Candle light lit the bedroom.
Of course, it doesn't fill the room with warmth.
So, Saburo decide to search for any charcoal left in the kiln. However, his old body was too exhausted that when he intends to stand up, his knees gives and fall.
Giyu was quick to react and help Saburo sit down. After that, he took over and look for the remaining charcoal.
'This kid...'
Saburo stared at Giyu, who was busying himself with bringing fresh water and looking for charcoals without saying a word.
'So he's a good kid.'
---
"Cough..."
Tanjiro head is buzzing and aching as he tries to stay up.
Goto moved his right hand and placed it atop of Tanjiro's forehead, feeling it hot.
"It seems he has developed a fever."
"Still, it's better than losing your life."
Tanjiro coughed slightly. The hand on his forehead bring him back to reality, and he remembered.
"Father... Father, is he okay?" He reached out, consciousness blurred, trying to reach someone to answer his question.
~Clap.~
"Don't worry. Your father is fine. A little exhausted and malnourished, but he is sleeping right now." Goto held Tanjiro's hand and reply to his question firmly.
"He'll be fine."
Hearing the assurance, Tanjiro relaxed in his bed.
"Thank... Thank you." Tanjiro hoarsely said.
The room is silent as everyone work their own self appointed job.
Then, Tanjiro heard the front door being and turned his head to see Giyu planning to leave.
"Hey... What you said before..." Tanjiro tried to stopped him.
And it work since Giyu seemed to stand still as he heard Tanjiro speaks.
"What exactly is this... Demons... that you're talking about?"
"Was our house... got attacked by demons?"
"My mother... my sisters and brothers, are they...?"
After seeing the condition of Tanjuro and Tanjiro, Giyu understood that he would have to ask about the whereabouts of the demon another time.
As Hashira, he had other tasks to perform and couldn't afford to waste time.
So, Giyu turned his to look at Tanjiro in his eyes.
"Yes."
With that, Giyu signal Goto to explain everything and left.
As soon as he step out, a kasugai crow immediately descend to deliver a message from headquarter.
"Caw! Caw!"
"Water Hashira! Giyu Tomioka!"
"Hurry! Hurry!"
"Go to northern snow mountain now!"
---
---
Goto stared at the direction Giyu left, a strange feeling of exasperation and helplessness at the other party attitudes.
The Water Hashira has a strange temperament, but Goto finds out how to navigate around his mood after spending a lot of time as his Kakushi.
Tomioka Giyu is not good at talking or socializing.
But, he is a very gentle person at heart.
"I'm sorry about that, Tomioka-dono is a person of few words, but he's actually not a bad person." Goto smiled helpless at Tanjiro.
"Please don't be prejudiced against him, otherwise..."
Goto recall the relationship between the Pillars, especially the Water Hashira and his comrades. Goto suddenly feel a second hand embarrassment on behalf of Giyu and rubbed the back of his head.
"He would be too pitiful..."
Tanjiro eyes never left Giyu, even when the door obscure his vision. It may be because of his high fever that his sense of smell was dulled.
But even so, Tanjiro could still smell the suffocating waves of sadness that permeated from Giyu.
"How sad..."
~Drip drip~
Tears began to fall from Tanjiro eyes, other bodily fluids too. He tried to used the closest cloth to his snot and tears, which is Goto hand and sleeves.
"Wait! Why are you crying all of a sudden!?"
"Ugh! Gross! Stop that!"
---
---
After calming Tanjiro down, Goto starts explaining things about demons and the Demon Slayer Corps.
"The demons is man-eating monster with amazing strength and vitality. Even if their hands and feet are broken and their stomachs sliced open, they can still regenerate and keep fighting..."
...
...
"How scary!"
Takeo frowned and listened carefully to the story of the demon told by Urokodaki. He clenched Shigeru's arm beside him, trying to make his fear go away.
"Then, aren't demons immortal?"
"Their hands and feet can grow back."
"That's not the case anymore." Urokodaki voice cut through the kids.
"If a demon is exposed to sunlight or slain by a Nichirin blade, it will die."
"The Demon Slayer Corps uses these two methods to fight and kill demons."
In the Mountain of Sagiri, inside the house of Urokodaki Sakonji.
The rest of the Kamado family gathered around the tengu masked man and listened to his stories about demons.
Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Nezuko, and Kie pay careful attention so as to not miss any information being told right now.
"Aren't you afraid?" Shigeru is the first one to spoke and asked question.
He hesitated, clenching his own hands to try and stop them from trembling in fear. He looked at Urokodaki straight in the eyes.
"The Demon Slayer Corps... aren't they.. afraid when facing such terrifying monsters?"
"I... I feel scared just listening to it."
Urokodaki pondered for a moment as he looked at Shigeru shivering form. Then, he reached out and gently stroked Shigeru's head.
"I am scared." Urokodaki said with certainty.
"Huh?"
All the children were stunned. They hadn't expected that answer.
"Anyone would be afraid of encountering a demon." Urokodaki continued.
"But even if you're afraid, you have to stand and fight."
"Why?" Hanako asked from the embrace of Nezuko.
"Because everyone has different reasons and belief to fight."
"But most of them are because they have experienced the pain of losing someone they cherish."
Urokodaki tone turned somber and melancholy, as if he remembered his past choices and actions that he took.
"A demon is a being that will destroy everything you cherish and loved."
"I don't want others to experience the same pain as I did, so I fought to protect the weak and the good people of this world."
"That's why, I'll win against any demon in front of me and against the 'demon' in my heart."
...
...
"Then... my father, is he also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Tanjiro turned his head to looked at Tanjuro, who was lying in a futon beside him.
"I'm not sure. I never heard of someone like your father in the Corps." Goto shook his head as he rinse a towel in fresh water before pressing it on Tanjiro's forehead.
"But your father must have been a highly experienced sword master, and he must have known some people in the Corps."
"To be able to survive in front of a demon and protect you when his body was so weak."
"Is that so..." Tanjiro closed his eyes.
...
...
"That's right." Urokodaki nodded at Kie, confirming her earlier question.
"This is everything your husband didn't have time to explain."
"Your home was attacked by a demon last night."