“Daki, Gyutaro, good morning! Why don't we-”

Y/N entered their room to see Akaza squirming on his bed while Gyutaro and Daki pressed a pillow against his face.

“WHY ARE YOU GUYS TRYING TO SUFFOCATE HIM-”

.

.

.

After this, it had to be accepted that it's impossible to keep them in the same room, so Akaza was separated from them.

Well, it's not like you can blame them, they grew up with the 'attack first before they attack you' mindset, and Akaza is still an incognito to everyone.

He did say that 'He would do anything in his power' for Y/N to live, and though if you looked at this statement at surface level it could mean that he's willing to help her out, it could also mean that : “As long as Y/N ends up alive, I don't really care about anything else that happens.” Which means that he still could put other people's lives at risk.

So basically, Akaza seemed to be currently siding with nobody. Neither humans nor demons. He was just..... there.

“Thanks for not exploding their heads, it would suck to have to clean the blood…” Y/N said with a tired sigh as they rested on the floor of his new room.

“I hate weak people, but since they are your friends…”

“Aaawww, when did you start to get so cute?”

“Shut it.”

“Totally shut!” She got up from the floor. “Since you're fine, I will be le-”

“Are you going to see that Giyuu person again?” He suddenly asked, making her stop going to the door.

“Yeah! But don't worry, today's the last day!” She looked over shoulder.

“And..... Tanjiro will be there too?”

“Yep.”

'Oh wow- he suddenly started emitting a terrifying aura!' Y/N jolted.

“Wow- Do you really hate him that much?” Her smile got awkward.

Akaza didn't answer her, only coldly turning his head away with a 'humph'.

“Is the great upper moon three sulking?”

“….”

“Pff- I will be leaving then, be sure to not be sulking when I come back.”

“Wait, before you go!” He suddenly grabbed her wrist, it was so sudden that she stumbled, her back hitting against his chest.

“Ow! What was that for?” She looked up at him with a frown.

“Look, I think need to tell you something important.”

Y/N's frown dropped when she noticed how serious his expression was. “What is it?”

“You NEED to be careful. I mean, everyone in the corps needs to, but specially you.”

“Huh? How so?”

“I think Daki and Gyutaro didn't notice it because their connections to the master weakened, but his cells have been going crazy recently, I think that he's going to act up, or something that annoyed him happened.”

“Something?”

“I don't know how to explain, but when I look at you, I feel such heavy anger. And it's not from me, I think it's from him.”

'Damn, Muzan really hates my guts- it's even affecting Akaza-' She sweat-dropped.

“Anyway, just be CAREFUL, okay?”

“Careful…? Okay, got it.” She nodded.

“I'm being serious. Don't get out of my sight during the night.” Akaza narrowed his eyes.

“Oh my! You can't say these types of things before marriage!” He kicked her out of the room in response, harshly closing the door behind her.

She stood there blankly for some seconds, before dropping her shoulders. “Did he got mad? Maybe I went too far with the teasing…?”

Akaza, however, was holding back from breaking everything inside the room, covering his face with his hands to hide the flush of his cheeks even though there was nobody watching.

'Oh, right! Giyuu!' Y/N ran off to find Tanjiro, so they could go annoy him again.

After they found him, they kept talking about dull things with Giyuu all afternoon and night.

“What's wrong, Giyuu? What's wrong?”

“Do you want a candy? I can tell more jokes!”

They truly kept talking and talking.

And Giyuu was lost, is this going to go on forever? If I talk to them, maybe they will stop.

And that's how, after the fourth day of constant nagging, Giyuu gave up.

The three were passing through a bridge when Giyuu suddenly stopped and let out a loud sigh.

“I never actually passed the final selection.” He spoke up, Y/N and Tanjiro staring at his back with surprised expression.

“Eh? Final selection as in the wisteria mountain one?” Tanjiro asked.

“Yes. Back then, there was a boy whose family was killed by demons, just like me. His name was Sabito, I went into the selection with that orange-haired boy.”

