Kai sat in the Butterfly Mansion's courtyard, holding the bridge of his nose.
His eyes were shut tight, his eyelids fluttering rapidly as if he were experiencing, reliving his worst nightmare while constantly resisting the urge to sleep.
Seated not far from him, on the raw earth as well, was Mang Jian.
The Blind Executioner kept frowning now and then, clenching and unclenching the fingers of his right hand as if a phantom pain troubled him deeply there.
Then there were the Hashiras, all scattered across the same courtyard.
Only Gyomei was standing upright, facing the wall.
The rest of them were either sprawled on the earth, staring at the sky, or were looking at Kai and Mang Jian.
Things couldn't have been clearer to them.
Bankai or not, Blood Demon Art or not, perhaps, they would fail to replicate the strength Kai and the blind man had displayed against that thing that once had gone by the name of Akaza.
And if the members of the Stormborn Clan were thinking so, then less needed to be said about the two Hashiras who had refused to accept the gift of becoming a demon with the ability to walk in the Sun.
Giyu sat on a tree branch, his face lacking all expression.
Lying on the ground, the Wind Hashira kept tossing and turning as if there was an itch in his bones that he just couldn't scratch.
Then there were Cersei, Petyr, Tanjiro, and the others, who observed this gray scene with understandable scowls on their faces.
And, watching them all, from afar, was Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
This should have been a joyous day, kind of, with the Hashiras successfully returning to the Mansion without breaking out into a full-blown War with the demons — a War that, no matter how much they would like not to admit it, they were bound to lose.
Yet, here they were, including Kai and the benefactor he had kept in secret, seated and lying as if they were all mourning for someone.
Kagaya had known about Mang Jian.
He had lost his ability to see into fate, but he remained the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Not willingly, though, as he had asked Kai to take that title away from him many times. But the guy just refused, saying he couldn't accept it as long as the fated War hadn't ended.
Kagaya had always felt a warm sensation inside him, knowing why Kai kept refusing him.
In some selfish corner of his heart, he himself wanted to see the end of Muzan and his demons… while guiding the Corps. Generations' worth of pride and expectations couldn't be healed, unlike a curse. As a Ubuyashiki, it was he who had to see the War to the end, or die trying.
But this?
This had gone beyond even his understanding.
A demon gaining Breathing Style was such a phenomenon that he couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams.
But Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, hadn't stopped there.
The demon had not only gained a Breathing Style, but awakened his Zanpakuto and… became one with it.
One with Zanpakuto…
This was something Kagaya had heard of.
It was written, in the most ancient scrolls, that the Demon Slayer who created the first Breathing Style, from which all Breathing Styles originated, had accomplished something like that. In fact, it was rumored that it was exactly this that had let him survive the Curse of Mark after failing to achieve Bankai despite causing a resonance between his Demon Slayer Marks.
But those ancient scrolls were written centuries ago.
With a great portion of those scrolls either lost or rotten, it was hard to tell what was a mere rumor and what was a shocking truth.
Akaza's feat did prove that… it could be done.
But what would happen next, none could predict.
Loss of identity? Perhaps, no. Loss of life essence? Perhaps, no. Change of desires, goals, and ambitions?
All Hashiras wanted one thing — to end the demons.
If one day they became one with their Zanpakuto to gain a higher power and lost all their will to fight, their ambition to end Muzan, their will to vanquish the centuries-long conflict, just like Shura Yukihanabi had done, then…
A Power that they knew could help them bring peace.
But, with so many uncertainties involved, it was a cursed Power at best; at worst, it wasn't a Power at all, but a heart demon.
Kagaya, knowing all this, realizing all this, and feeling all this, looked at his friends in concern.
If the likes of Kai — the man who had shown nothing but raw calm when it came to handling adversities — was seated on the floor, holding his head, then could he blame his Hashiras for displaying the same emotions?
No.
No, this was not the right way to think, Kagaya noticed.
Why hadn't Kai accepted his proposal to become the leader of the Demon Slayers? Perhaps, he had always known such a day would come? Perhaps, he had always known that he and all the Demon Slayers would need someone to bring them out of this silent chasm?
Oyakata-sama…
Kagaya remembered the words they called him by.
Getting healed from the bloodline curse didn't mean he could heal himself of the struggles, leaving his Demon Slayers to Kai's or someone else's mercy.
Because it was now, more so than ever, they needed him, as a leader… as a friend… someone who wouldn't — couldn't — see them lacking compared to an unachievable, cursed Power.
Kagaya took a deep breath and walked into the courtyard.
He began his healing with Kai, bending and putting a hand on his shoulder, and saying the only words that could, would, and should mean something to him at this moment.
"Your wife and child need you upstairs," Kagaya said, smiling. "Go. Spend some time with them."
Kai opened his eyes.
Kagaya noticed a yellowness fading in those hazel pupils, something he had witnessed many times.
Then, Kai sighed and nodded, preparing for a different kind of battle as he went to Shinobu.
Kagaya, on the other hand, walked toward the blind man, knowing his task had only just begun.