Once the Hashira meeting concluded, the Hashiras stayed behind to banter a bit. Shinjuro, Tengen, and Gyomei especially went to talk to Sanemi about his upcoming mission. While conversing, Sanemi noticed Kanae was leaving. Something seemed to be bothering her, which in turn bothered Sanemi. He also noticed Giyuu leaving, but he wasn't worried about him.
"-so will you and Tomioka be travelling immediately?" asked Tengen.
"Uh, no. Kanae told me I wouldn't be in peak condition until a month, so we'll depart next month. Anyways I need to go." Sanemi quickly spat as he ran to track where Kanae left. The three Hashiras just stared at him almost tripping as he turns away from the estate. Eventually they decided to depart together.
"Ah, young love. How beautiful," commented Gyomei.
"Yes, it's extremely flashy, although not as flashy as my three wives!" responded Tengen as he closes his eyes and strikes a pose.
Shinjuro just sighs to Tengen's antics. 'I wonder what Ruka will cook for dinner?'
"Although I got to say," added Tengen with an amused face. "Is it just me, or does Shinazugawa seem to tolerate Tomioka more? I thought he would refuse any mission if he worked with him? I'm surprised he didn't even spark a comment!"
"Well, it's nice to not hear Shinazugawa-san not screaming for once," replied Shinjuro, causing Tengen to let out a laugh.
"Yes, Shinazugawa-san seems to be calmer nowadays," said Gyomei as he puts his hands together in a prayer. "Kanae seems to be helping Shinazugawa-san for the better."
"Hahaha! I suppose she is!" replied, Tengen.
As all the Hashiras leave the courtyard, Amane prepares tea for Kaguya. Lately, Kaguya's throat has been rough and hurting. The doctor said it was nothing but a sore throat, but the family knew well enough it was the beginning of the Ubuyashiki curse taking effect. And so, Kaguya has been having more tea to soothe his throat.
Once Amane pours Kaguya a cup of jasmine tea, he takes a sip before thanking his wife. Amane sits next to her husband while he continues to take sips. It's little times like these where these two are away from their duties that Amane has come to appreciate.
With the responsibilities as the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, it's the responsibility of the head to lead the corps and the responsibility of his wife to aid him. Their marriage was arranged by their families not out of love, but for duty. And yet, when Amane first saw Kaguya, she knew that she would fall helplessly in love with him.
The sheer kindness that Kaguya emitted was so alluring to her that she couldn't help but fall for him. He wasn't strong. He wasn't prideful. He wasn't even enlightened. He was simply innocent. When the knot was tied, Amane knew that she wouldn't help Kaguya for duty, but for love.
"Today's meeting was certainly something," said Amane in a soft tone.
"Yes," replied Kaguya after putting his cup down. "The Uppermoons have remained for a hundred years, so we need to act. Kanae's confrontation with Uppermoon 2 revealed a devastating truth. I can't afford to see any more of my children die..."
"I understand... It's a bold move, but it can bore opportunity for us if successful."
"Yes. I have faith in Sanemi and Giyuu. I know they can accomplish anything they desire to when they work together."
"Is this perhaps pertaining to when they came to meet with you yesterday"
"... yes."
"I never got to ask, but what did they talk to you about?"
Kaguya hesitated, which immediately alarmed Amane because she never seen him hesitate.
"I... I'm sorry Amane...I can't tell you..."
Kaguya looked down in shame after that response. He never lies to his family, and he is always transparent with them. But this situation is a special one, and he unfortunately cannot tell anyone about it. No matter how much it hurts.
"I wish I could tell you Amane... but for reasons I can't say, I cannot... I know how hypocritical of this is, and I'm really sor-"
"It's okay, Kaguya. I trust you"
Kaguya quickly brings his head up in shock, only to see Amane's smile. The smile that always eased his pain, and her eyes that always pull him in. They're the eyes their children have. The eyes that carry nothing but care. The eyes he fell in love with.
"I know you trust me, so I also trust you. If you have a reason to not tell me, then I will accept it," said Amane with a smile.
Kaguya can only stare at her with admiration and adore. Amane... has been nothing but kind to him.
From the day they met she had been by his side. At first, he thought she was only doing her duty. But then she started doing stuff she didn't need to do. She stayed up late for him. She prepared food for him. She supported him when his legs gave out that one time. She went to town by herself to bring medicine for him. She held his hand with care when he trembled in his sleep from his visions. These actions could not be done just for duty.
And then she explained how she felt, and Kaguya broke down. He broke down because he finally found out that she felt the same way he did for her, and because it pained him to find that someone could really love him. Kaguya, who was chained to a life of duty and pain, never once when growing up, believed anyone would love him.
Amane taught him not only to be a good leader, but a loyal husband, and a loving father. It's Amane that always makes Kaguya bear the pain, because she makes the pain lighter.
