Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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The Butterfly Mansion was partially reduced to rubble from the recent battles, now undergoing reconstruction.
Off-duty corps members had spontaneously organized themselves and were working with feverish energy.
"Sayo, hand me the hammer."
Senjuro reached out toward Sayo, who stood on the ground below.
Sayo and Senjuro were working together, contributing their modest strength by passing various tools to the members working on the rooftop.
"Hanako will help too!"
Hanako jogged over, struggling to lug a hammer with both hands, though the tool's weight clearly exceeded what a girl her age could reasonably manage.
"Heave... ho!"
It looked less like carrying and more like her just grimly dragging the hammer along as she trotted.
A hand appeared within Hanako's field of vision and firmly grasped the hammer.
It lifted the tool with ease.
Hanako's gaze followed the hammer upward, and her young eyes reflected a familiar figure.
It was Takeo.
"Leave stuff like this to your big brother!"
Takeo casually slung the hammer over his shoulder and patted his chest with confidence, inwardly quite pleased with himself.
"Heh!" The corner of his mouth curled up, and he couldn't suppress a small chuckle.
Tanjiro had always been the eldest brother of the household.
This time, he finally got to experience what it felt like to be the reliable older sibling.
Humming a little tune to himself, and with Hanako watching him with some concern from behind, he clambered up onto the roof in a few quick steps and began repairing the broken tiles.
Footsteps sounded beside her. Hanako instinctively turned to look.
"Takeo has always wanted to be just like Tanjiro."
Shigeru stood next to her, cradling the youngest brother, Rokuta, in his arms and gently patting his back. He shook his head with a tone of fond exasperation.
"We all feel the same way."
Soothing the already sleeping infant, he turned slightly and glanced back at Hanako. "Come on, Hanako. Takeo won't fall."
"Mom needs us over there."
Hearing this, Hanako's gaze wavered briefly between Takeo and Shigeru before she withdrew it and nodded firmly.
"Okay!"
...
Amidst the ruins.
"...Need... someone... over here... help!"
A Kakushi member clad in the black uniform clenched his jaw. His hands were supporting a stack of bricks piled higher than his own head, and his legs were braced in a horse stance as he shuffled forward with agonizing difficulty.
He squeezed out a plea for help through gritted teeth.
"Hurry! I can't... hold it!!"
"Coming!!"
Tanjiro's voice rang out.
Waving an arm, he set down the other task he had been working on, steadied his breathing, and dashed over.
The Kakushi felt only a gust of wind, followed by a sudden lightness in his arms.
"Alright! Careful!" Tanjiro's gentle voice came through.
In the blink of an eye, he had taken the stacked bricks from the Kakushi's hands. He smiled and nodded, looking as though it required no effort at all.
He then turned and headed toward the outer wall.
Leaving the slightly dumbfounded Kakushi standing there, scratching his head and murmuring to himself.
"...That's really something."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Another figure wearing a boar's head was dashing wildly across the work site. "Hmph! The Great Lord is the strongest!"
Looking closer, it was Inosuke weaving through the crowd, hauling timber back and forth.
The Kakushi members he passed were visibly startled and flustered.
"That boar..." Covered in dust and grime, Zenitsu stood not far away. He looked up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and stared at Inosuke in disbelief.
"Is he actually helping...?"
Zenitsu blinked, his voice growing progressively more confident as he pointed a finger at Inosuke and shouted.
"He's totally just causing chaos!"
"Sigh..." A passing Kakushi shook his head wearily. He patted Zenitsu on the shoulder with an exhausted look in his eyes, then walked away without a word.
Zenitsu froze for a second. He turned his head, his eyes sweeping over the bustling ruins of the Butterfly Mansion.
"Everyone!!"
Nezuko's voice called out from the mansion's entrance.
It immediately drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look.
She and Kie were pulling two carts laden with still-steaming rice balls. Both waved as they approached, Kie smiling warmly.
"Food's ready!"
Instantly, a cheer erupted throughout the mansion grounds.
...
On the road outside the Butterfly Mansion.
A lone figure was racing along at high speed, the scenery on either side blurring past. His feet pounded against the muddy path, occasionally kicking up flecks of dirt.
Tanjuro had never felt the road to the Butterfly Mansion was this long.
After what felt like an eternity.
He regulated his breathing, slightly winded.
He raised his head. Before him stood the half-rebuilt gate of the mansion. Faint sounds of cheering and shouting drifted out from within.
Calming his emotions, he slowed his pace and let out a long, steadying breath.
He stepped into the courtyard.
It was a bustling scenery, a crowded circle of Kakushi members gathering to collect food.
And there, in the center of it all, surrounded by everyone, were Kie and the Kamado children, handing out rice balls.
"Here you go, careful it's hot. Next!"
Kie handed out a rice ball and a bowl of miso soup, looking up to greet the next Kakushi in line.
But out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of Tanjuro standing at the gate.
Kie froze for a moment, then stood completely still.
She turned her head fully toward Tanjuro. The weariness in her eyes gradually transformed into joyful surprise.
Their gazes met across the distance.
Seeing Kie's stunned expression, the others paused and followed her line of sight toward the gate.
"Father!" Shigeru shouted in delight from nearby, instantly shattering the quiet.
"Father's back?" Takeo and Hanako looked up simultaneously, standing on tiptoe amidst the crowd waiting for food, barely managing to glimpse a sliver of sky.
Tanjuro and Kie pushed through the throng, stumbling slightly as they moved toward each other.
Kie threw herself into Tanjuro's arms. Her vision grew blurry as she breathed in the faint scent of blood still clinging to him.
She patted his back gently, her voice trembling. "You're home... that's all that matters..."
"Yeah." Tanjuro nodded in return. He made to embrace her, but suddenly remembered he hadn't bathed in days due to demon slaying.
He immediately stiffened on the spot.
Tanjiro emerged from the crowd, leading the rest of the children.
He raised his hand high above the crowd, waving. "Father!"
The family had finally come together.
They huddled close, embracing one another. The surrounding Kakushi members, seeing this, considerately cleared a space around them.
Tanjuro slowly lifted his head.
His gaze passed over each of his children in turn.
Finally, the corners of his mouth gently lifted. The exhaustion in his eyes vanished completely. Softly, he spoke the words he had rehearsed in his heart countless times.
"Let's go home."