishes that were flopping on his lap. “My nose can't handle it.”

“What do you two think about my godlike hands? Anyone who touches my fists turns into an adorable fish! And my speed! My body is flexible and tough! And thanks to my flexible scales… I can bend in any direction I like!”

Muichiro looked down while trembling in response, and Y/N, who was still being hold by the collar, started to tear-up from fear at how creepy the smile in his face looked.

“You are trembling. Are you scared? My first attacks were just for show!”

Muichiro looked up at the demon, revealing his villain smile. “Even the strongest attacks are pointless if they don't hit.”

After this he finally pulled Y/N up, making her sit on the branch, he harshly cupped her cheeks, making her jolt from surprise. “Stay there, and don't move.”

“Huh? But-” She tried to argue, but he flashed such a sweet smile at her that she froze, I mean, she's so used to him being mean that when he treats her so nicely like this, it scares her to death!

“Okay, don't move, I got you.” She quickly nodded, he slightly patted her head before jumping down to face the demon.

'Remember… that boiling anger. I saw maggots crawling on my beloved brother as his body rotted. Maggots even got into my body. I saw the abyss of death. If help hadn't come along, I would have died.

Even if I lose my memory, my body will remember that anger, who will not leave me until I die. That's why I trained so hard that I vomited blood, to destroy demons…. and more… to eradicate them!'

“Behold my magnificence when I get serious!"

Blood demon art : Killer Fish Scales!

Muichiro and Gyokko started to change blows, the demon attacking quickly and in it seemingly impossible directions.

“How do you like my moves? They defy the laws of nature! Thanks to my scales, I have complete freedom of movement, it's impossible to predict, I love contradicting the laws of nature!”

The boy didn't answer him, he only kept silently reflecting his attack. “What kind of food shall I make of you? I'll rip off that ugly head of yours and replace it with a fish head!”

'This is the end!' The demon approached him from behind.

Mist breathing, seventh form : obscuring clouds!

Gyokko slashed at him, instead of seeing blood, Muichiro's image just dispersed, like he was only an illusion. 'He disa- No, over there! I see him!'

He saw the boy behind him and immediatly attacked, only for it to also be an illusion. 'He's gone!'

'Over there!' Gyokko saw him running around once again. 'Hyo Hyo! Too late!' He punched 'Muichiro', but he only disappeared again.

'…?! What?! How did he disappear?! What's going on?! Where did he go?!' He confusedly looked around, seeing only mist around, but no signal of the hashira. 'It's as if…

As if…

He's shrouded in mist!'

He once again saw the boy behind him, he attacked, and he was gone again. “Hey you… you…”

Gyokko exasperatedly followed the voice, seeing Muichiro right beside him. “Did you think you were the only one who wasn't serious before?”

And with that, his head was cut off in a flash. 'Huh?! What?! Everything's upside down! What happened?! My senses are gone!'

Everything seemed to proceed in slow-motion to the upper moon. 'That brat finally showed himself! I have to finish this fast and report to Muzan!'

“This is the end. Goodbye. You don't ever need to be reborn.” Muichiro blankly said.

Gyokko's head finally hit the ground, bouncing several times before stopping some meters away. '…?! He cut off my head! He cut off my head! He cut off my heeaaaad!!'

'No! Impossible! I don't believe it! What an incredible turn of events! I lost? To a child?! Me?! Wonderful me?!'

“AAAARRRGHH! THIS SHOULDN'T BE! I! GYOKKO! LOSING HIS HEAD! TO A MERE HUMAN! WHAT A HORRIBLE, LOWER FORM OF LIFE! I AM WORTH A HUNDRED OF YOU! I AM CHOSEN- A SUPERB BEING! BUT YOU'RE WEAK! YOU'RE DYING FROM THE MOMENT YOU'RE BORN! WITH MY GODLY HANDS, I TOOK YOUR RIDICULOUS AND WORTHLESS LIVES, AND TURNED THEM INTO SUBLIME ART! YOU UNGRATEFUL MAGGOTS!”

Muichiro interrupted him, cutting his head in numerous pieces with his katana. “That's enough, just go to hell already.”