"Thank you, Amane... truly."
"Of course, my dear. I will always be here to support you."
Kaguya is a tragic man. Yet when he's with her, he feels he's the luckiest human on earth.
***
"Wait... Master are you saying we shouldn't have told you?"
"Not at all Giyuu. You and Sanemi felt lost and came to me for advice. I will never diminish the decision to ask for help."
"But..." asked Sanemi.
"However, I would advise you to caution for telling anyone else that you're from the future. I won't say for you not to do it, but you two should be careful."
"Because if it gets to the wrong hands, the information can be used against us?" questioned Giyuu with an eyebrow raised.
"Well that too, but I'm not worried about that. You two are dependable, and I know you two won't let the information get into wrong hands."
"Then, why can't we tell anyone else? Or why should we be careful about who to tell?" Sanemi was feeling extremely confused. Both him and Giyuu went to Kaguya about the future, and although it was the right decision, Kaguya is saying that there could be something that goes wrong.
"To answer that, I must explain my ability of foresight." Both Giyuu and Sanemi leaned to hear what their master had to reveal. Kaguya said before that his family had the ability to see glimpses of the future, which had led the Corps well in their war against demons. However, the tone when he revealed the information was extremely tense, and Sanemi was confident he's never seen Kaguya ever that serious.
"To start from the beginning, the foundations of the Ubuyashiki Clan formed when Muzan Kibutsuji became the first demon. He was actually a member of the family, so once he threw his humanity the family has been cursed with incurable illness for all males..."
Both Sanemi and Giyuu sit in shock. That was some... heavy news. The fact that Muzan Kibutsuji was in a way related to Kaguya Ubuyashiki, but also that he was originally a human was insane. With centuries of demons existing, it's hard for Sanemi and Giyuu to even imagine a time when demons never existed. A time when Muzan was a human...
"However, with a curse also came a boon and a purpose. The boon to have foresight... and the purpose of ending Muzan Kibutsuji. Once Muzan dies, the boon and curse will be lifted, and my descendants will be able to live in peace"
Sanemi and Giyuu both didn't dare to interrupt Kaguya. Right now, he was revealing the origin for the Demon Slayer Corps. If they were to interrupt, they would ruin the flow of history that is spewing out of their master's lips.
"However, when I said that foresight allows us to view the future, it wasn't completely true. It would be more accurate to say that we get glimpses of fate."
Kaguya let that influx of information sink in the two Hashiras. After a moment of processing, Giyuu finally responded.
"Fate... as in... fate?"
If Sanemi could, he would fume at Giyuu for asking such a stupid question in front of Kaguya. However, he too was feeling lost. And confused. Sanemi isn't religious. Sure, he would always shout at people and demons to go to hell, but only as insults. Now that fate, a cosmic idea that dictates people's lives, is true, does that mean that everything is predetermined? Did they only defeat Muzan because of fate? Did he lose all his comrades and family because of fate? Was he in the past now because of fate?
... was there truly a god??
"I understand that you both must be feeling lost with this new information."
Lost felt like an understatement. Regardless, the two Hashiras snapped out of their thoughts to listen to what Kaguya needed to say.
"Yes, fate does exist" added Kaguya. "However, it doesn't operate in the way you may believe it to." With Kaguya saying that statement, the Hashiras were able to calm themselves down.
"Fate doesn't decide what actions we mortals take. Instead, it operates more like a response towards certain actions..."
Sanemi raised an eyebrow. All of this was still too confusing for him. "What do you mean, Ubuyashiki-sama?"
"Well Sanemi, how fate operates is that it instead decides what events need to happen in accordance with the world. As living souls, our actions will influence fate on an event."
Sanemi knows Kaguya is explaining this well, but he is still confused by what he's saying. He glances at Giyuu to see if he understood any of it, only to find a stumped face on him. Kaguya notices the confusion on both the Hashiras faces and sighs before continuing.
"Let me put it this way. You both mentioned in the future that Muzan will infiltrate this manor, and that I set up a trap by exploding the estate, right?"
Giyuu's jaw clenches. He still remembers the dread that night. Walking with Tanjiro before the massive explosion illuminates the night. That action was the catalyst to the final battle against the demons.
"Ye-Yes Master," replied Giyuu, his eyes looking down. Sanemi too looked down, remembering the horrible night. Kaguya gaze softened as he realized what he did.
"I apologize my children if I awoke bad memories..."
"Don't worry, Master, we are alright. Please continue." Sanemi looked back at Kaguya with intent. Now was not the time to reminisce of bad times.
"Very well Sanemi... From what you two told me about that event, it's most likely that I foresaw Muzan infiltrating the headquarters and planned the explosion as a trap."
Tomioka puts his hand on his chin. "So... Muzan infiltrating the corps was fate?"