Tanjiro's eyes widened in surprised, he seemed to have recognized the name.

“I was thirteen. We got along right away because we both lost our families and were of the same age. Sabito had a strong sense of justice, and he was a very kind boy. He was the only one who died in the selection that year. He pretty much single-handedly defeated every demon on that mountain, everyone aside from Sabito got accepted in that selection. I was injured by a demon who attacked me in the beginning, so I was fading in and out, then Sabito came and saved me. He entrusted me to another boy, then headed to another voice crying for help. When I came to, the selection was over, I was selected for surviving seven days. But I am a human who couldn't beat a single demon, and I was bailed out. Can I really say that I passed? I am not worthy of becoming the water pillar. I am not worthy of standing with the other pillars as equals, I'm not like them. I never should've had a place among the demon hunters.”

Tanjiro stared at him, completely surprised. Tears starting to form in his eyes.

“You two should just go take the pillar training, that's best for you. I'll never get that mark… maybe Sabito would've gotten it.” Giyuu started to leave them behind. “Don't concern ourselves with me anymore, it's a waste of time.”

Both of them watched him leave in silence, Tanjiro staring at his back in shock. 'I'm sure Giyuu-san thinks his death would be a good thing. I know how that feels, so much that it hurts. How you want someone precious to you to survive longer than you do, and if that person dies earlier, or dies protecting you, then it feels like your flesh is being gouged out…

Sabito. The boy who trained me in the misty mountains. It was a weird experience, two people who were already dead saved my life.

I see now. So Sabito and Giyuu were in the same selection. If Sabito had survived, he'd be the same age as Giyuu.

Wow, amazing, he actually saved everyone in his selection. I couldn't do that, I was too busy protecting myself.

If Sabito were alive, he probably would've been an amazing swordsman, and that's probably why Giyuu thinks his death would be a good thing.

I get him. Because I thought the same thing.

Y/N risked her life to protect Rengoku and the others, and almost lost it.

To be honest, everyone thought that she was dead. It was astounding when she woke up. Shinobu even joked that maybe the gods were helping her.

Even so, when Y/N seemed to have died, I thought that it would have been better if I had died instead.

From the start, she was way different from me, I mean, she turned into a demon slayer in almost a month, isn't that what people call a prodigy? Perhaps she will be the one to eventually beat Muzan, but…

To me, you're already perfect.

But…

You don't need to become like me or anyone else.

I know, I know.

But I just don't know what to say to Giyuu. No matter how ashamed or embarrassed you are, you have to stay alive.

Giyuu may not accept it, but he's a pillar now. No matter how much you badmouth yourself, and no matter how much you remind yourself of painful days.

I know nothing about Giyuu, so I can't blame him for anything. But… but… there's only one thing I really want to ask him.'

“Giyuu-san!” Tanjiro ran after him. “Gi-”

“Sniff… WAAAAH! THAT'S TERRIBLE!” Interrupting Tanjiro's question, Y/N suddenly tackled Giyuu from behind while crying, he tumbled as she attached herself to his back, it was so sudden that he ended up exasperatedly holding her thighs in a reflex action for her to not fall down, it looked like he was giving her a pig back ride from outside view.

“What are you doing?!” He looked over his shoulder to glare at her, but froze from shock after seeing her completely filled with tears face.

“How could you say something so terrible?! If you! Sniff- if you think your friend would like hearing that, then you're wrong! He didn't save for you this! If you die, then his sacrifice would mean nothing! WAAAAAH-”

Y/N's isn't good at comforting people. There are plenty of times that she ends up crying instead, like this one.

Even so, her words, though different, reminded him of something he forgot.

At that time, Sabito had slapped him. It was so harshly that he even fell down.

"S….sabito…” He touched his swollen cheek.

“Don't say that you'd better off dying. Ever again. If you do, you and I are done, we'll stop being friends. Your sister was supposed to get married the next day, and despite knowing that, she hid you from the demons and protected you. You have nobody else…? That's an insult to your sister. You can't die. Ever. That life she lost to protect you? The future she left for you?”