“Lord Tokito, are you all right?! I had no idea what was going on!” Kanamori worriedly approached him.

He tried to respond, but was interrupted when Y/N suddenly tackled him into a hug while jumping up and down excitedly. “It was so amazing! You were so cool! 'Just go to hell already.' Aaah! What a cool line! Next time I fight a demon, I will say it too!”

“Your color is really bad, are you sure you are all right?” Kanamori once again questioned.

“Now that you said it, his complexion really doesn't look good…” Y/N worriedly let go of Muichiro, backing away to give him space and standing beside Kanamori.

“I'm totally…huff… fine… I have to hurry to Tanjiro and the others…”

“Hmm? You're huffing and puffing, and your body is trembling?! Hey, you're-”

“I'm fine. Would you please go to Kotetsu…?" Just as he said this, a considerable amount of foam suddenly came out from his mouth.

“YOU'RE FOAMING AT THE MOUTH!” Muichiro's body finally gave in as he face-planted on the floor. “YAAAAAAH! LORD TOKITOOO!”

Poison was coursing through him. He wasn't fine at all.

“Oh no! Is he gonna die?!” Kanamori crouched down to check on his body, slapping his back. “What should we do?! Hey! Y/N!”

He turned to her. “Twelve sheep, thirteen sheep-”

'She panicked and started to count sheep!!'

“Haganezuka!” He looked behind him only to see Haganezuka still sharpening the sword, completely concentrated. 'Argh! He's not coming! Even when I was getting killed, he completely ignored it!'

“Koff…koff-”

“AAAH! He's choking on the bubbles! W-what should I do?!”

“You should turn him on his side.” Kotetsu suddenly appeared behind them, saying this blankly.

“UAAAAAAAAH! THE GHOST OF THE BOY KOTETSU!”

“Ah! Kotetsu! You're okay!” Y/N snapped out from the sheep-counting to look at the kid.

“No. I'm not dead yet. I'm not a ghost.”

“NO, NO! GHOSTS DON'T KNOW THEY ARE DEAD!”

“No, no, no, I'm in flesh and blood.”

“No, no, no, no! You've lost so much blood, it would be weird if you WEREN'T dead!”

“This blood is from my arm, I was holding it against me, and it got on my belly, the wound on my arm is pretty deep…but, thanks to this…” He pointed to the piece of the haori Y/N had tightly wrapped around the wound before.

“It is only a temporary solution, but it helped to stop the bleeding for a while, at least. Though I feel a bit sorry that you had to rip your clothes for me Y/N, since you're always using that haori, I thought that it was important to you…”

'The girls in the butterfly mansion that gave me this haori… it was in the day before I went to the infinite train, to commemorate 'my first official mission' they said.....' Y/N thought, but flashed a gentle smile at Kotetsu and said : “Don't worry, clothes are easy to fix, but people? Not so much. Your well-being is waaaay more important to me.”

“O-Oh…” He got slightly pink from embarrassment.

“Y/N…” Muichiro weakly mumbled.

“Uhm? What is it?” She said, smiling gently.

“Can you….pat my head…?”

Kotetsu, Kanamori and Y/N froze from shock.

“WHAT THE- Y/N, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!” Kotetsu exclaimed.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING-??”

“AAAAAH- HE MUST HAVE DIED AND A WANDERING GHOST TOOK HIS BODY-!!” Kanamori screamed while trembling in fear.

They all looked down at Muichiro again, but after seeing his annoyed expression, it was obvious that it was still him.

Y/N cleaned her throat. “Uh, then, excuse me…” she slight lifted his head and let it lay on her lap. 'Uuuuh…. how did it go when Yoriichi did it…?'

She was a bit embarrassed, but still gently started to pat his head. “You did a fantastic job, Mui! I'm really proud of you! I will be sure to help Tanjiro and the others, so don't worry anymore and rest well, okay…?”

Tears started to seep out from his eyes, he seemed to be remembering his family. Y/N used her free hand to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop falling.

He calmed down after a while, the only sound around was the night cicadas as he slowly drifted out to sleep, Y/N still shyly petting his head.