"Yes. From earlier events, we managed to slay three Uppermoons in less than a year. While it was because of the efforts from our members, our actions must have influenced fate to allow Muzan to find the location of headquarters."
"That's stupid!" shouted Sanemi suddenly. "We were slaying those damn demons, and this stupid fate sides with those demons and against us!"
"Fate is a neutral phenomenon that doesn't favor any side. It graces the demons as much as it graces us slayers," replied Kaguya calmly. "However, my foresight, which was gifted from a higher power, allows me to use fate to my advantage."
Giyuu is finally able to connect some dots and understand what Kaguya is saying. Giyuu theorizes that when Muzan became a demon, it threw fate in disarray. And so, God decided to curse and bless the Ubuyashiki family in order to establish their purpose of eradicating demons. However, there were still some things Giyuu was confused about.
"Master... I think I understand... but what does this have to do with not telling anyone we're from the future?"
'Oh crap, I forgot the original purpose of this conversation was that! Damn, this is all too confusing!' thought Sanemi in a panic. He's unfortunately still behind on connecting some dots.
"Well, Giyuu, it all ties to that every action we take will have a reaction. The trajectory of fate changed when demons were born, and many events that were previously fated to happen have changed."
"Wait... fate can change?"
"Yes. If major changes are made towards fate, events pushed by it can be changed as a reaction. This is why you two must exercise caution when telling people of your circumstances."
"I'm sorry Master, but I'm still confused!" interjected Sanemi. He feels like any more information will burst his head open. "How does this affect us telling people we are from the future?!"
"Don't apologize Sanemi. Even I'll admit that this is confusing... But to how this affects revealing your situation... well it's because gaining knowledge of the future, or fate, acts as an action against it"
The duo stilled when hearing that statement. Finally, everything started to connect together like a canvas filled with the last puzzle piece.
"Yes," continued Kaguya. "Too much knowledge of the future can lead to unintentional changes in it. It doesn't matter if no changes are made from the original timeline. If too many people are knowledgeable of fate events, then fate will find something to change."
This changed the rules toward the circumstances. Before Giyuu was adamant that telling Kaguya was the best decision they could make. However, after learning about the consequences, the possibility that he might have jeopardized their perfect future came to fruition.
"This hasn't been much a problem for the Ubuyashiki family, since we only get glimpses of the future. As such, the information I receive is shared with my family, and now you two." Kaguya's gaze then hardened as he looked at the Hashiras with a serious expression.
"However, you two have lived through the future. You know events that may have been predetermined. If knowledge like this were to spread too much, then fate would react accordingly to us."
Sanemi looked down as he tried to gather his thoughts together. In all honestly, this shouldn't affect him a lot. Aside from Kaguya, he didn't plan to tell anyone else about the future. Well... maybe Kanae, but that was most likely not to happen anyways. Except now that you can have a zero percent chance of happening, or else the future he desires may be lost.
"I understand now Master. We will make sure not to tell anyone about it," said Sanemi with determination.
"Well, I didn't say you can't tell anyone. You're free to tell someone"
Sanemi's face instantly changed from serious to genuinely puzzled. Even Giyuu had his jaw open in confusion.
"B-But Master? Didn't you just say-"
"Everything I have said isn't a hundred percent factual," said Kaguya as he lets out a smile. "Everything I know is based on my knowledge of my family. I've never experienced a situation like yours, so I can't say the same rules for me applies to you two."
Now Sanemi is really confused. One minute he's warned about the serious consequences about revealing the future and now he's encouraged to tell it? "But even still..."
"I only told you two of these so that you wouldn't tell everyone you trust. It would be wise not to tell all the Hashiras about this, or all future comrades you two gain." Kaguya turned his head to look out of the window and stared at the nickel moon, illuminating the night.
"However, you two aren't changing the future to only save people, but also to redeem your behaviors towards others. Am I right?"
Giyuu and Sanemi widened their eyes. It was true. They didn't only want to save more lives. They also wanted a chance to save their relationships. Sanemi wanted to no longer live in anger and push people away. Giyuu wanted to no longer live in sadness and isolate himself. They both wanted that second chance.
"I theorize the consequences wouldn't be dire if a couple people found out. You two will be living your lives differently with no regrets, so nothing should hold you back. If the situation does arise where you both reveal the future to someone close, I know it will be for the right reason"
Kaguya finally looked back at the two Hashiras. His eyes captured the beauty of the world within them, and his smile widened with the warmth of absolute care.
"So don't be afraid and go for it!"
***
Sanemi was following Kanae as they both entered the Butterfly Mansion. As they both enter, the patients there can hear Sanemi shouting for Kanae's attention, and Kanae ignoring him. It was certainly a puzzling sight.
"Kanae! Kanae, please wait up!"