Tanjiro, unaware of his flashback, asked : “Isn't whatever Sabito entrusted to you, keeping you two together?”

Giyuu stop holding one of Y/N's legs, blankly reaching out to touch his cheek, the same one Sabito had slapped before. “They're still with you, Giyuu.”

'…ouch. I can clearly remember the impact and the pain of getting slapped. Why did I forget about that? The exchange I had with Sabito was really important. I don't want to remember. My tears just wouldn't stop. Whenever I did remember, I got so sad I couldn't do anything.

… Tsutako nee-san…

…Sabito….

Sorry for being immature…'

Y/N, also unaware that he was currently having a flashback, kept wailing loudly while resting her cheek on the top of his head, her arms wrapped around his neck were almost suffocating him. “Sniff- I AM REALLY GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE! SO DON'T SAY YOU DON'T DESERVE IT! THANK YOU FOR BEING BORN! WAAAAAH-”

“…Really… what are even you saying now…? You're so weird…” Giyuu softly commented, he was staring down at the floor, so both of them couldn't tell what expression he was making.

'Crap, he's not even twitching-' Tanjiro started to sweat nervously. 'Oh no, did we accidentally say something really mean? Giyuu was already sulking a lot, did we accidentally give the final blow just now…?

….! I know! Let's have a speed eating contest!' From where Tanjiro got this idea from would forever be a mystery.

'Maybe if he wins, he will feel better and start training? Perhaps. I mean, I still don't have permission to train, so I can't partner up with him, Giyuu is a shy guy, but we don't need to talk if we are eating! I guess that's why Y/N would always suggest for us to eat together with him! (it really wasn't) Also, talking about her, she's still crying a lot, and food always cheer up, so it's perfect!'

As Y/N finally detached herself from Giyuu's back while cleaning the tears on her face, he turned to speak with Tanjiro.

“Tanjiro, Y/N, sorry for the delay, but I'll go train as we-”

“You guys want to have a cold soba eating contest with me?” He suddenly asked with a serious expression, interrupting Giyuu.

'Why?' Giyuu was in shock.

“I'M IN!” And Y/N, not so much.

They ended up having the contest, and Y/N won. Easily. She messed up Tanjiro's plan in letting Giyuu win to cheer him up.

Y/N went to the pillar training for the rest of the day, and then went back to the butterfly mansion to sleep.

She was so tired, to the point that she instantly lost consciousness when her face hit the pillow.

However, after a while…

Y/N!!

'Huh…?'

Y/N! GET UP!

'Ether… why are you screaming?'

There's something coming! Something really powerful! I think it's after you-!

'Me?!'

Unless you want your friends at the mansion to get caught up, run! Get as much away from it as possible!'

She exasperatedly got up from bed, grabbing her sword and running off to the forest.

It's getting closer! Faster! FASTER!

“I'M RUNNING AS FAST AS I CAN-! ARGH!” Something harshly hit her ankle, making her fall down.

She rolled over on the floor, her hair all over her face as she felt the familiar taste of blood in her mouth.

Y/N! Are you okay?! Get up!

She weakly raised her head, trying to take a glance at what hit her ankle and made her fall in the first place.

'Is that…. ice…?'

“That scared me!”

A new voice appeared, one that she recognized. Y/N could hear her heart thumping loudly in her chest, she could also hear the footsteps of someone approaching her.

“You started to run off all of a sudden! Did you know that I was coming?” They crouched in front of her, and even so, she couldn't bring herself to look up at the new person.

“Hey, why aren't you saying anything…? I came because I was interested in the human who riled up the lord so much, you can't be THAT boring, can you?”

He reached his hand out to her, grabbing her chin and delicately pulling her head up to stare at her face.

“Can you please make all that travel worthy, Y/N?” He faked a smile.

Upper moon two, Douma, is here.