Kanae continued to walk, not daring to look back at him. Finally, Sanemi shouted loud enough for her name to be heard outside the mansion.
"KANAE! PLEASE!"
Kanae finally stopped before slowly turning around to look at her boyfriend. Her eyebrows were scrunched, and her jaw was clenched.
"Please Kanae. What's wrong?" Sanemi's voice was now calm, and his eyes carried a deep sorrow in them. His eyes were almost watery, and yet it was enough for Kanae to quit her act and soften up. She quickly went up to Sanemi and hugged him.
"I-I'm sorry for making you sad, Sanemi." It was never intention for Kanae to hurt Sanemi but seeing him so open and sorrowful made her hate herself.
"I just want to know what is wrong. Was it something I did?" Sanemi now let out a sigh as he reciprocated the hug.
Kanae hesitated before slowly pulling away from the hug. When she looked at Sanemi, her eyes didn't carry frustration, and his eyes didn't hurt.
"I..." Kanae took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't like your mission. You shouldn't be going."
'Ah, so that's what this is about.' Sanemi had a guess that Kanae wouldn't be okay with this decision. Regardless, he needed to assure her.
"Kanae, you don't have to worry about it. I'm strong enough to go through this mission-"
"Except you don't know that." Sanemi stepped back as he heard the words come out of her mouth. The face he saw was a serious one. One that would spout harsh truths to you convinced yourself of lies. Not that what Sanemi said was a lie. Regardless, Kanae continued to speak.
"This mission can last at least two years, and you're expected to meet with Uppermoons during this time? I'm not criticizing Ubuyashiki-sama's decision about the mission or choosing you, but you shouldn't accept it. We barely survived Uppermoon 2, and now you're supposed to meet the other 5?"
"I won't be alone. I got Tomio-"
"And what will you two do if you face Uppermoon 1?"
Sanemi paused, thinking about what to say. In truth, this mission is just a cover for Sanemi and Giyuu to begin training and develop foundations for future plans. However, no one else knows about this, so it makes sense for Kanae to have serious concerns.
"Sanemi," said Kanae, interrupting Sanemi out of his trance. Her face has softened and now she is just filled with worry. Sanemi hated seeing her worry.
"I think it would be better if you gave the mission to Himejima-san. I know he's unfit for a recon mission, but he's the strongest of us all. It would be safer for you."
Sanemi raised an eyebrow in her last statement. He may not be the brightest bulb in the room, but when it came to Kanae, he could read her like a book.
"Why do you really want me not to go? You know I am the most fit for this mission."
Kanae bit her lips as she glanced away. She hesitated for a while before finally telling the truth.
"It's because... it's because I don't want you to leave me."
'Oh, so that's why...'
"Sanemi this mission is long and dangerous!" Kanae gave up trying to sound logical and let her emotions take over. "You could get hurt or seriously injured! What will I do if you... if you..."
Kanae was now looking down, her eyes on the verge of tears. Finally, she whispered,
"I don't want to lose you too." Kanae was about to let out her tears before she felt her head pulled towards Sanemi's chest as he enveloped her in a hug. They stayed there for a minute, just feeling the embrace of each other before Sanemi spoke.
"Kanae... you are the closest person to me right now. When I heard that about that Uppermoon and that you... I couldn't bear losing someone else again."
Kanae's eyes widened as a tear falls down her cheek. What Sanemi said was true. When he learnt about her death... he had no one. He was once again alone. It broke him from the inside, made him afraid to establish a connection like that again. Even when he saw Genya again, he pushed him away. Because he couldn't bear to have someone else enter his harsh heart again.
And even then, it didn't stop the pain once he died.
"Aside from you, I have no one anymore," continued Sanemi. "No family. No mother. No siblings. No best friend. No one."
Sanemi purposely decided to omit Genya. He wasn't ready to have that conversation with her yet.
"I too can't lose you again Kanae. And that's why I need to go on this mission."
"Sanemi..." Kanae's tears are now fully out as she hugged him tighter
"I need to go on this mission. To get stronger. To protect everyone. To protect you..."
Sanemi softly pulled away. Kanae was looking at Sanemi, who had soft eyes and a smile. His face carried a sense of serenity in them. Similar, but different from Kaguya. While Kaguya expressed the soft sun that warms everyone up, Sanemi was right now like the breezy wind that caressed you.
"I'm just not ready for you to leave..." whimpered Kanae. Sanemi put his hand on her cheek to wipe her tears.
"Well... I have a month until I'm allowed to leave for the mission, right? That means we get to spend all that time together as much as we can."
Kanae looked at Sanemi before letting out a chuckle. Her chuckle then turned into giggling. Sanemi wasn't sure what he said was funny, but then he looked at Kanae's face as she looked at him once again; her tears now replaced with a soft grin.
"Yes... We sure can..."